[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 45 (Friday, March 6, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13139-13140]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-04597]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Alaska Pacific
Halibut Fisheries: Subsistence
AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public
and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed and/or continuing
information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995.
DATES: To ensure consideration, written or on-line comments must be
submitted on or before May 5, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Adrienne Thomas, PRA Officer,
NOAA, 151 Patton Avenue, Room 159, Asheville, NC 28801 (or via the
internet at [email protected]). All comments received are part of the
public record. Comments will generally be posted without change. All
Personally Identifiable Information (for example, name and address)
voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do
not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or
protected information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should
be directed to Gabrielle Aberle, National Marine Fisheries Service,
P.O. Box
[[Page 13140]]
21668, Juneau, AK, 99802-1668. Telephone (907) 586-7228.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is requesting
extension of a currently approved information collection for the Alaska
Subsistence Halibut Program.
The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) and NMFS manage
fishing for Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) through
regulations established under authority of the Northern Pacific Halibut
Act of 1982 (Halibut Act). The IPHC promulgates regulations governing
the Pacific halibut fishery under the Convention between the United
States and Canada for the Preservation of the Halibut Fishery of the
North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea, signed at Ottawa, Ontario, on March
2, 1953, as amended by a Protocol Amending the Convention (signed at
Washington, DC, on March 29, 1979). The Halibut Act also authorizes the
North Pacific Fishery Management Council to develop halibut fishery
regulations, including limited access regulations, in its geographic
area of concern that would apply to nationals or vessels of the United
States. Regulations governing the subsistence halibut fishery are at 50
CFR 300.2, 300.4, and Subpart E, and in the annual management measures
published in the Federal Register pursuant to 50 CFR 300.62.
Subsistence halibut means halibut caught by a rural resident or a
member of an Alaska Native tribe for direct personal or family
consumption as food, sharing for personal or family consumption as
food, or customary trade. The subsistence halibut program is intended
to allow eligible persons to practice the long-term customary and
traditional harvest of Pacific halibut for food in a non-commercial
manner. This program provides NMFS the opportunity to learn more about
the subsistence fishery and enhance estimates of subsistence removals
for stock assessment purposes.
Before fishing under subsistence halibut regulations, fishermen
must obtain a Subsistence Halibut Registration Certificate (SHARC).
Special permits for community harvest, ceremonial, and educational
purposes are available to qualified Alaska communities and Alaska
Native Tribes. NMFS designed the permits to work in conjunction with
other halibut harvest assessment measures.
This information collection contains the application for a SHARC;
the application for a Community Harvest Permit, a Ceremonial Permit, or
an Educational Permit; the harvest logs for community, ceremonial, and
educational permits; an appeals process for denied permits; and gear
marking requirements for subsistence fishery setline gear. Each of
these instruments is designed to minimize the reporting burden on
subsistence halibut fishermen while retrieving essential information.
Information collected by the permit applications includes permit
holder information or applicant information, and depending on the
permit type, may include information on the educational program or a
description of the cultural or ceremonial occasion the permit will be
used for. NMFS uses this information to determine the eligibility of
applicants to receive or renew permits.
The permit coordinators submit the harvest logs for Community
Harvest Permits, Ceremonial Permits, and Educational Permits. Harvest
logs collect identification information and harvest information for the
subsistence fishermen fishing under that permit.
An appeals process is provided for an applicant who receives an
adverse initial administrative determination related to their permit
application.
Subsistence setline gear buoys must be marked with identification
information that consists of the subsistence fisherman's name and
address and an ``S'' to indicate subsistence gear. The ability to link
fishing gear to the vessel owner or operator is crucial to enforcement
of regulations.
II. Method of Collection
Information is collected primarily via mail. Harvest logs and SHARC
applications also may be submitted by fax, and SHARC renewals may be
submitted online through eFISH on the NMFS Alaska Region website. The
application forms and harvest logs are available as fillable pdfs on
the NMFS Alaska Region website. The fishing gear identification
information is marked on buoys and is not submitted to NMFS.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0648-0512.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Review: Extension of a current information collection.
Affected Public: Individuals or households; State, Local, or Tribal
government.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 7,337.
Estimated Time per Response: Permit applications, 10 minutes;
Harvest logs, 30 minutes; Appeal for permit denial, 4 hours; Gear
marking, 15 minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,438.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $25,288.
IV. Request for Comments
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information;
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of
automated collection techniques or other forms of information
technology.
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2020-04597 Filed 3-5-20; 8:45 am]
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