[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 141 (Tuesday, July 23, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59715-59716]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-16159]


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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; Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Vessel and Gear Marking

    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 March 11, 2024, during a 60-day comment period.

[[Page 59716]]

This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
    Agency: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Commerce.
    Title: Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Vessel and Gear Marking.
    OMB Control Number: 0648-0373.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Regular submission [extension of a current 
information collection].
    Number of Respondents: 6,556.
    Average Hours per Response: 45 minutes to mark the vessel; 15 
minutes each to mark highflyers, buoys, and floats.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 6,437.
    Needs and Uses: This request is for an extension of a current 
information collection.
    These requirements apply to vessel owners in the Atlantic highly 
migratory species (HMS) Fishery.
    Under current regulations at 50 CFR 635.6, fishing vessels 
permitted for Atlantic HMS fisheries must display their official vessel 
numbers on their vessels. Flotation devices and high-flyers attached to 
certain fishing gears must also be marked with the vessel's official 
number to identify the vessel to which the gear belongs. These 
requirements are necessary for identification, law enforcement, and 
monitoring purposes.
    Specifically, all vessel owners that hold a valid Atlantic HMS 
permit under 50 CFR 635.4, other than an Atlantic HMS Angling permit, 
are required to display their official vessel identification number. 
Numbers must be permanently affixed to, or painted on, the port and 
starboard sides of the deckhouse or hull and on an appropriate weather 
deck, so as to be clearly visible from an enforcement vessel or 
aircraft. In block Arabic numerals permanently affixed to or painted on 
the vessel in contrasting color to the background. At least 18 inches 
(45.7 cm) in height for vessels over 65 ft (19.8 m) in length; at least 
10 inches (25.4 cm) in height for all other vessels over 25 ft (7.6 m) 
in length; and at least 3 inches (7.6 cm) in height for vessels 25 ft 
(7.6 m) in length or less.
    Furthermore, the owner or operator of a vessel for which a permit 
has been issued under Sec.  635.4 and that uses handline, buoy gear, 
harpoon, longline, or gillnet, must display the vessel's name, 
registration number or Atlantic Tunas, Atlantic HMS Angling, or 
Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat permit number on each float attached to a 
handline, buoy gear, or harpoon, and on the terminal floats and high-
flyers (if applicable) on a longline or gillnet used by the vessel. The 
vessel's name or number must be at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) in height in 
block letters or arabic numerals in a color that contrasts with the 
background color of the float or high-flyer.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations (vessel 
owners).
    Frequency: Annually for each vessel or piece of gear required to be 
marked. The estimated number of gear items that require marking per 
vessel owner range from 2 buoys for bottom longline vessels, up to 35 
buoys for swordfish buoy gear and Caribbean Small Boat vessels.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), and the Atlantic Tunas 
Convention Act of 1975 (16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.)
    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 0648-0373.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for 
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2024-16159 Filed 7-22-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P