[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 55 (Wednesday, March 20, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19812-19813]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-05844]


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

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 Region Permit Family of Forms

    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 3, 2023 (88 FR 68110), 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: Alaska Region Permit Family of Forms.
    OMB Control Number: 0648-0206.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Regular submission (extension of a current 
information collection).
    Number of Respondents: 430.
    Average Hours per Response: Application for Federal Fisheries 
Permit: 21 minutes; Application for Federal Processor Permit: 25 
minutes; Exempted Fisheries Permit application: 100 hours.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 256 hours.
    Needs and Uses: The National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS), 
Alaska Region, is requesting extension of a currently approved 
information collection for the applications for the Federal Fisheries 
Permit (FFP), the Federal Processor Permit (FPP), and the Exempted 
Fishing Permit (EFP).
    NMFS requires an FFP for U.S. vessels that are used to fish for 
groundfish in the Gulf of Alaska or Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands. An 
FFP is also required for vessels used to fish for any non-groundfish 
species and that are required to retain any bycatch of groundfish under 
50 CFR 679.4(b). An FPP is required for stationary floating processors 
(processing vessels that operate solely within Alaska State waters) and 
is required for shoreside processors that receive and/or process 
groundfish harvested from Federal waters or from any federally 
permitted vessels. NMFS issues an EFP to allow groundfish fishing 
activities that would otherwise be prohibited under regulations for 
groundfish fishing. EFPs are issued to support projects that could 
benefit the groundfish fisheries and the environment and result in 
gathering information not otherwise available through research or 
commercial fishing operations. Regulations governing these permits are 
at 50 CFR 600.745, 679.4, and 679.6.
    Section 303(b)(1) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act specifically recognizes the need for permit issuance. 
Requiring a permit for marine resource users--mandated by 50 CFR 
679.4(b), 679.4(f); 679.6; and 600.745(b)--is one of the regulatory 
steps taken to carry out conservation and management objectives. Permit 
issuance is essential in fishery resources management for 
identification of the participants and expected activity levels and for 
regulatory compliance. The information requested on the FFP, FPP, and 
EFP applications is used for fisheries management and regulatory 
compliance by NMFS Sustainable Fisheries Division, NMFS Restricted 
Access Management Program, NMFS Observer Program, NOAA Office of Law 
Enforcement, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the North Pacific Fisheries 
Management Council.
    The type of information collected on the FFP application includes 
permit holder identification information, vessel information, permit 
information, and species endorsements. Information collected on the FPP 
application includes processor identification information, stationary 
floating processor or community quota entity vessel information, and 
vessel ownership information. An EFP application includes information 
on the applicant and a description of the project design including how 
it will vary from current fishing regulations, the species affected and 
targeted, when and where the fishing will take place, the vessel that 
will be used, and a

[[Page 19813]]

provision for public release of all obtained information.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households; Business or other for-
profit organizations.
    Frequency: Annually; Every 3 years; 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 0648-0206.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for 
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2024-05844 Filed 3-19-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P