[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 126 (Tuesday, July 6, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35493-35494]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-14292]


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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; Greater Atlantic Region Permit Family of Forms

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 must be received on or before September 7, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to 
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, at [email protected]. Please 
reference OMB Control Number 0648-0202 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 Cynthia Ferrio, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great 
Republic Dr., Gloucester, MA 01930, (978) 281-9180, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    This request is for revision of a current information collection. 
Under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the 
Secretary of Commerce has the responsibility for the conservation and 
management of marine fishery resources. Much of this responsibility has 
been delegated to NOAA's 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 information from 
users of the resources.
    The Secretary has enacted rules to issue permits to individuals and 
organizations participating in federally controlled fisheries. Permits 
are necessary to: (1) Register fishermen, fishing vessels, fish dealers 
and processors; (2) list the characteristics of fishing vessels and/or 
dealer/processor operations; (3) exercise influence over compliance 
(e.g., withhold issuance pending collection of unpaid penalties); (4) 
maintain contact lists for the dissemination of important information 
to the industry; (5) register participants to be considered for limited 
entry; and (6) provide a universe for data collection samples. 
Identification of fishery participants, their gear types, vessels, and 
expected activity levels is an effective and necessary tool in the 
enforcement of fishery regulations.
    This collection is being revised to introduce a new online 
permitting system (FishOnline) to allow individuals and organizations 
to apply and renew their fishing vessel permits, operator permits, 
dealer permits, Letter of Authorization (LOA), and gillnet 
certificates.
    This collection also includes the requirement for participants in 
certain fisheries to use onboard vessel monitoring systems (VMS) and to 
notify NMFS before fishing trips for the purpose of observer placement. 
Other permitting in this collection includes the written request to 
participate in any of the various exemption programs offered in the 
Greater Atlantic region.
    Exemption programs may allow a vessel to fish in an area that is 
limited to vessels of a particular size, using a certain gear type, or 
fishing for a particular species. This collection also contains 
paperwork required for vessel owners to request gillnet and lobster 
trap tags through the Greater Atlantic region permit office.
    Lastly, vessel owners that own multiple vessels, but would like to 
request communication from NMFS be consolidated into one mailing (and 
not separate mailings for each vessel), may request the single letter 
vessel owner option to improve efficiency of their business practice.

II. Method of Collection

    Vessel Permits: All vessel permit applications, including permit 
applications and renewals for vessels, dealers, and vessel operators, 
as well as gillnet and lobster trap tag purchase, are required to be 
submitted using an online account (FishOnline).
    VMS Requirements: Vessels with VMS requirements are required to 
declare their intent to fish (e.g., declare into the fishery) and 
submit daily catch reports using electronic VMS units on board the 
vessel. Other VMS actions may include trip start and end hails, pre-
landing notifications, and days-at-sea (DAS) adjustments. VMS power 
down exemption requests are submitted by signed paper form.
    Observer Program Call-in Requirements: Vessels issued certain 
permits such as Northeast multispecies, monkfish, scallop, and Atlantic 
herring permits are required to give advance notification to the 
Northeast Fisheries Observer Program (NEFOP) before the start of a trip 
in order to receive a fisheries observer or a waiver. Vessels use an 
online pre-trip notification system, email, toll-free call-in number, 
or a local phone number to comply with this requirement.
    Exempted Fisheries Programs: Vessels that would like to request 
participation in one or more of the Greater Atlantic region fisheries 
exemption programs must either submit a request electronically using 
their VMS unit, by declaring into an exempted fishery prior

[[Page 35494]]

to the start of a trip, or by submitting a request to participate in 
the program(s) of interest using their FishOnline account.
    Vessel Owner Single Letter Option: Vessel owners that own multiple 
vessels, but would like to receive only a single Greater Atlantic 
Fisheries Bulletin or small entity compliance guide instead of one for 
each vessel permit, must submit a written request to NMFS to 
participate in this program.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0202.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular (revision of a current information 
collection).
    Affected Public: Businesses and other for-profit organizations are 
primarily affected. Individuals or households, state, local or tribal 
governments, and the Federal Government are also affected.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 129,453.
    Estimated Time per Response: Vessel Permits: Vessel permit 
application: 40 minutes; vessel permit renewal forms: 20 minutes; 
initial dealer permit applications: 15 minutes; dealer permit renewal 
forms: 5 minutes; initial and renewal vessel operator permit 
applications: 30 minutes; online account creation (FishOnline Account 
Information Collection): 15 minutes; limited access vessel replacement 
applications: 1.5 hours; and applications for retention of limited 
access permit history: 1.5 hours. VMS Requirements: Installing a VMS 
unit: 1 hour; confirming VMS connectivity: 5 minutes; VMS certification 
form: 5 minutes; VMS installation for Canadian herring transport 
vessels: 1 hour and 20 minutes; email to declare their entrance and 
departure from U.S. waters: 15 minutes; automatic polling of vessel 
position using the VMS unit: 0 minutes; area and DAS declarations: 5 
minutes; declaration of days-out of the gillnet fishery for monkfish 
and NE multispecies vessels: 5 minutes; Good Samaritan DAS credit 
request: 30 minutes; entangled whale DAS credit request: 30 minutes; 
DAS credit for a canceled trip due to unforeseen circumstances, but 
have not yet begun fishing: 5 minutes to request via the VMS unit and 
10 minutes to request via the paper form; VMS catch reports: 5 minutes; 
VMS power down exemption: 30 minutes. Observer Program Call-in 
Requirements: Requests for observer coverage are estimated to require 
either 2 or 10 minutes per request, depending on the program for which 
observers are requested. Exempted Fisheries Programs: Letter of 
Authorization (LOA) to participate in any of the exemption programs: 5 
minutes; Charter/Party Exemption Certificate for GOM Closed Areas: 5 
minutes; limited access sea scallop vessels state waters DAS exemption 
program or state waters gear exemption program: 2 minutes; withdraw 
from either state waters exemption program prior to the end of the 7-
day designated exemption period requirement: 2 minutes; request for 
change in permit category designation: 5 minutes; request for transit 
to another port by a vessel required to remain within the GOM cod trip 
limit: 2 minutes; gillnet category designation, including initial 
requests for gillnet tags: 10 minutes; requests for additional tags: 2 
minutes; notification of lost tags and requests for replacement tag 
numbers: 2 minutes; attachment of gillnet tags: 1 minute; initial 
lobster area designations: 5 minutes; requests for additional tags: 2 
minutes; and notification of lost tags: 3 minutes; requests for state 
quota transfers in the bluefish, summer flounder and scup fisheries: 1 
hour; GOM cod trip limit exemption: 5 minutes; vessel owner single 
letter option: 5 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 18,737.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $2,302,677 in record 
keeping/reporting costs.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 50, Chapter VI, Part 648: FISHERIES OF THE 
NORTHEASTERN UNITED STATES.

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 
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. 2021-14292 Filed 7-2-21; 8:45 am]
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