[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 60 (Friday, March 27, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17314-17315]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-06402]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Reporting 
Requirements for the Ocean Salmon Fishery Off the Coasts of Washington, 
Oregon, and California

AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed and/or continuing 
information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995.

DATES: To ensure consideration, written or on-line comments must be 
submitted on or before May 26, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Adrienne Thomas, PRA Officer, 
NOAA, 151 Patton Avenue, Room 159, Asheville, NC 28801 (or via the 
internet at [email protected]). All comments received are part of the 
public record. Comments will generally be posted without change. All 
Personally Identifiable Information (for example, name and address) 
voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do 
not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or 
protected information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should 
be directed to Peggy Mundy, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) 
West Coast Region, telephone: 206-526-4323; email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    This request is for an extension of a currently approved 
information collection.
    Ocean salmon fisheries conducted in the U.S. exclusive economic 
zone, 3-200 nautical miles off the West Coast states of Washington, 
Oregon, and California are managed by the Pacific Fishery Management 
Council (Council) and NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) 
under the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
(MSA). Management measures for the ocean salmon fisheries are set 
annually, consistent with the Council's Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery 
Management Plan (FMP). The FMP provides a framework for managing the 
ocean salmon fisheries in a sustainable manner, as required under the 
MSA, through the use of conservation objectives, annual catch limits, 
and other reference points and status determination criteria described 
in the FMP. To meet these criteria, annual management measures, 
published in the Federal Register by NMFS, specify regulatory areas, 
catch restrictions, and landing restrictions based on the stock 
abundance forecasts. These catch and landing restrictions include area- 
and species-specific quotas for the commercial ocean salmon fishery, 
and generally require landings to be reported to the appropriate state 
agencies to allow for a timely and accurate accounting of the season's 
catch (50 CFR 660.404 and 50 CFR 660.408(o)). The best available catch 
and effort data and projections are presented by the state fishery 
managers in telephone conference calls involving the NMFS Northwest 
Regional Administrator and representatives of the Council. However, 
NMFS acknowledges that unsafe weather or mechanical problems could 
prevent commercial fishermen from making their landings at the times 
and places specified, and the MSA requires conservation and management 
measures to promote the safety of human life at sea. Therefore, the 
annual management measures will include provisions to exempt commercial 
salmon fishermen from compliance with the landing requirements when 
they experience unsafe weather conditions or mechanical problems at 
sea, so long as the appropriate notifications are made by, for example, 
at-sea radio and cellular telephone, and information on catch and other 
required information is given, under this collection of information. 
The annual management measures will specify the contents and procedure 
of the notifications, and the entities receiving the notifications 
(e.g., U.S. Coast Guard). Absent this requirement by the Council, the 
state reporting systems would not regularly collect this specific type 
of in-season radio report. These provisions, and this federal 
collection of information, promote safety at sea and provide practical 
utility for sustainably managing the fishery, ensuring regulatory 
consistency across each state by implementing the same requirements for 
alternative reporting in unsafe conditions in the surrounding 
territorial waters. This information collection is intended to be 
general in scope by leaving the specifics of the notifications

[[Page 17315]]

for annual determination, thus providing flexibility in responding to 
salmon management concerns in any given year.

II. Method of Collection

    Notifications are made by at-sea radio or cellular phone 
transmissions.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0433.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission (extension of a currently 
approved collection).
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 40.
    Estimated Time per Response: 15 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 10 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0 in recordkeeping/
reporting costs.

IV. Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden 
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; 
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

    Dated: March 24, 2020.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2020-06402 Filed 3-26-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P