[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 8 (Wednesday, January 13, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2644-2646]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-00553]


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

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; Individual Fishing Quotas for Pacific Halibut and Sablefish in 
the Alaska Fisheries

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

ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.

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

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 must be received on or before March 15, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to 
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, at [email protected]. Please 
reference OMB Control Number 0648-0272 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 Gabrielle Aberle, 907-586-7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Alaska Regional 
Office, is requesting renewal of a currently approved information 
collection that contains requirements for the Pacific Halibut and 
Sablefish Individual Fishing Quota Program (IFQ Program).
    The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) and NMFS Alaska 
Region manage fishing for Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) 
through regulations established under the authority of the Northern 
Pacific Halibut Act of 1982, 16 U.S.C. 773c (Halibut Act). The IPHC 
promulgates regulations governing the halibut fishery under the 
Convention between the United States and Canada for the Preservation of 
the Halibut Fishery of the Northern Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea 
(Convention). Regulations pursuant to the Convention are set forth at 
50 CFR 300 subpart E.
    The North Pacific Fishery Management Council, under the authority 
of the Halibut Act (with respect to Pacific halibut) and the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et 
seq.; Magnuson-Stevens Act) (with respect to sablefish), manages the 
IFQ Program. NMFS Alaska Region administers the IFQ Program. 
Regulations implementing the IFQ Program are set forth at 50 CFR part 
679.

[[Page 2645]]

    The IFQ Program provides a limited access system for Pacific 
halibut in Convention waters in and off Alaska and sablefish fisheries 
in waters of the Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska. The IFQ Program 
provides coastal Alaska communities a source of revenue, while 
maintaining the social and economic character of the fixed-gear 
sablefish and halibut fisheries. The IFQ Program provides economic 
stability for these fisheries while reducing many of the conservation 
and management problems commonly associated with open-access fisheries. 
The IFQ Program includes several provisions, such as ownership caps and 
vessel use caps that protect small producers, part-time participants, 
and entry-level participants that otherwise could be adversely affected 
by excessive consolidation.
    Participation in the IFQ Program is limited to persons that hold 
quota share (QS), although there are several very limited provisions 
for ``leasing'' of annual IFQ. QS is a transferable permit that was 
initially issued to persons who owned or leased vessels that made legal 
commercial fixed-gear landings of Pacific halibut or sablefish in the 
waters off Alaska from 1988 through 1990. Currently, QS may only be 
obtained through transfer.
    Annually, NMFS issues eligible QS holders an IFQ fishing permit 
that authorizes participation in the IFQ fisheries. Those to whom IFQ 
permits are issued may harvest their annual allocation at any time 
during the eight plus-month IFQ halibut and sablefish seasons.
    More information on the IFQ Program is provided on the NMFS Alaska 
Region website at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/alaska/sustainable-fisheries/pacific-halibut-and-sablefish-individual-fishing-quota-ifq-program.
    Some of the collection instruments in this information collection 
are used by participants in the Western Alaska Community Development 
Quota (CDQ) Program. The purpose of the CDQ Program is to provide 
eligible western Alaska villages with the opportunity to participate 
and invest in fisheries in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands 
Management Area (BSAI); to support economic development in western 
Alaska; to alleviate poverty and provide economic and social benefits 
for residents of western Alaska; and to achieve sustainable and 
diversified local economies in western Alaska. In fitting with these 
goals, NMFS allocates a portion of the annual catch limits for a 
variety of commercially valuable marine species in the BSAI to the CDQ 
Program. Pacific halibut is one of these species. More information on 
the CDQ Program is provided on the NMFS Alaska Region website at 
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/alaska/sustainable-fisheries/community-development-quota-cdq-program. Information collection requirements for 
the CDQ Program are approved under OMB Control Number 0648-0269.
    This information collection is required to manage commercial 
halibut and sablefish fishing under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the 
Halibut Act, and under 50 CFR parts 300 and 679.
    This information collection contains the forms used by participants 
in the IFQ Program to apply for, renew, or replace permits; transfer or 
lease IFQ and QS; determine compliance with IFQ program requirements; 
and designate a beneficiary for a QS holder. Two of the permit 
applications are also used by participants in the CDQ Program. This 
information collection also contains annual reports and other 
collections submitted by telephone or other methods and that do not 
have forms.
    The type of information collected includes information on the 
applicants, transferors, transferees, permits, IFQ or QS types and 
owners, beneficiaries, vessels, business operations, medical 
declarations, landings, gear types, products, and harvests and harvest 
areas.
    This information is used to identify and authorize participants in 
the halibut and sablefish fisheries, to track and transfer quota share, 
to limit transfers to authorized participants, and to monitor quota 
share balances and harvest in these fisheries.

II. Method of Collection

    The information is collected primarily by mail, delivery, fax, 
email, or telephone. Registered buyers may use eFISH to renew or amend 
their registered buyer permit. eFISH is the NMFS Alaska Region online 
Fisheries Information System. The forms and applications are available 
as fillable pdfs on the NMFS Alaska Region website at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/permit/alaska-ifq-halibut-sablefish-and-cdq-halibut-program-fishery-applications-and-reporting.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0272.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission (extension of a current 
information collection).
    Affected Public: Individuals or households; Business or other for-
profit organizations; Not-for-profit institutions.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 2,559.
    Estimated Time per Response: Application for IFQ/CDQ Hired Master 
Permit, 1 hour; Application for IFQ/CDQ Registered Buyer Permit, 30 
minutes; Application for Replacement of Certificates or Permits, 30 
minutes; Application for Eligibility to Receive QS/IFQ by Transfer, 2 
hours; QS Holder: Identification of Ownership Interest, 2 hours; 
Application for Transfer of QS, 2 hours; Application for Transfer of 
QS/IFQ by Self Sweep Up, 2 hours; Application for Medical Transfer of 
IFQ, 1.5 hours; Application for Temporary Transfer of Halibut/Sablefish 
IFQ, 2 hours; Annual Report for CDQ IFQ Transfers, 40 hours; QS/IFQ 
Beneficiary Designation Form, 30 minutes; Appeals, 4 hours; IFQ 
Administrative Waiver, 6 minutes; Prior Notice of Landing, 15 minutes; 
IFQ Departure Report, 15 minutes; Transshipment Authorization, 12 
minutes; Dockside sales, 6 minutes; Application for a Non-profit 
Corporation to be Designated as a Recreational Quota Entity, 200 hours; 
Application for Transfer of Quota Share To or From a Recreational Quota 
Entity, 2 hours; Recreational Quota Entity Annual Report, 40 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 4,588 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $21,471.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to Obtain or Retain Benefits; 
Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act, 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.; Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 
1982, 16 U.S.C. 773c.

IV. Request for Comments

    We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau 
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is 
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, 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

[[Page 2646]]

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. 2021-00553 Filed 1-12-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P