[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 168 (Thursday, August 31, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60184-60185]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-18815]


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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; NMFS Observer Programs' Information That Can Be Gathered Only 
Through Questions

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 October 30, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to 
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, at [email protected]. Please 
reference OMB Control Number 0648-0593 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 Ken Keene, National Observer Program Coordinator, NOAA, 1315 East-
West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, (301-427-8158), and 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    This is a request for revision and extension of an existing 
information collection.
    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) deploys fishery observers on 
United States (U.S.) commercial fishing vessels and to fish processing 
plants in order to collect biological and economic data. NMFS has at 
least one observer program in each of its five Regions. These observer 
programs provide the most reliable and effective method for obtaining 
information that is critical for the conservation and management of 
living marine resources. Observer programs primarily obtain information 
through direct observations by employees or agents of NMFS; and such 
observations are not subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). 
However, observer programs also collect the following information that 
requires clearance under the PRA: (1) Standardized questions of fishing 
vessel captains/crew or fish processing plant managers/staff, which 
include gear and performance questions, safety questions, and trip 
costs, crew size and other economic questions; (2) questions asked by 
observer program staff/contractors to plan observer deployments; (3) 
forms that are completed by observers and that fishing vessel captains 
are asked to review and sign; (4) questionnaires to evaluate observer 
performance; and (5) a form to certify that a fisherman is the permit 
holder when requesting observer data from the observer on the vessel.
    The information collected will be used to: (1) Monitor catch and 
bycatch in federally managed commercial fisheries; (2) understand the 
population status and trends of fish stocks and protected species, as 
well as the interactions between them; (3) determine the quantity and 
distribution of net benefits derived from living marine resources; (4) 
predict the biological, ecological, and economic impacts of existing 
management action and proposed management options; and (5) ensure that 
the observer programs can safely and efficiently collect the 
information required for the previous four uses. In particular, these 
biological and economic data collection programs contribute to legally 
mandated analyses required under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act (MSA), the Endangered Species Act 
(ESA), the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA), 
Executive Order 12866 (E.O. 12866), as well as a variety of state 
statutes. The confidentiality of the data will be protected as required 
by the MSA, section 402(b).
    This collection will be revised as follows. First is the expansion 
of observers to include an additional fishery. The Southeast region 
will begin sending observers out on Southeast reef fish fishery trips 
and thus needs to add this fishery to this collection. Second, NOAA is 
combining the Southeast observer efforts into one program. The third 
change is the West Coast Groundfish Observer Program (WCGOP) would like 
to start collecting the names of crew members within their observer 
logbooks. The data will be recorded on paper, scanned in, and stored 
according to vessel name. This information will only be accessed if 
there is an enforcement issue. The final change is also within the West 
Coast Groundfish Observer Program. They have introduced a new phone app 
that captains are using to declare upcoming fishing trips and NMFS is 
using to let them know if they have been selected for observer 
coverage. Other observer programs are also working on converting to 
smart phone apps, but they have not yet been implemented.

II. Method of Collection

    The information will be collected by (1) NMFS observers while they 
are deployed on a vessel to observe a particular fishing trip; 
questions will be asked in-person to the captain, crew and/or owner (if 
on board the vessel) during the course of the observed trip; (2) via 
mail through follow up surveys of economic information not available 
during the trip; (3) via telephone or mail survey by the observer 
program staff or contractor planning to deploy observers; or (4) via 
feedback questionnaires mailed to the vessel owners or captains to 
evaluate observer performance.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0593.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 13,212.

[[Page 60185]]

    Estimated Time per Response: Northeast Fisheries Observer Program 
and At-Sea Monitors, 117 minutes; North Pacific Groundfish and Halibut 
Observer Program and Processing Plants, 56 minutes; Alaska Marine 
Mammal Observer Program, 15 minutes; West Coast Groundfish Observer 
Program, 31 minutes; Pacific Islands Region Observer Program, 86 
minutes; Southeast Fishery Observer Program, 55 minutes; West Coast 
Region Observer Program, 62 minutes. Information will be collected for 
observed fishing trips and deployments to fish processing plants; 
therefore, there will be multiple responses for some respondents, but 
counted as one response per trip or plant visit.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 16,253.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $459,631.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: The primary authority for NMFS to place observers 
on fishing vessels is included in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act (MSA), the Endangered Species Act 
(ESA), and the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).

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 Under Secretary for 
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2023-18815 Filed 8-30-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P