[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 142 (Thursday, July 23, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44519-44520]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-15939]
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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; Foreign Fishing Vessel Permits, Vessel, and Gear
Identification, and Reporting Requirements
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 25, 2020, during a 60-day comment period.
This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Title: Foreign Fishing Vessel Permits, Vessel, and Gear
Identification, and Reporting Requirements.
OMB Control Number: 0648-0075.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: Regular submission (extension of a current
information collection).
Number of Respondents: 4.
Average Hours per Response: Permit applications: 1.5 hours for an
application for a directed fishery; 2 hours for a joint venture
application, and 45 minutes for a transshipment permit; Fishing
activity report: 6 minutes for a joint venture report; 30 minutes per
day for joint venture record-keeping; and 7.5 minutes per day for
record-keeping by transport vessels; Weekly reports, 30 minutes per
response; Foreign vessel and gear identification marking: 15 minutes
per marking.
Total Annual Burden Hours: 16.
Needs and Uses: This request is for extension of a currently
approved information collection. The National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS) issues permits, under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation
and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.; MSA), to foreign fishing
vessels fishing or operating in United States (U.S.) waters. MSA and
associated regulations at 50
[[Page 44520]]
CFR part 600 require that: (1) Vessels apply for fishing permits, (2)
vessels and certain gear be marked for identification purposes, (3)
observers be embarked on selected vessels, and (4) permit holders
report their fishing effort and catch or, when processing fish under
joint ventures, the amount and locations of fish received from U.S.
vessels. These requirements apply to all foreign vessels fishing,
transshipping, or processing fish in U.S. waters.
Information is collected from persons who operate a foreign fishing
vessel in U.S. waters to participate in a directed fishery or joint
venture operation, transship fish harvested by a U.S. vessel to a
location outside the U.S., or process fish in internal waters. Each
person operating a foreign fishing vessel under MSA authority may be
required to submit information for a permit, mark their vessels and
gear, or submit information about their fishing activities. To
facilitate observer coverage, foreign fishing vessel operators must
provide a quarterly schedule of fishing effort and upon request must
also provide observers with copies of any required records. For foreign
fishing vessels that process fish in internal waters, the information
collected varies somewhat from other foreign fishing vessels that
participate in a directed fishery or a joint venture operation. In
particular, these vessels may not be required to provide a permit
application or mark their vessels. The information submitted in
applications is used to determine whether permits should be used to
authorize directed foreign fishing, participation in joint ventures
with U.S. vessels, or transshipments of fish or fish products within
U.S. waters. The display of identifying numbers on vessels and gear
aids in fishery law enforcement and allow other fishermen to report
suspicious activity. Reporting of fishing activities allows monitoring
of fish received by foreign vessels.
Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
Frequency: Annually, weekly and on occasion.
Respondent's Obligation: Required to Obtain or Retain Benefits.
Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act.
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 0648-0075.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2020-15939 Filed 7-22-20; 8:45 am]
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