Notice2022-09820
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Southeast Region Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) and Related Requirements
Primary source
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Published
May 6, 2022
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 88 (Friday, May 6, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 88 (Friday, May 6, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27131-27132]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-09820]
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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; Southeast Region Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) and Related
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 January 12, 2022, during a 60-day comment period.
This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
Agency: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
Title: Southeast Region Vessel Monitoring System and Related
Requirements.
OMB Control Number: 0648-0544.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: Regular submission (extension of a current
information collection).
Number of Respondents: 901.
Average Hours per Response: Annual VMS maintenance, 2 hours;
Installation/Activation of VMS unit, 5 hours; Installation and
activation checklist, 20 minutes; power-down exemption request, 5
minutes; and trip declaration, 1 minute.
Total Annual Burden Hours: 2,628.
Needs and Uses: The NMFS, Office of Law Enforcement, Southeast
Enforcement Division is submitting this request for an extension of a
currently approved information collection.
The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act
authorizes the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Gulf Council)
and South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (South Atlantic Council)
to prepare and amend fishery management plans for any fishery in
Federal waters under their respective jurisdictions. NMFS and the Gulf
Council manage the reef fish fishery in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) under
the Fishery Management
[[Page 27132]]
Plan (FMP) for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico. NMFS and
the South Atlantic Council manage the fishery for rock shrimp in the
South Atlantic under the FMP for the Shrimp Fishery in the South
Atlantic Region. The vessel monitoring system (VMS) regulations for the
Gulf reef fish fishery and the South Atlantic rock shrimp fishery may
be found at 50 CFR 622.28 and 622.205, respectively.
The FMPs and the implementing regulations contain several specific
management areas where fishing is restricted or prohibited to protect
habitat or spawning aggregations, or to control fishing pressure.
Unlike size, bag, and trip limits, where the catch can be monitored on
shore when a vessel returns to port, area restrictions require at-sea
enforcement. However, at-sea enforcement of offshore areas is difficult
due to the distance from shore and the limited number of patrol
vessels, resulting in a need to improve enforceability of area fishing
restrictions through remote sensing methods. In addition, all fishing
gears are subject to some area fishing restrictions. Because of the
sizes of these areas and the distances from shore, the effectiveness of
enforcement through over flights and at-sea interception is limited. An
electronic VMS allows a more effective means to monitor vessels for
intrusions into restricted areas.
The VMS provides effort data and significantly aids in enforcement
of areas closed to fishing. All position reports are treated in
accordance with NMFS existing guidelines for confidential data. As a
condition of authorized fishing for or possession of Gulf reef fish or
South Atlantic rock shrimp in or from Federal waters, vessel owners or
operators subject to VMS requirements must allow NMFS, the United
States Coast Guard, and their authorized officers and designees, access
to the vessel's position data obtained from the VMS.
The information collected on the ``Vessel Monitoring System
Installation and Activation Certification for the Reef Fish Fishery of
the Gulf of Mexico'' form provides NMFS assurance that vessels are
compliant with the requirements to install and activate an approved VMS
unit. Information collected on the ``Vessel Monitoring System Mobile
Transceiver Unit (MTU) Power-Down Exemption Request for Vessels in the
Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Fishery'' form provides information that
allows NMFS to exempt a vessel from their the VMS reporting requirement
under specific criteria.
Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
Frequency: VMS unit installation, once; installation and activation
checklist, once; power down exemption request, variable but on average
less than once per year; trip declaration, variable but an average of 9
annually per vessel; and annual maintenance once per year.
Respondent's Obligation: Submission of the Installation and
Activation certification is and mandatory. Transmission of fishing
activity report is mandatory. Submission of a Power down Exemption
Authorization request is required to obtain or retain benefits.
Legal Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
This information collection request may be viewed at
<a href="http://www.reginfo.gov">www.reginfo.gov</a>. 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 <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>.
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 0648-0544.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2022-09820 Filed 5-5-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on May 6, 2022.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.