[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 219 (Thursday, November 12, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71880-71881]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-25041]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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; Highly Migratory Species Vessel Logbooks and Cost-Earnings 
Data Reports

    The Department of Commerce will submit the following information 
collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 
review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995, on or after the date of publication of this notice. We invite 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. Public comments were previously requested via the 
Federal Register on July 23, 2020, (85 FR 44520) during a 60-day 
comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public 
comments.
    Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
    Title: Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Vessel Logbooks and Cost-
Earnings Data Reports.
    OMB Control Number: 0648-0371.
    Form Number(s): 88-191.
    Type of Request: Regular.
    Number of Respondents: 5,513.
    Average Hours per Response: 10 minutes for cost/earnings summaries 
attached to logbook reports, 30 minutes for annual expenditure forms, 
12 minutes for logbook catch trip and set reports, 2 minutes for 
negative logbook catch reports.
    Burden Hours: 21,304.
    Needs and Uses: NMFS collects information via vessel logbooks to 
monitor the U.S. catch of Atlantic swordfish, sharks, billfish, and 
tunas in relation to the quotas, thereby ensuring that the United 
States complies with its domestic and international obligations. The 
HMS logbook program, OMB Control No. 0648-0371, was specifically 
designed to collect the vessel level information needed for the 
management of Atlantic HMS, and includes set forms, trip forms, 
negative reports, and cost-earning requirements for both commercial and 
recreational vessels. The information supplied through the HMS logbook 
program provides the catch and effort data on a per-set or per-trip 
level of resolution for both directed and incidental species. In 
addition to HMS fisheries, the HMS logbook program is also used to 
report catches of dolphin and wahoo by commercial and charter/headboat 
fisheries by vessels that do not possess other federal permits. 
Additionally, the HMS logbook collects data on incidental species, 
including sea turtles, which is necessary to evaluate the fisheries in 
terms of bycatch and encounters with protected species. While most HMS 
fishermen use the HMS logbook program, HMS can also be reported as part 
of several other logbook collections including the Northeast Region 
Fishing Vessel Trip Reports (0648-0212) and Southeast Region Coastal 
Logbook (0648-0016).
    These data are necessary to assess the status of HMS, dolphin, and 
wahoo in each fishery. International stock assessments for tunas, 
swordfish, billfish, and some species of sharks are conducted through 
ICCAT's Standing Committee on Research and Statistics periodically and 
provide, in part, the basis for ICCAT management recommendations which 
become binding on member nations. Domestic stock assessments for most 
species of sharks and for dolphin and wahoo are used as the basis of 
managing these species.
    Supplementary information on fishing costs and earnings has been 
collected via the HMS logbook program. This economic information 
enables NMFS to assess the economic impacts of regulatory programs on 
small businesses and fishing communities, consistent with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Executive Order 12866, the Regulatory 
Flexibility Act, and other domestic laws.
    Atlantic HMS fisheries are managed under the dual authority of the 
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) and the 
Atlantic Tunas Conservation Act (ATCA). Under the MSA, management 
measures must be consistent with ten National Standards, and fisheries 
must be managed to maintain optimum yield, rebuild overfished 
fisheries, and prevent overfishing. Under ATCA, the Secretary of 
Commerce shall promulgate regulations, as necessary and appropriate, to 
implement measures adopted by the International Commission for the 
Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).
    Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit organizations 
(vessel owners).
    Frequency: Trip summary reports are submitted within 7 days 
following the completion of each fishing trip, trip cost-earnings 
reports are due within 30 days of trip completion, no catch/

[[Page 71881]]

fishing reports are due at the end of each month in which no fishing 
occurs, and annual expenditure reports are submitted annually.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Under the provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), the 
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is responsible for management 
of the Nation's marine fisheries. NMFS must also promulgate 
regulations, as necessary and appropriate, to carry out obligations the 
United States (U.S.) undertakes internationally regarding tuna 
management through the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (ATCA, 16 U.S.C. 
971 et seq.).
    This information collection request may be viewed at reginfo.gov. 
Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce collections 
currently under review by OMB.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of 
this notice on the following website www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. 
Find this particular information collection by selecting ``Currently 
under 30-day Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search 
function and entering either the title of the collection or the OMB 
Control Number 0648-0371.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2020-25041 Filed 11-10-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P