[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 231 (Tuesday, December 1, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 77179]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-26463]


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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; Northeast Region Observer Providers Requirements

    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 7, 2020 during a 60-day comment period. This 
notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
    Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
    Title: Northeast Region Observer Providers Requirements.
    OMB Control Number: 0648-0546.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Regular submission (extension of a current 
information collection).
    Number of Respondents: 515.
    Average Hours per Response: Application for approval of observer 
service provider, 10 hours; applicant response to denial of application 
for approval of observer service provider, 10 hours; observer service 
provider request for observer training, 30 minutes; observer deployment 
report, 10 minutes; observer availability report, 10 minutes; safety 
refusal report, 30 minutes; submission of raw observer data, 5 minutes; 
observer debriefing, 2 hours; other reports, 30 minutes; biological 
samples, 5 minutes; rebuttal of pending removal from list of approved 
observer service providers, 8 hours; vessel request to observer service 
provider for procurement of a certified observer, 10 minutes; observer 
contact list updates, 5 minutes; observer availability updates, 5 
minutes; service provider material submissions, 30 minutes; service 
provider contracts, 30 minutes, request to observer service provider to 
procure and observer, 10 minutes; notification of unavailability of 
observers, 5 minutes.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 5,252.
    Needs and Uses: This request is for extension of a currently 
approved information collection. Under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act, the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) 
has the responsibility for the conservation and management of marine 
fishery resources. Much of this responsibility has been delegated to 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/National 
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Under this stewardship role, the 
Secretary was given certain regulatory authorities to ensure the most 
beneficial uses of these resources. One of the regulatory steps taken 
to carry out the conservation and management objectives is to collect 
data from users of the resource.
    Regulations at 50 CFR 648.11(g) require observer service providers 
to comply with specific requirements in order to operate as an approved 
provider in the Atlantic sea scallop (scallop) fishery. Observer 
service providers must comply with the following requirements: Submit 
applications for approval as an observer service provider; formally 
request observer training by the Northeast Fisheries Observer Program 
(NEFOP); submit observer deployment reports and biological samples; 
give notification of whether a vessel must carry an observer within 24 
hours of the vessel owner's notification of a prospective trip; 
maintain an updated contact list of all observers that includes the 
observer identification number; observer's name mailing address, email 
address, phone numbers, homeports or fisheries/trip types assigned, and 
whether or not the observer is ``in service.'' The regulations also 
require observer service providers submit any outreach materials, such 
as informational pamphlets, payment notification, and descriptions of 
observer duties as well as all contracts between the service provider 
and entities requiring observer services for review to NMFS/NEFOP. 
Observer service providers also have the option to respond to 
application denials, and submit a rebuttal in response to a pending 
removal from the list of approved observer providers. These 
requirements allow NMFS/NEFOP to effectively administer the scallop 
observer program.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: 50 CFR 648.11.
    This information collection request may be viewed at 
www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view the 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 0648-0546.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2020-26463 Filed 11-30-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P