Notice2026-00903
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; North Pacific Fishery Management Council Cooperative Annual Reports
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
January 20, 2026
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 91 Issue 12 (Tuesday, January 20, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 12 (Tuesday, January 20, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2334-2335]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-00903]
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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; North Pacific Fishery Management Council Cooperative Annual
Reports
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 March 23, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#541a1b15157a040615143a3b35357a333b22"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2b65646a6a057b796a6b45444a4a054c445d">[email protected]</span></a>. Please
reference OMB Control Number 0648-0678 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 Mallarie Yeager, Marine Habitat Resource Specialist, National Marine
Fisheries Service, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668, (907) 586-
7228, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4b262a27272a39222e65322e2a2c2e390b25242a2a652c243d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e78a868b8b86958e82c99e8286808295a789888686c9808891">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
This is a request for renewal of an approved information
collection. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Alaska
Regional Office (AKR), is the sponsor of this information collection.
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) has
developed cooperative programs as options in several fishery catch
share programs. As part of cooperative
[[Page 2335]]
programs, the Council and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
have required or requested that the cooperatives submit annual reports
detailing various fishery activities. These reports are intended to be
a resource for the Council to track the effectiveness of cooperatives
and their ability to meet the Council's goals, and as way for NMFS to
monitor the internal fishery management practices of cooperatives.
Additionally, they are a tool for the cooperatives to provide feedback
on the programs. This collection covers the following required and
voluntary cooperative and inter-cooperative reports, agreements, and
plans:
<bullet> The Alaska Crab Rationalization Program Cooperative Annual
Report is voluntary and provides information about measures taken by
cooperatives to increase the availability of crab quota share (QS) for
transfer to active participants and crew members in the fishery, as
well as actions to decrease high QS lease rates and improve low crew
compensation.
<bullet> The Rockfish Program Cooperative Annual Report is a
voluntary summary of cooperative harvests, retention, discards,
monitoring methods, and disciplinary actions made within each Rockfish
Program cooperative. Additionally, it contains voluntary reporting
requirements including monthly chinook bycatch by origin, and
intertemporal harvest information.
<bullet> The Amendment 80 Cooperative Annual Report is a required
summary of cooperative harvests, discards, monitoring methods,
disciplinary actions taken against non-compliant members, groundfish
retention calculations, and a third-party audit. Voluntary elements of
the report include catch from the Northern Bristol Bay Trawl Area,
fleet catch capacity over time, and intertemporal harvest information.
An additional voluntary element was added to this report in 2019
requesting information on cooperatives or other measures implemented to
reduced bycatch in the BSAI yellowfin sole Trawl Limited Access Sector
fishery by A80 participants.
<bullet> The Amendment 80 Halibut Prohibited Species Catch (PSC)
Management Plan is a voluntary collection providing information to the
Council about fishery cooperative halibut avoidance practices,
communication between participating harvesters, use of halibut
excluders, deck sorting, bycatch performance assessment of individual
boats, incentives to reduce bycatch, and consequences for substandard
performance.
<bullet> The American Fisheries Act Catcher Vessel Interco
operative Agreement is voluntary and includes fishery allocations of
cooperative members, penalties to members that exceed them, monitoring
methods, limits on the amount of cod harvested by certain vessels.
Procedures for Interco operative sideboard transfers and incentives for
prohibited species catch reduction.
<bullet> The American Fisheries Act Cooperative Annual Report is
required and must report the cooperative's pollock and sideboard
allocations, sub-allocations made to individual vessels, retained and
discarded catch, monitoring methods, actions taken against non-
compliant members, any pollock landed outside the State of Alaska, and
chinook bycatch including a list of vessels with the highest bycatch
rates. An additional voluntary element was added to this report in 2019
requesting information on cooperatives or other measures implemented to
reduce bycatch in the BSAI yellowfin sole Trawl Limited Access Sector
fishery by AFA participants.
<bullet> The Pacific Cod Trawl Cooperative (PCTC) Annual Report is
voluntary and provides information on the structure, function and
operation of the cooperatives, including information on cooperative
quota (CQ) leasing activities, and any penalties issued, harvest of CQ
resulting from processor-held quota share (QS), cooperative membership,
cooperative management, and performance (including implementation of
the Aleutian Islands set-aside when in effect).
II. Method of Collection
Methods of submittal include text attachments to email, mail, and
facsimile transmission.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0648-0678.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Review: Regular submission [extension of a current
information collection].
Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit organizations.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 31.
Estimated Time per Response: Alaska Crab Rationalization
Cooperative Annual Report, 30 hours; Rockfish Program Cooperative
Annual Report, 45 hours; Amendment 80 Cooperative Annual Report, 40
hours; Amendment 80 Halibut Bycatch Avoidance Progress Report, 40
hours; Amendment 80 Halibut PSC Management Plan, 12 hours; American
Fisheries Act Catcher Vessel Inter-cooperative Agreement, 40 hours;
American Fisheries Act Catcher Vessel Inter-cooperative Report, 8
hours; American Fisheries Act Cooperative Annual Report, 8 hours.
Pacific Cod Trawl Cooperative Annual Report, 18 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 783 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $15,255 in recordkeeping
and/or reporting costs.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary or Mandatory.
Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.).
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. 2026-00903 Filed 1-16-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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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.