[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 97 (Friday, May 17, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Page 43384]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-10908]


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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 Mariculture Economic Benchmark Survey

    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 February 21, 2024 during a 60-day comment period. 
This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
    Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Commerce
    Title: Alaska Mariculture Economic Benchmark Survey
    OMB Control Number: 0648-XXXX.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Regular submission [new information collection].
    Number of Respondents: 80.
    Average Hours per Response: 30 minutes.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 60 hours.
    Needs and Uses: This is a request for a new collection of 
information. Alaska was recently named an Aquaculture Opportunity Area 
(AOA) under NOAA Fisheries to determine geographic areas that are 
environmentally, socially, and economically suitable to support 
commercial aquaculture operations. The purpose of this data collection 
is to gather economic data from current growers that hold an Aquatic 
Farming permit under the Alaska Department of Fish & Game to establish 
a benchmark economic report that presents economic measures 
(profitability, breakeven price, etc.) and operations (average stocking 
density, kelp line depth and separation, etc.) spatially.
    The data collected from this survey will be used by NOAA economists 
to generate a benchmark report that states spatial economic 
information, internal reports on the spatial economic suitability of an 
Alaskan mariculture operation, and external publications on the 
financial and environmental risks. These reports will be published on 
NOAA's website and be publicly accessible for stakeholders, 
researchers, and other members of the public.
    Stakeholders (current and prospective growers) are requesting 
economic information to help secure small business loans to establish 
new growing operations and expand current production and describe the 
economics of opening and operating a mariculture farm in Alaska. 
Additionally, the economic data provided from this collection will help 
determine the spatial economic suitability requested from the AOA 
project. NOAA will use the information provided in the survey to 
generate a bio economic model that can be simulated under various 
financial and environmental scenarios. Examples of financial and 
environmental scenarios include the impact to profitability from 
subsidies for reductions in seed costs, price floors, and reduced 
transportation costs from a new production facility and impact to 
growth and mortality rates from increasing surface water temperatures, 
dissolved oxygen (DO), and other water parameters and other 
environmental events such as harmful algae blooms (HAB) or severe 
storms.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations; Not-
for-profit institutions; Farms.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    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 the title of the collection.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for 
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2024-10908 Filed 5-16-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P