Notice2023-22323
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Electronic Monitoring Systems for Atlantic Highly Migratory Species
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
October 6, 2023
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 193 (Friday, October 6, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 193 (Friday, October 6, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Page 69622]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-22323]
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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; Electronic Monitoring Systems for Atlantic Highly Migratory
Species
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 October 19, 2022, during a 60-day comment period.
This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
Title: Electronic Monitoring Systems for Atlantic Highly Migratory
Species.
OMB Control Number: 0648-0372.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: Regular.
Number of Respondents: 132.
Average Hours per Response: 4 hours for initial VMS installation; 5
minutes per VMS initial activation checklist; 2 minutes per hail-out/
hail-in declaration; 6 hours for initial electronic monitoring
installation; 1 hour for camera boom installation; 5 minutes for
pelagic longline and greenstick bluefin tuna catch records; 1 minute
for dockside review of bluefin tuna catch records; 1 hour for
electronic monitoring data retrieval.
Burden Hours: 2,697.
Needs and Uses: Vessel monitoring systems (VMS) and other
electronic monitoring systems collect important information on fishing
effort, catch, and the geographic location of fishing effort and catch
for certain sectors of the Atlantic HMS fleet. Data collected through
these systems are used in both domestic and international fisheries
management, including for law enforcement, stock assessments, and quota
management purposes. Atlantic HMS vessels required to use VMS are
pelagic longline, bottom longline (directed shark permit holders in
North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia), and gillnet (directed
shark permit holders consistent with the requirements of the Atlantic
large whale take reduction plan requirements at 50 CFR 229.39.(h))
vessels. In addition to VMS, pelagic longline vessels are also required
to have electronic monitoring systems to monitor catch and account for
bluefin tuna interactions, and, when appropriate, monitoring the
harvest of shortfin mako sharks.
NMFS Office of Law Enforcement monitors fleet adherence to gear-
and time-area restrictions with VMS position location data. Gear
restricted areas and time-area closures are important. Atlantic HMS
management tools that have been implemented to reduce bycatch of
juvenile swordfish, sea turtles, and bluefin tuna, among other species.
Electronic monitoring data from the pelagic longline fleet are used by
NMFS to accurately monitor bluefin tuna catch by the pelagic longline
fleet, to ensure compliance with Individual Bluefin Quota (IBQ) limits
and requirements, and to ensure that the Longline category bluefin tuna
quota is not over-harvested. Additionally, electronic monitoring is
used to verify disposition of retained shortfin mako sharks, when
retention is allowed, consistent with binding international agreements.
VMS reporting of bluefin tuna catch is used to monitor IBQ allocations
in real-time.
Atlantic HMS fisheries are managed under the dual authority of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) and the
Atlantic Tunas Conservation Act (ATCA). Under the MSA, management
measures must be consistent with the National Standards, and fisheries
must be managed to maintain optimum yield, rebuild overfished
fisheries, and prevent overfishing. Under ATCA, the Secretary of
Commerce shall promulgate regulations, as necessary and appropriate, to
implement measures adopted by the International Commission for the
Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).
Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit organizations
(vessel owners).
Frequency: VMS reports at the start and end of each trip; VMS set
reports at the end of each day of fishing; EM data retrieval after
every other trip, unless the hard drive is full after the first trip.
Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
Legal Authority: Under the provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), the
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is responsible for management
of the Nation's marine fisheries. NMFS must also promulgate
regulations, as necessary and appropriate, to carry out obligations the
United States (U.S.) undertakes internationally regarding tuna
management through the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (ATCA, 16 U.S.C.
971 et seq.).
This information collection request may be viewed at <a href="http://reginfo.gov">reginfo.gov</a>.
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 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 0648-0372.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary of
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2023-22323 Filed 10-5-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on October 6, 2023.
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