[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 5 (Monday, January 8, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 907-908]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-00095]


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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; Alaska Pacific Halibut: Subsistence

    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 August 11, 2023, during a 60-day comment period (88 
FR 54574). This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public 
comments.
    Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Commerce.
    Title: Alaska Pacific Halibut: Subsistence.
    OMB Control Number: 0648-0512.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Regular submission. Extension of a current 
information collection.
    Number of Respondents: 4,783.
    Average Hours per Response: Application for SHARC Rural Resident: 
10 minutes; Application for SHARC Alaska Native Tribal Member: 10 
minutes; Application for SHARC Alaska Native Tribe: 30 minutes; 
Subsistence Halibut Special Permits Application: 30 minutes; Harvest 
logs: 30 minutes; Appeal for permit denial: 4 hours; Gear marking: 30 
minutes.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,673 hours.
    Needs and Uses: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), 
Alaska Regional Office, is requesting extension of a currently approved 
information collection for the Alaska Subsistence Halibut Program.
    The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) promulgates 
regulations governing the North Pacific halibut fishery under the 
Convention between the United States and Canada for the Preservation of 
the Halibut Fishery of the Northern Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea 
(Convention). The IPHC's regulations are subject to approval by the 
Secretary of State with the concurrence of the Secretary of Commerce. 
The Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982 (Halibut Act; 16 U.S.C. 
773c(a)-(b)), provides the Secretary of Commerce with general 
responsibility for carrying out the Convention and the Halibut Act, 
including the authority to adopt regulations necessary to carry out the 
purposes and objectives of the Convention. The Halibut Act, 16 U.S.C. 
773c(c), also provides the North Pacific Fishery Management Council 
(Council) with authority to develop regulations, including limited 
access regulations, that are in addition to, and not in conflict with, 
IPHC regulations.
    Regulations the Council recommends may be implemented by NMFS only 
after approval by the Secretary of Commerce. The Council has exercised 
this authority in the development of subsistence halibut fishery 
management measures. NMFS has responsibility for managing the 
subsistence halibut fishery according to regulations approved by the 
Secretary. Regulations governing the subsistence halibut fishery are at 
50 CFR 300.2, 300.4, and subpart E, and in the annual management 
measures published in the Federal Register pursuant to 50 CFR 300.62.
    This information collection is necessary for NMFS to manage the 
Alaska Subsistence Halibut Program. Subsistence halibut means halibut 
caught by a rural resident or a member of an Alaska Native tribe for 
direct personal or family consumption as food, sharing for personal or 
family consumption as food, or customary trade. The Alaska Subsistence 
Halibut Program is intended to allow eligible persons to practice the 
long-term customary and traditional harvest of Pacific halibut for food 
in a non-commercial manner. This program provides NMFS the opportunity 
to enhance estimates of subsistence removals for stock assessment 
purposes.
    Before fishing under subsistence halibut regulations, a Subsistence 
Halibut Registration Certificate (SHARC) must be obtained. This 
information collection contains the forms used by participants in the 
subsistence halibut fishery to apply for SHARCs, apply for special use 
permits, and submit harvest information for special use permits. This 
information collection contains two collections for which no forms are 
used: the appeals process for denied permits and marking subsistence 
setline fishing gear.
    Information collected by the permit applications includes applicant 
information and depending on the

[[Page 908]]

permit type may include information on the educational program or a 
description of the cultural or ceremonial occasion the permit will be 
used for. NMFS uses this information to determine the eligibility of 
applicants to receive or renew permits.
    The permit coordinators submit the harvest logs for Community 
Harvest Permits, Ceremonial Permits, and Educational Permits. Harvest 
logs collect identification information and harvest information for the 
subsistence fishermen fishing under that permit.
    An appeals process is provided for an applicant who receives an 
adverse initial administrative determination related to their permit 
application.
    Subsistence setline gear buoys must be marked with identification 
information that consists of the participant's name and address and an 
``S'' to indicate subsistence halibut gear. This information is used by 
NMFS to link fishing gear to the vessel owner or operator and 
facilitate enforcement of regulations.
    The time and cost burden to mark buoys has been increased based on 
recent comment received for other fisheries off Alaska (OMB Control 
Number 0648-0353, Alaska Region Gear Identification Requirements). The 
time estimate to mark a buoy has been increased from 15 minutes to 30 
minutes and the cost has been increased from $15 to $100 per 
respondent.
    Minor editorial changes to the forms were made to increase clarity 
and consistency with other NMFS Alaska Regional Office forms.
    Affected Public: Not-for-profit institutions; Business or other 
for-profit organizations.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to Obtain or Retain Benefits, 
Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act.
    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 either the title of the collection or the OMB 
Control Number 0648-0512.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for 
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2024-00095 Filed 1-5-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P