Notice2025-11072
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Alaska American Fisheries Act (AFA) 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
June 16, 2025
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites 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. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment preceding submission of the collection to OMB.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 114 (Monday, June 16, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 114 (Monday, June 16, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25243-25244]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-11072]
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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; Alaska American Fisheries Act (AFA) Permits
AGENCY: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites 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. The
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment
preceding submission of the collection to OMB.
DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received on or before August 15, 2025.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#612f2e20204f313320210f0e00004f060e17"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f3bdbcb2b2dda3a1b2b39d9c9292dd949c85">[email protected]</span></a>. Please
reference OMB Control Number 0648-0393 in the subject line of your
comments. All comments received are part of the public record and will
generally be posted on <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> without change. Do
not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or
protected information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed
to Doug Shaftel, National Marine Fisheries Service, P.O. Box 21668,
Juneau, AK 99802-1668 (<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#63070c16044d100b020517060f230d0c02024d040c15"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6e0a011b09401d060f081a0b022e00010f0f40090118">[email protected]</span></a>; 907-586-7228).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
This is a request for renewal of an approved information
collection. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Alaska
Region, is the sponsor of this information collection that contains
applications for permits and transfers necessary for NMFS to manage the
Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) pollock fishery under the
American Fisheries Act (AFA).
NMFS manages the BSAI pollock fishery under the authority of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C.
1801 et seq.) and AFA (16 U.S.C. 1851). The regulations implementing
the AFA Program are at 50 CFR part 679, subpart F. The reporting
requirements at 50 CFR part 679 form the basis for this collection of
information.
The AFA was signed into law in October 1998. The purpose of the AFA
was to tighten U.S. ownership standards that had been exploited under
the Anti-Reflagging Act, and to provide the BSAI pollock fleet the
opportunity to conduct their fishery in a more rational manner while
protecting non-AFA participants in the other fisheries. The AFA
established sector allocations in the BSAI pollock fishery, determined
eligible vessels and processors, allowed the formation of cooperatives,
set limits on the participation of AFA vessels in other fisheries, and
imposed special catch weighing and monitoring requirements on AFA
vessels.
Any vessel used to engage in directed fishing for a non-western
Alaska community development quota (non-CDQ) allocation of pollock in
the Bering Sea and any shoreside processor, stationary floating
processor, or mothership that receives pollock harvested in a non-CDQ
directed pollock fishery in the Bering Sea must have a valid AFA permit
on board the vessel or at the facility location at all times while non-
CDQ pollock is being harvested or processed.
Permanent AFA permits (AFA catcher vessel, AFA catcher/processor,
AFA mothership, and AFA inshore processor) for the BSAI pollock fishery
had a one-time application deadline of December 1, 2000, and were
issued with an indefinite expiration date. Therefore, except for
participants that require annual or replacement permits, all AFA
entities required to have a permit are already permitted.
The type of information collected includes information on the
applicants, transferors, transferees, permits, vessels, and Chinook
salmon prohibited species
[[Page 25244]]
catch (PSC) transfer data. This information collection contains the
following AFA permitting and transfer requirements:
<bullet> The application for an AFA Permit: Rebuilt, Replacement,
or Removed Vessel is submitted by an owner of an AFA vessel to notify
NMFS the vessel has been rebuilt; to request an AFA permit for a
replacement catcher vessel, catcher/processor, or mothership; or to
request removal of an AFA catcher vessel that is a member of an inshore
cooperative and assign its catch history to another vessel or vessels
in the same cooperative. The vessel owner submits this application only
when needed, subject to deadlines.
<bullet> The Application for AFA Inshore Catcher Vessel Cooperative
Permit is submitted annually by each AFA inshore catcher vessel
cooperative to obtain an AFA Inshore Catcher Vessel Cooperative Permit
and identify the vessels and processors that will be participating in
the BSAI pollock fishery prior to the start of each fishing year. NMFS
uses the information obtained in this permit to identify the universe
of participating vessels and processors in the BSAI pollock fishery
prior to start of each fishing year.
<bullet> The AFA Inshore Vessel Contract Fishing Notification is
submitted by an AFA inshore cooperative that intends to contract with a
non-member vessel to harvest a portion of the cooperative's annual
pollock allocation. The purpose of this notification is to assist
cooperatives with understanding how their catch is accounted for and
ensure that NMFS knows which vessels may be reporting their catch using
an alternative cooperative ID.
<bullet> The Application for Approval as an Entity to Receive
Transferable Chinook Salmon PSC Allocation is submitted by an entity
representing the catcher/processor sector or the mothership sector to
request approval to receive transferable Chinook salmon PSC allocations
on behalf of members of the sector. Once approved, an entity is not
required to reapply for or renew its status. Entities sometimes submit
amendments to update contact and other information related to the
entity and its members. NMFS uses the information submitted in this
application to identify the legally authorized representative for
purposes of conducting Chinook Salmon PSC transfers.
<bullet> The Application for Transfer of Bering Sea Chinook Salmon
PSC Allocations is submitted by an authorized representative of the
catcher/processor sector, the mothership sector, an inshore
cooperative, or a CDQ group to transfer Chinook salmon PSC allocations
to another entity's account. NMFS uses the information submitted in
this application to identify the transferor and transferee and ensure
that the there is sufficient Chinook salmon available in the
transferor's account.
II. Method of Collection
The information is collected primarily by mail, fax, and delivery.
The Application for Transfer of Bering Sea Chinook Salmon PSC
Allocations and the Application for Approval as an Entity to Receive
Transferable Chinook Salmon PSC Allocation may be submitted online
through eFISH on the NMFS Alaska Region website at <a href="https://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/webapps/efish/login">https://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/webapps/efish/login</a>. The applications are
available as fillable PDFs on the NMFS Alaska Region website at <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/permit/american-fisheries-act-pollock-applications-and-forms">https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/permit/american-fisheries-act-pollock-applications-and-forms</a>.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0648-0393.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Review: Regular submission (extension of a current
information collection).
Affected Public: Individuals or households; Business or other for-
profit organizations; Not-for-profit institutions.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 27.
Estimated Time per Response: AFA Permit: Rebuilt, Replacement, or
Removed Vessel Application, 1 hour; Application for Transfer of Bering
Sea Chinook Salmon PSC Allocations, 1 hour; Application for AFA Inshore
Catcher Vessel Cooperative Permit, 2 hours; AFA Inshore Vessel Contract
Fishing Notification, 4 hours; Application for Approval as an Entity to
Receive Transferable Chinook Salmon PSC Allocation, 8 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 246 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $395 in recordkeeping and
reporting costs.
Respondent's Obligation: Required to Obtain or Retain Benefits;
Mandatory.
Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery and Conservation Act;
American Fisheries Act.
IV. Request for Comments
We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau
to: (a) evaluate whether the proposed information collection is
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether
the information will have practical utility; (b) evaluate the accuracy
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed
collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions
used; (c) evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of
the information to be collected; and (d) minimize the reporting burden
on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information technology.
Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request
to OMB to approve this information collection request. Before including
your address, phone number, email address, or other personal
identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your
entire comment--including your personal identifying information--may be
made publicly available at any time. While you may ask us in your
comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public
review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental PRA Compliance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2025-11072 Filed 6-13-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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