[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 193 (Friday, October 6, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Page 69622]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-22323]


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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; Electronic Monitoring Systems for Atlantic Highly Migratory 
Species

    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 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 October 19, 2022, during a 60-day comment period. 
This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
    Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Commerce.
    Title: Electronic Monitoring Systems for Atlantic Highly Migratory 
Species.
    OMB Control Number: 0648-0372.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Regular.
    Number of Respondents: 132.
    Average Hours per Response: 4 hours for initial VMS installation; 5 
minutes per VMS initial activation checklist; 2 minutes per hail-out/
hail-in declaration; 6 hours for initial electronic monitoring 
installation; 1 hour for camera boom installation; 5 minutes for 
pelagic longline and greenstick bluefin tuna catch records; 1 minute 
for dockside review of bluefin tuna catch records; 1 hour for 
electronic monitoring data retrieval.
    Burden Hours: 2,697.
    Needs and Uses: Vessel monitoring systems (VMS) and other 
electronic monitoring systems collect important information on fishing 
effort, catch, and the geographic location of fishing effort and catch 
for certain sectors of the Atlantic HMS fleet. Data collected through 
these systems are used in both domestic and international fisheries 
management, including for law enforcement, stock assessments, and quota 
management purposes. Atlantic HMS vessels required to use VMS are 
pelagic longline, bottom longline (directed shark permit holders in 
North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia), and gillnet (directed 
shark permit holders consistent with the requirements of the Atlantic 
large whale take reduction plan requirements at 50 CFR 229.39.(h)) 
vessels. In addition to VMS, pelagic longline vessels are also required 
to have electronic monitoring systems to monitor catch and account for 
bluefin tuna interactions, and, when appropriate, monitoring the 
harvest of shortfin mako sharks.
    NMFS Office of Law Enforcement monitors fleet adherence to gear- 
and time-area restrictions with VMS position location data. Gear 
restricted areas and time-area closures are important. Atlantic HMS 
management tools that have been implemented to reduce bycatch of 
juvenile swordfish, sea turtles, and bluefin tuna, among other species. 
Electronic monitoring data from the pelagic longline fleet are used by 
NMFS to accurately monitor bluefin tuna catch by the pelagic longline 
fleet, to ensure compliance with Individual Bluefin Quota (IBQ) limits 
and requirements, and to ensure that the Longline category bluefin tuna 
quota is not over-harvested. Additionally, electronic monitoring is 
used to verify disposition of retained shortfin mako sharks, when 
retention is allowed, consistent with binding international agreements. 
VMS reporting of bluefin tuna catch is used to monitor IBQ allocations 
in real-time.
    Atlantic HMS fisheries are managed under the dual authority of the 
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) and the 
Atlantic Tunas Conservation Act (ATCA). Under the MSA, management 
measures must be consistent with the National Standards, and fisheries 
must be managed to maintain optimum yield, rebuild overfished 
fisheries, and prevent overfishing. Under ATCA, the Secretary of 
Commerce shall promulgate regulations, as necessary and appropriate, to 
implement measures adopted by the International Commission for the 
Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).
    Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit organizations 
(vessel owners).
    Frequency: VMS reports at the start and end of each trip; VMS set 
reports at the end of each day of fishing; EM data retrieval after 
every other trip, unless the hard drive is full after the first trip.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Under the provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), the 
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is responsible for management 
of the Nation's marine fisheries. NMFS must also promulgate 
regulations, as necessary and appropriate, to carry out obligations the 
United States (U.S.) undertakes internationally regarding tuna 
management through the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (ATCA, 16 U.S.C. 
971 et seq.).
    This information collection request may be viewed at reginfo.gov. 
Follow the instructions to view 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 either the title of the collection or the OMB 
Control Number 0648-0372.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary of 
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2023-22323 Filed 10-5-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P