Notice2026-06902
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; West Coast Fisheries Participation Survey
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
April 9, 2026
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 68 (Thursday, April 9, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 68 (Thursday, April 9, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Page 17948]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-06902]
[[Page 17948]]
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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 Fisheries Participation Survey
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 December 10, 2025, during a 60-day comment period.
This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
Title: West Coast Fisheries Participation Survey.
OMB Control Number: 0648-0749.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: Regular submission. A revision and extension of a
current information collection.
Number of Respondents: 908.
Average Hours per Response: 0.25 (15 minutes).
Total Annual Burden Hours: 227 hours.
Needs and Uses: This request is for a revision and extension of an
existing information collection. This survey updates the 2023 survey to
remove a question regarding identity in underserved groups and provide
multiple choice answer options for two questions that were previously
open-ended in order to reduce response time.
This collection is sponsored by the Northwest Fisheries Science
Center (NWFSC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The
overall purpose of collecting these data is to develop stakeholder-
based societal inputs relative to fisheries participation, but these
survey data will also increase the capacity of NOAA to respond
effectively to relevant mandates and executive orders that guide social
science activities within the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MFCMA) and
its National Standard 8, and the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA).
Fishing livelihoods are both centrally dependent on ecosystems and
part of the forces acting on these ecosystems, including resident
marine species. Alongside social factors like economics and management,
fisheries population fluctuations shape fishing livelihoods. However,
the decisions fishermen make regarding which fisheries to access and
when to access them are not fully understood, particularly within the
food web frameworks offered up by ecosystem-based approaches to
research and management. An understanding and predictive capacity for
these movements of fishermen across fisheries in the context of
ecological and social variability presents a significant gap in
management-oriented knowledge. Managing fisheries in a way that
enhances their socioeconomic value, mitigates risks to ecosystems and
livelihoods, and facilitates sustainable adaptation, requires this
fundamental knowledge.
For this reason, the NWFSC seeks to conduct a follow-up U.S. mail
survey, replicating the surveys administered during 2017, 2020, and
2023. This survey updates the 2023 survey to remove a question
regarding identity in underserved groups and provide multiple choice
answer options for two questions that were previously open-ended in
order to reduce response time. The survey will be voluntary, and
contacted individuals may decline to participate. Respondents will be
asked to answer questions about their motivations for fishing and
factors that affect participation in the suite of West Coast commercial
fisheries. Fishing and non-fishing employment information will also be
collected. This survey is essential because data on smaller scale
fishing practices, values, participation decisions and fishing
livelihoods are sparse; yet, they are critical to the development of
fishery ecosystem models that account for non-pecuniary fishing
benefits, as well as the ways in which fishing practices shape
individual and community well-being.
Affected Public: Individuals or households.
Frequency: Every three years.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act (MFCMA) and its National Standard 8, and NEPA.
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 0648-0749.
Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental PRA Compliance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2026-06902 Filed 4-8-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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