[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 74 (Tuesday, April 16, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Page 26865]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-08071]


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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; An Observer Program for At Sea Processing Vessels in the 
Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery

    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 January 31, 2024 during a 60-day comment period. 
This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
    Agency: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Commerce.
    Title: An Observer Program for At Sea Processing Vessels in the 
Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery.
    OMB Control Number: 0648-0500.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Regular submission (extension of a current 
information collection).
    Number of Respondents: 268 (5 providers (supplying a total of 75 
observers or catch monitors) and 263 fishing vessels).
    Average Hours per Response: For providers: 15 minutes for observer 
training/briefing/debriefing registration, notification of observer 
physical examination, observer status reports, other reports on 
observer harassment, safety concerns, or performance problems, catch 
monitor status reports, and other catch monitor reports on harassment, 
prohibited actions, illness or injury, or performance problems; 5 
minutes for observer safety checklist submission to NMFS, observer 
provider contracts, observer information materials, catch monitor 
provider contracts, and catch monitor informational materials; 10 
minutes for certificate of insurance; 7 minutes for catch monitor 
training/briefing registration, notification of catch monitor physical 
examination, and catch monitor debriefing registration. For vessels: 10 
minutes for fishing departure reports and cease-fishing reports.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 620 hours.
    Needs and Uses: This is a request for extension of an approved 
information collection. In 2011, the National Marine Fisheries Service 
(NMFS) mandated observer requirements for the West Coast groundfish 
trawl catch shares program. For all fishery sectors, observers must be 
obtained through third-party observer provider companies operating 
under permits issued by NMFS. The regulations at Sec. Sec.  660.140(h), 
660.150(j), and 660.160(g), specify observer coverage requirements for 
trawl vessels and define the responsibilities for observer providers, 
including reporting requirements. Regulations at Sec.  660.140(i) 
specify requirements for catch monitor coverage for first receivers. 
Data collected by observers are used by NMFS to estimate total landed 
catch and discards, monitor the attainment of annual groundfish 
allocations, estimate catch rates of prohibited species, and as a 
component in stock assessments. These data are necessary to comply with 
the Magnuson-Stevens Act requirements to prevent overfishing. In 
addition, observer data is used to assess fishing related mortality of 
protected and endangered species.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
    Frequency: Reporting on occasion, weekly, or yearly.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: The regulations at Sec. Sec.  660.140(h), 
660.150(j), and 660.160(g), specify observer coverage requirements for 
trawl vessels and define the responsibilities for observer providers, 
including reporting requirements. Regulations at Sec.  660.140(i) 
specify requirements for catch monitor coverage for first receivers.
    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 0648-0500.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for 
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2024-08071 Filed 4-15-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P