[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 193 (Friday, October 6, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69622-69623]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-22322]


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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; NOAA Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee Survey on Marine 
Mammal Deterrents

    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

[[Page 69623]]

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 June 23, 2023 (88 FR 41081) during a 60-day comment period. 
This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
    Agency: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Commerce.
    Title: NOAA Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee Survey on Marine 
Mammal Deterrents.
    OMB Control Number: 0648-XXXX.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: New Information Collection.
    Number of Respondents: 15,000.
    Average Hours per Response: 5 minutes.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,250.
    Needs and Uses: This is a request for a new collection of 
information.
    A recent summary of a series of marine mammal deterrent workshops 
by NOAA Fisheries states, ``under a recent proposed rule, NOAA 
Fisheries developed guidelines for deterring marine mammals under its 
jurisdiction, and recommended specific measures for species listed 
under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The guidelines focus on how to 
safely use deterrents to avoid injuring or killing marine mammals. 
However, evaluation of the efficacy of each deterrent was beyond the 
scope of the rulemaking process, and available data on deterrent 
effectiveness is lacking.'' \1\
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    \1\ (Raum-Suryan et al.) p. 1.
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    Consequently, the Protected Resources Subcommittee of the Marine 
Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC) was asked to help NOAA Fisheries 
narrow down the scope for assessing the effectiveness of the marine 
mammal deterrents listed in the proposed guidelines and create a 
decision-making process to prioritize areas to begin characterizing the 
effectiveness. To achieve this, the Subcommittee plans to rank relative 
risk of expected losses from interactions with marine mammals by 
various user groups nationwide, which will identify where the biggest 
impacts of marine mammals are likely to be occurring. The information 
for the relative risk and expected loss analysis will be generated 
through a survey of five user groups (commercial fishermen, 
recreational fishermen, tribal fishermen (inclusive of tribal nations 
and other coastal indigenous populations), aquaculture operators, and 
waterfront property managers (e.g. harbormasters and harbor facility 
assistants)).
    Affected Public: Individuals/Households, Private Sector, State, 
Local, or Tribal Government.
    Frequency: One-time use.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: The Secretary of Commerce approved the 
establishment of the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC or 
Committee) on December 28, 1970. The Committee was initially chartered 
on February 17, 1971, and has been renewed periodically under the 
Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (FACA), 5 U.S.C., App. It 
has been determined the Committee's continuance is in the public 
interest in accordance with the duties and the laws imposed on the 
Department. The Committee advises the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) 
on all living marine resource matters that are the responsibility of 
the Department of Commerce. Specifically, the Committee draws on the 
expertise of its members, its task forces, and other appropriate 
sources, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's 
(NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), to evaluate and 
recommend priorities and needed changes in national program direction. 
Its objective is to ensure the Nation's living marine resource policies 
and programs meet the needs of commercial and recreational fishermen, 
aquaculture activities, and environmental, consumer, academic, tribal, 
governmental, and other national interests.
    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 the title of the collection.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for 
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2023-22322 Filed 10-5-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P