[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 148 (Friday, July 31, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46071-46073]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-16632]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Observer Programs' Information That Can Be Gathered Only 
Through Questions

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

ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information 
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information 
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The 
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment 
preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed 
information collection request must be received on or before September 
29, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to 
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, at [email protected]. Please 
reference OMB Control Number 0648-0593 in the subject line of your 
comments. Do not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise 
sensitive or protected information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed 
to Lee Benaka, Acting National Observer Program Lead, NOAA, 1315 East-
West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, (301-427-8554), and 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) deploys fishery observers on 
United States (U.S.) commercial fishing vessels and to fish processing 
plants in order to collect biological and economic data. NMFS has at 
least one observer program in each of its five Regions. These observer 
programs provide the

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most reliable and effective method for obtaining information that is 
critical for the conservation and management of living marine 
resources. Observer programs primarily obtain information through 
direct observations by employees or agents of NMFS; and such 
observations are not subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). 
However, observer programs also collect the following information that 
requires clearance under the PRA: (1) Standardized questions of fishing 
vessel captains/crew or fish processing plant managers/staff, which 
include gear and performance questions, safety questions, and trip 
costs, crew size and other economic questions; (2) questions asked by 
observer program staff/contractors to plan observer deployments; (3) 
forms that are completed by observers and that fishing vessel captains 
are asked to review and sign; (4) questionnaires to evaluate observer 
performance; and (5) a form to certify that a fisherman is the permit 
holder when requesting observer data from the observer on the vessel. 
NMFS seeks to renew OMB PRA clearance for these information 
collections.
    The information collected will be used to: (1) Monitor catch and 
bycatch in federally managed commercial fisheries; (2) understand the 
population status and trends of fish stocks and protected species, as 
well as the interactions between them; (3) determine the quantity and 
distribution of net benefits derived from living marine resources; (4) 
predict the biological, ecological, and economic impacts of existing 
management action and proposed management options; and (5) ensure that 
the observer programs can safely and efficiently collect the 
information required for the previous four uses. In particular, these 
biological and economic data collection programs contribute to legally 
mandated analyses required under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act (MSA), the Endangered Species Act 
(ESA), the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA), 
Executive Order 12866 (E.O. 12866), as well as a variety of state 
statutes. The confidentiality of the data will be protected as required 
by the MSA, Section 402(b).
    On June 12, 2020, The Office of Management and Budget granted 
approval under the emergency approval provisions of the PRA for NOAA 
fishery observers to immediately begin collecting safety information 
related to the COVID-19 national pandemic. Six supplementary safety 
questions were added to the existing approved information collection 
request. The questions are necessary to ensure safety of observers and 
the safety of vessel crew and plant staff during the evolving COVID-19 
pandemic as they provide information related to the presence of COVID-
19 among vessel crew or plant staff, the availability of safety 
equipment, and the existence of communicable disease safety plans. 
Although responses to these questions are voluntary, we encourage 
industry to respond to facilitate assessment of COVID-19 risks that a 
deployment may present and any precautionary steps that may be 
necessary to mitigate such risks.
    The approval granted by OMB is valid through December 31, 2020. The 
6-month approval allows observers or observer providers to collect this 
information by a phone call to the operator of a fishing vessel or 
management of a fish processing plant prior to observer deployment. 
Currently, there is no way to anticipate an end to the impact of COVID-
19 or other communicable diseases. Therefore, NOAA needs to be prepared 
for the possibility of collecting these data for an extended period of 
time. NOAA now seeks to extend this information collection request for 
an additional three years, and proposes to modify the COVID-19 
supplemental questions slightly to address all communicable diseases. 
As with the COVID-19 questions approved by OMB, observers or observer 
providers would verbally ask these questions prior to deployment. The 
revised questions to add to the existing information collection request 
are:
    1. In the past 2 weeks, have the captain and crew been following 
state mandates for travel, physical distancing, or any other 
restrictions and guidance in response to the current health crisis?
    2. Do any crew members currently have two or more symptoms of 
COVID-19 (fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, headache, sore 
throat, new loss of taste or smell) or symptoms of any other 
communicable disease, such as tuberculosis, Methicillin-resistant 
Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), etc.?
    3. In the past 2 weeks, have any of the crew tested positive for, 
or been exposed to, someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or any 
other communicable disease, such as tuberculosis, MRSA, etc.?
    4. Does the vessel have procedures in place to reduce their 
exposures to COVID-19 or any other communicable disease, such as 
tuberculosis, MRSA, etc.?
    5. Is there a response plan in place, should someone show symptoms 
of COVID-19, or any other communicable disease, such as tuberculosis, 
MRSA, etc., during a trip?
    6. Is there a supply of personal protection and sanitizing 
equipment, such as face coverings, hand sanitizer, etc., onboard the 
vessel for the crew?

II. Method of Collection

    The information will be collected by (1) via telephone or mail 
survey by the observer program staff or contractor planning to deploy 
observers; (2) NMFS observers while they are deployed on a vessel to 
observe a particular fishing trip; questions will be asked in-person to 
the captain, crew and/or owner (if on board the vessel) during the 
course of the observed trip; (3) via mail through follow up surveys of 
economic information not available during the trip; or (4) via feedback 
questionnaires mailed to the vessel owners or captains to evaluate 
observer performance.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0593.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular (Extension and revision of a current 
information collection request).
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 19,606 observed annual fishing 
trips.
    Estimated Time per Response: Northeast Fisheries Observer Program 
and At-Sea Monitors, 117 minutes; North Pacific Groundfish and Halibut 
Observer Program and Processing Plants, 56 minutes; Alaska Marine 
Mammal Observer Program, 15 minutes; West Coast Groundfish Observer 
Program, 58 minutes; Pacific Islands Region Observer Program, 86 
minutes; Southeast Shark Fishery Observer Program, 75 minutes; 
Southeast Pelagic Observer Program, 85 minutes; Gulf of Mexico Reef 
Fish and Shrimp Observer Program, 110 minutes; West Coast Region 
Observer Program, 62 minutes; Gulf of Mexico Snapper-Grouper Observer 
Program, 110 minutes. Information will be collected for observed 
fishing trips and deployments to fish processing plants; therefore, 
there will be multiple responses for some respondents, but they will be 
counted as one response per trip or plant visit.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 28,420.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $717,594.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: The primary authority for NMFS to place observers 
on fishing vessels is included in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

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Conservation and Management Act (MSA), the Endangered Species Act 
(ESA), and the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).

IV. Request for Comments

    We are soliciting public comments to permit NOAA to: (a) Evaluate 
whether the proposed information collection is necessary for the proper 
functions of the Agency, including whether the information will have 
practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the 
time and cost burden for this proposed collection, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) Evaluate ways to 
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be 
collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden on those who are to 
respond, including the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone 
number, email address, or other personal identifying information in 
your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including 
your personal identifying information--may be made publicly available 
at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your 
personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2020-16632 Filed 7-30-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P