Notice2025-13496
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Pacific Cod Trawl Cooperative Program
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
July 18, 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 continuing and revised 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 136 (Friday, July 18, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 136 (Friday, July 18, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33926-33927]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-13496]
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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; Pacific Cod Trawl Cooperative Program
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 continuing and revised 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 September 16,
2025.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#551b1a14147b050714153b3a34347b323a23"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="642a2b25254a343625240a0b05054a030b12">[email protected]</span></a>. Please
reference OMB Control Number 0648-0811 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 Lis Henderson, National Marine Fisheries Service, by phone 907-586-
7228, or by email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#adc1c4de83c5c8c3c9c8dfdec2c3edc3c2cccc83cac2db"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="98f4f1ebb6f0fdf6fcfdeaebf7f6d8f6f7f9f9b6fff7ee">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Alaska Region
requests a revision and extension of a currently approved information
collection for the Pacific Cod Trawl Cooperative Program (PCTC Program)
reporting requirements.
This information collection contains requirements for the PCTC
Program and is necessary for NMFS to administer and monitor compliance
with the management provisions of the PCTC Program. This information
collection is required in PCTC Program regulations in Subpart J to part
679. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) recommended
and NMFS implemented the PCTC Program under the authority of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, 16 U.S.C.
1801 et seq.
The PCTC Program is a limited access privilege program to harvest
Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) in the Bering Sea and Aleutian
Islands trawl catcher vessel (CV) sector. The program allocates Pacific
cod harvest quota to qualifying License Limitation Program (LLP)
license holders and qualifying processors and requires participants to
form cooperatives to harvest the quota. The program establishes
criteria for harvesters and processors in the Bering Sea and Aleutian
Islands trawl CV sector to qualify for, receive Quota Share (QS), and
transfer QS. Each year, program participants must join or form
harvesting cooperatives in association with an eligible processor to
harvest the annual harvest privilege of Pacific cod. NMFS issues a
cooperative quota (CQ) to each cooperative based on the aggregate QS of
the cooperative members and associated processors.
This collection contains ongoing information collection
requirements submitted by participating harvesters and processors for
the following forms: (1) Application for PCTC Program CQ, (2)
Application for Inter-Cooperative Transfer of CQ, (3) Application for
Transfer of PCTC Program QS for Processors, and (4) Notification of
Intent to Process PCTC Program Pacific Cod. As part of this revision,
NMFS is removing the following forms which are no longer needed: (1)
Application for PCTC Program Quota Share (QS) and (2) Ninety-Day
Transfer Window for Non-Exempt American Fisheries Act (AFA) License
Limitation Program (LLP) holders.
Application for PCTC Program QS
The Application for PCTC Program QS will be removed as part of this
revision. This form was used to establish initial allocations of PCTC
Program QS for eligible harvesters and processors. The form was
required at the start of the PCTC Program to collect basic information
necessary to ensure that QS is assigned to the appropriate person(s)
and to provide a process for resolving claims of legal landings that
are contrary to the PCTC Program official record. The form was needed
for initial applications to the PCTC Program, not subsequent years.
[[Page 33927]]
Application for PCTC Program CQ
Annually, each PCTC Program cooperative is required to submit an
Application for PCTC Program CQ identifying catcher vessels that are
eligible to harvest a portion of that cooperative's CQ. NMFS uses these
applications to issue CQ permits, establish annual cooperative accounts
for catch accounting purposes, and identify specific harvester vessels
for each cooperative. As with other limited access privilege programs,
the information received in this application is used to annually review
ownership and control information for various QS holders to ensure that
QS and CQ use caps are not exceeded.
Application for Inter-Cooperative Transfer of PCTC Program CQ
A cooperative in the PCTC Program may transfer all or part of its
CQ to another cooperative for harvest subject to the limitations
imposed by ownership and use caps. Annual CQ and associated PSC will be
transferable between cooperatives using the Application for Inter-
Cooperative Transfer of PCTC Program CQ. This application is necessary
for NMFS to appropriately account for inter-cooperative transfers of CQ
after annual CQ has been issued to PCTC Program cooperatives. NMFS uses
this information to monitor transfers to ensure they do not exceed
ownership or use caps for the fishery.
Application for Transfer of PCTC Program QS for Processors
The Application for Transfer of PCTC Program QS for Processors is
used by a PCTC Program processor to request transfer to another
eligible processor of a PCTC Program QS permit and any QS assigned to
that permit or to request transfer of excess PCTC Program QS separate
from that permit. This application is necessary for NMFS to account for
processor QS in the PCTC Program. NMFS uses this information to monitor
transfers to ensure they do not exceed ownership or use caps for the
fishery. NMFS will use the QS price in aggregate during program
reviews.
Notification of Intent To Process PCTC Program Pacific cod
The PCTC Program requires cooperatives to set-aside an amount of
annual CQ for delivery to an Aleutian Island shoreplant if the City of
Adak or the City of Atka files a notification of intent to process PCTC
Program Pacific cod that year. The notification of intent to process is
necessary for NMFS and the PCTC Program cooperatives to know whether
the regulations established for the set-aside will be in effect during
the upcoming fishing year. The notification of intent to process PCTC
Program Pacific cod is a signed letter or memorandum submitted to NMFS
by the representative from either the City of Adak or the City of Atka.
Ninety-Day Transfer Window for Non-Exempt AFA LLP Holders
The Ninety-Day Transfer Window for Non-Exempt AFA LLP Holders form
will be removed during this revision. This form was used during the
initial implementation of the PCTC Program to allow persons to transfer
QS between AFA non-exempt LLP licenses. This form was available during
a one-time 90-day transfer window which allowed for contracts and
agreements implemented under the AFA Pacific cod sideboard limits to be
honored. With the expiration of the one-time window, PCTC Program QS is
no longer severable from the LLP license to which it is assigned unless
authorized by the transfer rules specified in new Sec. 697.130(f) or
modification is supported by an operation of law.
Appeals
The appeals process was made available during the initial
implementation of the PCTC Program. A QS holder could file an appeal
regarding their initial administrative determination related to their
Application for PCTC Program QS. With the removal of the Application
for PCTC Program QS, the appeals process for initial QS no longer
applies to this information collection.
II. Method of Collection
Information is collected electronically through the NMFS Alaska
Region online Fisheries Information System (eFISH), or through email or
fax. The transfer applications are available as fillable pdfs on the
NMFS Alaska Region website and may be downloaded, completed, and
printed out prior to submission.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0648-0811.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Review: Regular submission (extension and revision of a
current information collection).
Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 67 respondents.
Estimated Time per Response: 1 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 90 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $3,370 in recordkeeping and
reporting costs.
Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management 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. 2025-13496 Filed 7-17-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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