[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 14 (Monday, January 22, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3912-3913]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-01090]


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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; Commercial Operator's Annual Report (COAR)

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 March 22, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to 
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, at [email protected]. Please 
reference OMB Control Number 0648-0428 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 Gabrielle Aberle, National Marine Fisheries Service, P.O. Box 21668, 
Juneau, AK 99802-1668, [email protected] or 323-372-0062.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Alaska Regional 
Office, is requesting renewal of the currently approved information 
collection for the Commercial Operator's Annual Report (COAR).
    The COAR is a State of Alaska report that is required to be 
completed and submitted by direct marketers, catcher processors, 
catcher exporters, buyer exporters, shore-based processors, and 
floating processor permit holders pursuant to Alaska Administrative 
Code (5 AAC 39.130) and Federal regulations at 50 CFR 679. Under 50 CFR 
679.5(p), NMFS requires motherships and catcher processors that are 
issued a Federal fisheries permit to annually complete and submit the 
appropriate sections of the COAR.
    The COAR is used to gather statewide fish and shellfish information 
describing buying (ex-vessel) and production (wholesale or retail) 
activities. The information collected in the COAR is used to determine 
the value of Alaska's fisheries resources and products. NMFS uses the 
COAR database in annual Federal publications on the value of U.S. 
commercial fisheries, in the annual NMFS Stock

[[Page 3913]]

Assessment and Fishery Evaluation reports for the groundfish fisheries 
of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands and the Gulf of Alaska, and in 
periodic reports that describe the fisheries and that serve as 
reference documents to management agencies, the industry, and others.
    The mothership and catcher processor data, when added to the COAR 
information collected from shoreside processors and stationary floating 
processors required under State of Alaska requirements, yield a 
complete data base of equivalent annual product value information for 
all respective processing sectors. The information also provides a 
consistent time series according to which groundfish resources may be 
managed more efficiently. Use of the information generated by the COAR 
is coordinated between NMFS and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game 
(ADF&G).
    The COAR must be submitted by April 1 to the ADF&G for the previous 
year's activity for all operations that are required to submit a COAR. 
NMFS requires the owner of a mothership or catcher processor to 
annually complete and submit the appropriate forms of the COAR, whether 
the processor operated that year or not. If no receipt or production 
took place for that year, the owner submits only the COAR certification 
page.
    The COAR requires submission of information on seafood purchasing, 
production, and both ex-vessel and wholesale values of seafood 
products. The buying information is reported by species, harvest area, 
area of purchase, condition of fisheries resources at the time of 
purchase, type of gear used in the harvest, pounds purchased, and ex-
vessel value. The ex-vessel value includes any post-season adjustments 
or bonuses paid after the fish was purchased. The production 
information is reported by species, area of processing, process type 
(e.g., frozen, canned, smoked), product type (e.g., fillets, surimi, 
sections), net weight of the processed product, and the first wholesale 
value.

II. Method of Collection

    The COAR may be submitted electronically through eLandings, the 
Interagency Electronic Reporting System (elandings.alaska.gov). The 
COAR is also available in fillable PDF, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft 
Excel formats on the ADF&G Commercial Fish Reporting web page at 
https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fishlicense.coar and may be 
emailed or printed and mailed to the ADF&G.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0428.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission (extension of a current 
information collection).
    Affected Public: Individuals or households; Business or other for-
profit organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 72.
    Estimated Time per Response: Commercial Operator's Annual Report: 8 
hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 576 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $360 in recordkeeping and 
reporting costs.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act, 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

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. 2024-01090 Filed 1-19-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P