[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 170 (Friday, September 2, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54197-54198]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-19080]


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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; West Coast Fisheries Participation Survey

AGENCY: National Oceanic and 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 November 1, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to 
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, at [email protected]. Please 
reference OMB Control Number 0648-0749 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 
copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should 
be directed to Karma Norman, Social Scientist, Northwest Fisheries 
Science Center, 2725 Montlake Blvd. East, Seattle, WA 98112-2097, 
Phone: (206) 302-2418, email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    This is a request for a revision and extension of a currently 
approved information collection, approved under the authority and goals 
of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
    Fishing livelihoods are both centrally dependent on marine 
ecosystems and part of the set of forces acting on other components of 
these ecosystems, including the ecosystem's resident fish and marine 
species. Alongside social factors like economics and management 
actions, biophysical dynamics within the ecosystems, including 
fisheries population fluctuations, shape fishing livelihoods. However, 
the decisions fishermen make regarding which fisheries to access and 
when to access them are not fully understood, particularly within the 
holistic food web frameworks offered up by ecosystem-based approaches 
to research and management. Moreover, a full understanding and 
predictive capacity for these movements of fishermen across fisheries 
in the context of ecological and social variability presents a 
significant gap in management-oriented knowledge. Managing fisheries in 
a way that enhances their social and economic value, mitigates risks to 
ecosystems and livelihoods, and facilitates sustainable adaptation, 
requires this fundamental knowledge.
    For this reason, the Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC) 
seeks to conduct fisheries participation analyses which involve 
repeated follow-up surveys of United States (U.S.) West Coast 
commercial fishing participants. A U.S. mail survey will be conducted, 
replicating the survey administered during 2017 and 2020, with slight 
changes in questions about direct marketing of catch and community 
infrastructure. The survey will be voluntary, and contacted individuals 
may decline to participate. Respondents will be asked to answer 
questions about their motivations for fishing and other factors that 
affect participation in the suite of West Coast commercial fisheries. 
Fishing employment information will be collected so that responses can 
be organized based on a respondent typology. This survey is essential 
because data on smaller scale fishing practices, values, participation 
decisions and beliefs about fishing livelihoods are sparse; yet, they 
are critical to the development of usable fishery ecosystem models that 
account for non-pecuniary benefits of fishing, as well as the ways in 
which fishing practices shape individual and community well-being.

II. Method of Collection

    Respondents will be contacted via mail for administration of the 
survey.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0749.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission (revision and extension of a 
currently approved information collection).
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 3,000.
    Estimated Time per Response: 20 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,000.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0 in recordkeeping/
reporting costs.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act.

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

[[Page 54198]]

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. 2022-19080 Filed 9-1-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P