Notice2024-08507
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Scientific Research Permits, Exempted Fishing Permits, Letters of Acknowledgement, Display Permits, and Shark Research Fishery Permits
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
April 22, 2024
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 78 (Monday, April 22, 2024)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 78 (Monday, April 22, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29306-29307]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-08507]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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; Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Scientific Research Permits,
Exempted Fishing Permits, Letters of Acknowledgement, Display Permits,
and Shark Research Fishery Permits
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
[[Page 29307]]
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden.
Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register on
December 12, 2023, 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: Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Scientific Research Permits,
Exempted Fishing Permits, Letters of Acknowledgement, Display Permits,
and Shark Research Fishery Permits.
OMB Control Number: 0648-0471.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: Renewal [request for extension of a currently
approved information collection].
Number of Respondents: 57 unique respondents.
Average Hours per Response: 2 hours for a scientific research plan;
40 minutes for an application for an EFP, display permit, SRP, LOA, or
shark research fishery permit; 1 hour for an interim report; 12 minutes
for an annual fishing report; 15 minutes for an application for an
amendment; 5 minutes for notification of departure phone calls to NMFS
Enforcement; 10 minutes for calls to request and observer; and 2
minutes for ``no-catch'' reports.
Burden Hours: 226.
Needs and Uses: Exempted fishing permits (EFPs), scientific
research permits (SRPs), display permits, letters of acknowledgment
(LOAs), and shark research fishery permits are issued under the
authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) and/or the Atlantic
Tunas Convention Act (ATCA) (16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.). Issuance of EFPs
and related permits is necessary for the collection of Atlantic Highly
Migratory Species (HMS) for public display and scientific research that
requires exemption from regulations (e.g., seasons, prohibited species,
authorized gear, minimum sizes) that otherwise may prohibit such
collection. Display permits are issued for the collection of HMS for
the purpose of public display, and a limited number of shark research
fishery permits are issued for the collection of fishery-dependent data
for future stock assessments and cooperative research with commercial
fishermen to meet the shark research objectives of the Agency.
Regulations at 50 CFR 600.745 and 635.32 govern scientific research
activity, exempted fishing, and exempted educational activities with
respect to Atlantic HMS. Since the Magnuson-Stevens Act does not
include scientific research within the definition of ``fishing,''
scientific research is exempt from this statute, and NMFS does not
issue EFPs for bona fide research activities (e.g., research conducted
from a research vessel and not a commercial or recreational fishing
vessel) involving species that are only regulated under the Magnuson-
Stevens Act (e.g., most species of sharks) and not under ATCA. NMFS
requests copies of scientific research plans for these activities and
indicates concurrence by issuing a LOA to researchers to indicate that
the proposed activity meets the definition of scientific research and
is therefore exempt from regulation.
Scientific research is not exempt from regulation under ATCA. NMFS
issues SRPs for collection of species managed under this statute (i.e.,
tunas, swordfish, billfish, and some shark species), which authorize
researchers to collect Atlantic HMS from bona fide research vessels
(e.g., NMFS or university research vessel). NMFS will issue an EFP when
research/collection involving such species occurs from commercial or
recreational fishing platforms.
To regulate these fishing activities, NMFS needs information to
determine the justification for granting an EFP, LOA, SRP, display, or
shark research fishery permit. The application requirements are
detailed at 50 CFR 600.745(b)(2). Interim, annual, and no-catch/fishing
reports must also be submitted to the Atlantic HMS Management Division
within NMFS new EFP online portal or emailed. The authority for NMFS
requiring this information is found at 50 CFR 635.32.
Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit organizations
(vessel owners or aquariums); Not-for-profit institutions (academic
researchers); State, Local, or Tribal governments (state agency
researchers); Federal government (federal agency researchers).
Frequency: Permit applications, scientific research plans, and
annual reports are submitted annually; interim and no catch reports are
submitted monthly; departure notifications are submitted for each trip;
permit amendment applications are submitted as needed. Interim reports
are submitted via our new EFP online portal or emailed, while annual
reports are created in our new EFP online portal or emailed.
Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), and the Atlantic Tunas
Convention Act of 1975 (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 0648-0471.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2024-08507 Filed 4-19-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
</pre></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on April 22, 2024.
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.