[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 35 (Friday, February 21, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10152-10153]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-03461]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of 
information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 
U.S.C. Chapter 35).
    Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
    Title: Alaska Region Gear Identification Requirements.
    OMB Control Number: 0648-0353.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Regular (request for extension of an approved 
information collection).
    Number of Respondents: 827.
    Average Hours per Response: Marking longline pot gear marker buoys 
and groundfish hook-and-line marker buoys, 15 minutes per buoy; 1 hour 
each for the Vessel Registration and Request for IFQ Sablefish Pot Gear 
Tags form and for the Request for Replacement of Longline Pot Gear Tags 
form.
    Burden Hours: 1,586.
    Needs and Uses: Regulations pertaining to gear markings are set 
forth at 50 CFR part 679 and in the annual management measures 
published in the Federal Register pursuant to 50 CFR 300.62. This 
information collection contains the following gear identification 
requirements for participants in the groundfish fisheries in the 
Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska and for vessels using longline pot 
gear to fish for individual fishing quota (IFQ) sablefish in the Gulf 
of Alaska (GOA).

Marker Buoys

    All hook-and-line, longline pot, and pot-and-line marker buoys 
carried on board or used by any vessel regulated under 50 CFR part 679 
must be marked with the vessel's Federal Fisheries Permit number or 
Alaska Department of Fish and Game vessel registration number. 
Regulations that marker buoys be marked with identification information 
are essential to facilitate fisheries enforcement and actions 
concerning damage, loss, and civil proceedings. The ability to link 
fishing gear to the vessel owner or operator is crucial to enforcement 
of regulations.

Longline Pot Gear Vessel Registration and Tags

    A vessel owner using longline pot gear to fish for IFQ sablefish in 
the GOA must annually register their vessel with the National Marine 
Fisheries Service (NMFS) and be assigned pot tags for that vessel. 
Vessel registration and the use of pot tags provide NMFS with an 
additional enforcement tool to ensure that the pot limits are not 
exceeded. The use of pot tags requires a uniquely identified tag to be 
securely affixed to each pot, which allows at-sea enforcement and post-
trip verification of the number of pots fished. NMFS uses information 
obtained from respondents applying for replacement tags to enforcement 
of pot limits and enhance tracking of lost fishing gear.
    Vessel owners submit the form ``Vessel Registration and Request for 
IFQ Sablefish Pot Gear Tags'' to annually register their vessels and to 
request new pot tags if a vessel does not have previously issued tags. 
Tags assigned to a vessel in previous years are valid as long as the 
tag can be secured to a pot and the serial number is legible. Vessel 
owners submit the form ``Request for Replacement of Longline Pot Gear 
Tags'' if previously issued tags have been lost, stolen, or mutilated 
and need to be replaced.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households; Business or other for-
profit organizations.
    Frequency: Annually; On occasion.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    This information collection request may be viewed at reginfo.gov. 
Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce collections 
currently under review by OMB.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this

[[Page 10153]]

notice to [email protected] or fax to (202) 395-5806.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2020-03461 Filed 2-20-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P