[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 167 (Wednesday, August 28, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68864-68865]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-19313]


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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; North Pacific Observer Program Safety and Security 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 April 10, 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: North Pacific Observer Program Safety and Security Survey.
    OMB Control Number: 0648-0759.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Regular submission. Extension and revision of a 
current information collection.
    Number of Respondents: 280.
    Average Hours per Response: .17 hours (10 minutes per respondent).
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 47.
    Needs and Uses: This request is for an extension and revision of an 
existing information collection. The revision to the survey instrument 
will allow the survey participants to specify to whom they reported 
unwanted behavior. NMFS certified observers are a vital part of 
fisheries management. Observers deploy to collect fisheries data in the 
field; observers often deploy to vessels and work alongside fishers for 
weeks and months at a time. The work environment observers find 
themselves in can be challenging, especially if the observer finds 
themselves a target for victim type violations such as sexual 
harassment, intimidation, or even assault. The NOAA Fisheries Office of 
Law Enforcement has primary jurisdiction to investigate violations of 
the Magnuson Stevens Act. The Office of Law Enforcement prioritizes 
investigations initiated from reports made by observers involving 
assault, sexual harassment, hostile work environment, intimidation, and 
other behaviors that may affect observers individually. However, it is 
difficult for a person to disclose if they have been a victim of a 
crime, and if law enforcement does not receive reports of unwanted 
behavior then they cannot initiate an investigation. The true number of 
observers who have experienced victim type crimes is unknown, and the 
reasons why they do not report is also unclear. More information is 
needed to understand how many observers per year experience victim type 
crimes, and why they chose not to report to the Office of Law 
Enforcement.
    The Office of Law Enforcement, Alaska Division, is conducting a 
survey of observer who deploy under the North Pacific Observer Program 
to determine the true number of observers who experienced victimizing 
behavior during their deployments, and what factors prevented them from 
reporting. Twenty questions, describing varying levels of behavior that 
may violate the Magnuson Act, will determine if an observer has 
experienced the behavior, if they reported the behavior, and to whom 
the report was made. The survey will assess the specific impediments to 
disclosure. This survey will launch on an annual basis. The results of 
the survey will provide the Office of Law Enforcement a better 
understanding of how often observers are victimized, which will enable 
them to reallocate resources as needed, conduct more training for 
observers to ensure they know how to report, conduct training to ensure 
people understand what constitutes a victim crime, and to increase 
awareness of potential victimizations. Additionally, the survey results 
will help law enforcement understand the barriers to disclosure, so 
enforcement may begin to address these impediments so they no longer 
prevent observers from disclosure.
    Affected Public: Federal Government, Individuals, and Households.
    Frequency: On Occasion.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Magnuson Stevens Act.

[[Page 68865]]

    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 0648-0759.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for 
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2024-19313 Filed 8-27-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P