[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 159 (Friday, August 16, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66693-66694]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-18406]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Southeast Region Logbook Family of Forms

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce invites the general public and 
other Federal agencies to comment on proposed and continuing 
information collections in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995 (PRA), 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 the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB).

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed 
information collection must be received by October 15, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to 
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, at [email protected]. Please 
reference OMB Control Number 0648-0016 in the subject line of your 
comments. All comments received are part of the public record and will 
generally be posted on https://www.regulations.gov without change. Do 
not submit confidential business information or otherwise sensitive or 
protected information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Direct requests for additional 
information or questions related to collection activities described in 
this notice to Rich Malinowski, NMFS Southeast Regional Office, 
Sustainable Fisheries Division, 263 13th Ave South, St. Petersburg, FL 
33701, telephone: 727-824-5305, email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    The NMFS Southeast Region proposes to revise parts of the 
information collections currently approved under OMB Control Number 
0648-0016 to comply with a court order from the U.S. Fifth Circuit 
Court of Appeals, which effectively invalidated previous regulations 
implemented by NMFS. The

[[Page 66694]]

NMFS Southeast Region manages commercial and recreational fisheries in 
Federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf), South Atlantic, and 
Caribbean under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), 16 U.S.C. 1801 
et seq., through regulations implemented at 50 CFR part 622. 
Participants in most of these federally managed fisheries are required 
to keep and submit logbooks of their fishing effort and catch from 
their fishing trips. Some fishermen on these vessels also provide 
information on the species and quantities of fish, shellfish, marine 
turtles, and marine mammals that are caught and discarded or have 
interacted with the fishing gear. These fishermen may also provide 
information about dockside prices, trip operating costs, and annual 
fixed costs.
    NMFS is developing a final rule to remove the regulations for the 
Gulf electronic reporting program applicable to an owner or operator of 
a recreational charter vessel or headboat (for-hire vessel) with such a 
recreational permit to fish for federally managed Gulf reef fish or 
Gulf coastal migratory pelagic species. The final rule will reinstate 
regulations for recordkeeping and reporting that were in effect on 
January 4, 2021, before the effective dates of the invalidated rules. 
Those historical regulations can be viewed at this website: https://www.ecfr.gov/on/2021-01-04/title-50/chapter-VI/part-622?toc=1. See 
subparts B and Q to part 622.
    Because the rulemaking action results from a court order, NMFS does 
not have discretion to change the recordkeeping and reporting 
regulations from those in effect on January 4, 2021, which consisted of 
the information collection requirements previously approved by OMB and 
implemented by NMFS. Therefore, this revision would: 1. remove from the 
approved information collections all components associated with the 
Gulf for-hire electronic reporting program, and 2. reinstate those 
previously approved recordkeeping and reporting requirements, the 
number of respondents, responses, and the time and cost burdens for 
which were at a much smaller scale, without changes to other 
information collections under OMB Control Number 0648-0016, Southeast 
Region Logbook Family of Forms.

II. Method of Collection

    The information is submitted on paper forms and electronic 
transmissions.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0016.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission--revision of a current 
information collection.
    Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 5,499.
    Estimated Time per Response: Annual fixed-cost report, 45 minutes; 
Discard logbook, 15 minutes; headboat, charter vessel, golden crab, 
reef fish-mackerel, economic cost per trip, and wreckfish, 10 minutes; 
No-fishing report for golden crab, reef fish-mackerel, charter vessels, 
and wreckfish, 2 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 42,797.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $148,400 in recordkeeping 
and reporting costs.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory, required to obtain or retain 
benefits.
    Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens Act, 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

IV. Request for Comments

    We are soliciting public comments 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. 2024-18406 Filed 8-15-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P