Notice2024-20942
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Fishing Capacity Reduction Program/Buyback Requests
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
September 16, 2024
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 179 (Monday, September 16, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 179 (Monday, September 16, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75532-75533]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-20942]
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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; Fishing Capacity Reduction Program/Buyback Requests
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 May 14, 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: Fishing Capacity Reduction Program/Buyback Requests.
OMB Control Number: 0648-0376.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: Regular submission (extension of a current
information collection).
Number of Respondents: 200.
Average Hours Per Response: 0.5 hours for buyback fee collection
reports; 4 hours for buyback annual reports.
Total Annual Burden Hours: 930 hours.
Needs and Uses: This request is for extension of a currently
approved information collection.
The Sustainable Fisheries Act (SFA) amended the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) to provide for voluntary
reduction of excess fishing capacity through fishing capacity reduction
(buyback) programs. Excess fishing capacity decreases fisheries
earnings, complicates fishery management, and imperils fishery
conservation. The statutory objective of a program is ``to obtain the
maximum sustained reduction in fishing capacity at the least cost and
in a minimum period of time.'' Buybacks pay fishermen either to: (1)
Surrender their fishing permits; or (2) both surrender their permits
and either scrap their fishing vessels or restrict vessel title to
prevent fishing. Buybacks
[[Page 75533]]
can involve either a Federal or State fishery. Buybacks can be funded
via a long-term loan from the Federal government to the fishery
(industry-funded buybacks), to be repaid by the industry by post-
buyback landing fees, or funded from appropriations (non-industry
funded) or other non-loan sources of funds. Programs involving
industry-financed loans are authorized by section 1111 of title XI of
the Merchant Marine Act, 1936.
NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) established programs
to reduce excess fishing capacity by paying fishermen to surrender
their vessels/permits. The information collected by NMFS involves the
submission of buyback requests by industry, submission of bids,
referenda of fishery participants and reporting of collection of fees
to repay buyback loans. For buybacks involving State-managed fisheries,
the State may be involved in developing the buyback plan and complying
with other information requirements. NMFS requests information from
participating buyback participants to track repayments of the loans as
well as ensure accurate management and monitoring of the loans. The
fees for recordkeeping and reporting requirements at 50 CFR parts
600.1013 through 600.1017 form the basis for the collection of
information.
Information collections associated with loan creation were removed
from the 2021 renewal because no new loans are anticipated moving
forward, but the Federal Register notice published on May 14, 2024 (89
FR 41947) included the burden for these removed activities. That error
has been corrected in this notice.
Affected Public: Businesses.
Frequency: Monthly and annually.
Respondent's Obligation: Required to Obtain or Retain Benefits.
Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Reauthorization Act, Public Law 104-297 section 312(b)-(e).
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 0648-0376.
Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2024-20942 Filed 9-13-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on September 16, 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.