[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 212 (Friday, November 3, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75561-75562]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-24378]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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; Northeast Region Dealer Purchase Reports

AGENCY: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 January 2, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to 
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, at [email protected]. Please 
reference OMB Control Number 0648-0229 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 David Ulmer, Fishery Reporting Specialist, Greater Atlantic Regional 
Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930, (757-
563-3621/978-559-1552), [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    This is a request to extend a currently approved information 
collection.
    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National 
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is responsible for the stewardship of 
the Nation's living marine resources and their habitats within the 
United States Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The mandates and 
authorities are derived from numerous statutes, most significantly the 
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), the 
Endangered Species Act (ESA), and the Marine Mammal Protection Act 
(MMPA).
    Under the MSA, the Secretary of Commerce has the responsibility for 
conservation and management of the nation's marine fishery resources. 
Much of this responsibility has been delegated to NMFS. In an effort to 
achieve the goals of the MSA, several fisheries are now being managed 
by harvest limits including quotas, annual target total allowable 
catches (TAC) and domestic annual harvest (DAH) limits. These fisheries 
often have short fishing seasons and require in-season management 
measures, such as closures and trip limits, to ensure that harvest 
levels established in each Fishery Management Plan (FMP) are not 
exceeded. Therefore, as more fisheries are being managed by harvest 
limits, the timely collection of data from dealers and vessel owners 
and operators is and will continue to be a necessary component of most 
management regimes, as evidenced in several FMPs.
    All federal permitted dealers of Atlantic mackerel, squid, 
butterfish, Atlantic sea scallop, Atlantic surfclam, ocean quahog, 
Northeast (NE) multispecies, monkfish, summer flounder, scup, black sea 
bass, Atlantic bluefish, spiny dogfish, Atlantic herring, skates, 
tilefish, hagfish, American lobster must have been issued and have in 
their possession a federal dealer permit in order to purchase such 
species from fishing vessels. Federal permitted dealers in the above 
fisheries are required to submit certain information regarding their 
fish purchases to NMFS. Trip-level (trip by trip) reports provide the 
comprehensive data that are necessary for successful long-term 
management of each fishery.
    In all fisheries requiring mandatory reporting, 'negative 
reporting' by dealers is required if no fish was purchased during the 
reporting period. Negative reports are necessary in order to accurately 
identify dealers who have not purchased fish as opposed to those who 
have failed to report their purchases
    All large vessel at-sea processors of Atlantic mackerel that have 
been issued and have in their possession a federal at-sea processor 
permit may purchase mackerel from fishing vessels at sea for processing 
provided the large vessel did not harvest the mackerel. These Federal 
permitted vessels are also required to submit certain information 
regarding their fish purchases to NMFS.
    The information collected is used by several offices of NMFS, the 
Northeast Fishery Management Council, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery 
Management Council, and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission 
(ASMFC) to monitor quota-managed species, ensuring that conservation 
and management actions may be taken in a timely manner. Accurate and 
timely landings reports are especially important for monitoring 
commercial landings by species and evaluating the effectiveness of each 
FMP in achieving its fishing mortality targets.
    In addition to the uses specifically relating to management of 
individual species, the statistics collected through these reports will 
be incorporated into the NMFS databases which are used in many analyses 
by various offices of NMFS, the Regional Fishery Management Councils, 
the United States Coast Guard (USCG), state fishery enforcement 
agencies, the Departments of State and Commerce, Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB), the Corps of Engineers, Congressional staffs, the 
fishing industry, and the public. The data also serve as inputs to a 
variety of uses such as biological analyses and stock assessments, and 
in support of Executive Order (E.O.) 12866 ``Regulatory Planning and 
Review'', quota and allocation selections and monitoring, economic 
profitability profiles, trade and import tariff decisions, allocation 
of grant funds among states, and identification of ecological 
interactions among species. Data used are also utilized for monitoring 
and evaluating ESA and MMPA actions.

II. Method of Collection

    Dealers submit purchase information through an electronic process 
by one of the following: the web-based system as administered by the 
Atlantic Coast Cooperative Statistics Program, a computer-based trip 
ticket program approved by the NMFS or through a NMFS approved 
proprietary mechanism.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0229.
    Form Number(s): None.

[[Page 75562]]

    Type of Review: Regular submission, extension of a current 
information collection.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households; Business or other for-
profit organizations; Not-for-profit institutions; State, Local, or 
Tribal government; Federal government.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 878.
    Estimated Time per Response: 4 minutes per trip.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 28,390
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: 536,003.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act, Code of Federal Regulations Title 50 Part 648.

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. 2023-24378 Filed 11-2-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P