Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; South Pacific Tuna Act

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 200 (Monday, October 19, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 200 (Monday, October 19, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66106-66107]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-21379]


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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; South Pacific Tuna Act

    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 June 11, 2026, 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: South Pacific Tuna Act.
    OMB Control Number: 0648-0218.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Regular submission [extension of a current 
information collection].
    Number of Respondents: 21.
    Average Hours per Response: Catch Report Form: 1 hour, License 
Application: 1 hour, FFA Application form: 45 minutes, Unloading & 
Transshipment Logsheet Form: 30 minutes. Expression of Interest: 
Initial application 2 hours and Renewal: 15 minutes.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 222 hours.
    Needs and Uses: This is a request for an extension of a currently 
approved information collection. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration (NOAA) collects vessel license, vessel registration, 
catch, and unloading information from operators of U.S. purse seine 
vessels fishing under the provisions of the Treaty on Fisheries between 
the Governments of Certain Pacific Island States and the

[[Page 66107]]

Government of the United States of America (Treaty). The Treaty 
provides access for U.S. purse seine vessels to fish in the exclusive 
economic zones (EEZs) of Pacific Island Parties to the Treaty (PIPs). 
The PIPs include Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of 
Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, 
Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and 
Vanuatu. This collection of information is required to meet U.S. 
obligations under the Treaty.
    The South Pacific Tuna Act of 1988 (16 U.S.C. 973-973r) and U.S. 
implementing regulations (50 CFR part 300, subpart D) authorize the 
collection of information from U.S. purse seine vessels fishing in the 
EEZs of PIPs under the Treaty. Vessel operators must submit annual 
vessel license and registration (including registration of vessel 
monitoring system (VMS) units) applications and periodic written 
reports of catch and unloading of fish from licensed vessels. They are 
also required to ensure the continued operation of VMS units on board 
licensed vessels, which is expected to require periodic maintenance of 
the units. The information collected is submitted to the Pacific 
Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) through the U.S. government, 
NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The license and 
registration application information is used by the FFA to determine 
the operational capability and financial responsibility of a vessel 
operator interested in fishing under the Treaty. Information obtained 
from vessel catch and unloading reports is used by the FFA to assess 
fishing effort and fishery resources in the region and to track the 
number of fish caught within each PIP's EEZ. Maintenance of VMS units 
is needed to ensure the continuous operation of the VMS units, which, 
as part of the VMS administered by the FFA, are used as an enforcement 
tool. If the information is not collected, the U.S. government will not 
meet its obligations under the Treaty, and the lack of fishing 
information will result in poor management of the fishery resources.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: South Pacific Tuna Act; 16 U.S.C. 973-973.
    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 0648-0218.

Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental PRA Compliance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for 
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2026-21379 Filed 10-16-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P


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