Notice2024-14117
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; West Coast Region Gear Identification Requirements
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
June 27, 2024
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 124 (Thursday, June 27, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 124 (Thursday, June 27, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53588-53589]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-14117]
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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; West Coast Region Gear Identification 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 April 2, 2024, during a 60-day comment period. This
notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Commerce.
Title: West Coast Region Gear Identification Requirements.
OMB Control Number: 0648-0352.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: Regular Submission [Extension of a current
information collection].
Number of Respondents: 942.
Average Hours per Response: 15 minutes per marking.
Total Annual Burden Hours: 848.
Needs and Uses: This request is for extension of a currently
approved information collection. The success of fisheries management
programs depends significantly on regulatory compliance. The
requirements that fishing gear be marked are essential to facilitate
enforcement. The ability to link fishing gear to the vessel owner or
operator is crucial to enforcement of regulations issued under the
authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management
Act. The marking of fishing gear is also valuable in actions concerning
damage, loss, and civil proceedings. The regulations specify that
fishing gear must be marked with the vessel's official number, Federal
permit or tag number, or some other specified form of identification.
The regulations further specify how the gear is to be marked (e.g.,
location and color). Law enforcement personnel rely on gear marking
information to assure compliance with fisheries management regulations.
Gear that is not properly identified is confiscated. Gear violations
are more readily prosecuted when the gear is marked, and this allows
for more cost-effective enforcement. Gear marking helps ensure that a
vessel harvests fish only from its own traps/pots/other gear and the
gear are not illegally placed. Cooperating fishermen also use the gear
marking numbers to report suspicious or non-compliant activities that
they observe, and to report placement or occurrence of gear in
unauthorized areas. The identifying number on fishing gear is used by
the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the United States Coast
Guard (USCG), and other marine agencies in issuing regulations,
prosecutions, and other enforcement actions necessary to support
sustainable fisheries behaviors as intended in regulations. Regulation-
compliant fishermen ultimately benefit from these requirements, as
unauthorized and illegal fishing is deterred, and more burdensome
regulations are avoided.
Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
Frequency: Every 5 years.
Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
Legal Authority: Fixed-gear marking requirements are set forth in
the regulations implementing the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fisheries
Management Plan at 50 CFR 660.219 and 660.319.
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
[[Page 53589]]
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
0648-0352.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2024-14117 Filed 6-26-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on June 27, 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.