[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 238 (Thursday, December 10, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79473-79474]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-27113]


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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; Observer Programs' Information That Can Be Gathered Only 
Through Questions

    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 July 31, 2020, (85 FR 46071) during a 60-day 
comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public 
comments.
    Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
    Title: Observer Programs' Information That Can be Gathered Only 
Through Questions.
    OMB Control Number: 0648-0593.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Regular submission (Extension and revision of a 
current information collection request).
    Number of Respondents: 13,935 observed annual fishing trips.
    Average Hours Per Response: Northeast Fisheries Observer Program 
and At-Sea Monitors, 117 minutes; North Pacific Groundfish and Halibut 
Observer Program and Processing Plants, 56 minutes; Alaska Marine 
Mammal Observer Program, 15 minutes; West Coast Groundfish Observer 
Program, 58 minutes; Pacific Islands Region Observer Program, 86 
minutes; Southeast Shark Fishery Observer Program, 75 minutes; 
Southeast Pelagic Observer Program, 85 minutes; Gulf of Mexico Reef 
Fish and Shrimp Observer Program, 110 minutes; West Coast Region 
Observer Program, 62 minutes; Southeast Reef Fish Program, 75 minutes. 
Information will be collected for observed fishing trips and 
deployments to fish processing plants; therefore, there will be 
multiple responses for some respondents, but counted as one response 
per trip or plant visit.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 18,436 hours.
    Needs and Uses: The information collected will be used to: (1) 
Monitor catch and bycatch in Federally managed fisheries; (2) monitor 
interactions with protected resources (e.g., marine mammals and sea 
turtles); (3) understand the population status and trends of fish 
stocks and protected species, as well as the interactions between them; 
(4) determine the quantity and distribution of net benefits derived 
from living marine resources; (5) predict the biological, ecological, 
and economic impacts of existing management measures and alternative 
proposed management measures, and (6) understand safety risk for 
observers.
    Comprehensive catch and bycatch information is an essential 
component of all stock assessments and is necessary for the development 
of effective fisheries and protected resource management strategies. 
At-sea observer programs are the most reliable method of collecting 
bycatch information. The MSA requires implementation of annual catch 
limits for all federally managed fisheries. Bycatch data collected by 
at-sea observer programs are an essential component in the estimation 
of total catch because bycatch approaches or exceeds landed catch in 
some fisheries and is a significant part of the total catch in many 
other fisheries. Analysis of catch, bycatch, and fishing effort 
information collected by observers also supports development of and 
recommendations within take reduction plans, biological opinions, and 
fishery management plans. Observer data are also used to assess the 
impact of experimental fisheries, monitor the effectiveness of bycatch 
reduction technologies, and enforce fisheries regulations.
    In general, analysis of catch and bycatch, cost, revenue, and 
employment information for fishing vessels will assist analysts in 
estimating:

1. Environmental impacts of proposed regulations
2. Net economic value to the nation
3. Economic health of the fisher
4. Effects on business efficiency
5. Community economic impacts
6. Firms' economic dependence on the fishery
7. Economic impacts of proposed regulations, including area closures, 
gear restrictions, and catch or bycatch restrictions
8. Distribution of economic impacts from proposed regulations and, in 
particular, the significance of impacts on small businesses
9. Likelihood of bankruptcies
10. Effects on international competitiveness

    There have been five changes since the last approval of the 
collection. The first is the addition of emergency health and safety 
questions related to the COVID-19 pandemic (covered by the June 12, 
2020 emergency approval). The second is the expansion of observers to 
include an additional fishery. The Southeast region will begin sending 
observers out on Southeast reef fish fishery trips and thus needs to 
add this fishery to this collection. The third is a combination of two 
programs previously listed as separate; the Gulf of Mexico reef fish 
and shrimp program and grouper snapper program. The fourth is the West 
Coast Groundfish Observer Program (WCGOP) would like to start 
collecting the names of crew members within their observer logbooks. 
The data

[[Page 79474]]

will be recorded on paper, scanned in, and stored according to vessel 
name. This information will only be accessed if there is an enforcement 
issue. The final change is also within the West Coast Groundfish 
Observer Program. They have introduced a new phone app that captains 
are using to declare upcoming fishing trips and NMFS is using to let 
them know if they have been selected for observer coverage.
    Additionally, some forms have been removed from this OMB Control 
Number as they are completed based upon direct observation by an 
employee or agent of the sponsoring agency and are therefore exempt 
from the PRA requirements. (5 CFR 1320.3(h)(3)). A list of all forms--
those requiring OMB approval and those that do not--is being submitted 
with the revision package.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
    Frequency: The frequency depends on the observer program. Some 
programs require observers on every trip while other programs require 
observers at a lower frequency as assigned through a random stratified 
design.
    Respondent's Obligation: Some questions are voluntary, others are 
mandatory.
    Legal Authority: The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (MSA) provides authority to require observer coverage on 
a vessel or at a fish processing plant for the purpose of collecting 
information necessary for fishery conservation and management. 
Observers are also authorized to be deployed under the Endangered 
Species Act (ESA), and the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to 
collect information on species protected under those authorities. 
Section 303(b)(8) of the MSA states that any fishery management plan 
which is prepared by any Council, or by the Secretary of Commerce 
(Secretary), with respect to any fishery, may require that one or more 
observers be carried on board a vessel of the United States engaged in 
fishing for species that are subject to the plan, for the purpose of 
collecting data necessary for the conservation and management of the 
fishery; Sec. 403(a) requires the Secretary to promulgate regulations 
for fishing vessels that carry observers; and Sec. 403(b)(1) requires 
the Secretary to establish programs to ensure that each observer 
receives adequate training in collecting and analyzing the information 
necessary for the conservation and management purposes. Similar 
authority to place observers on fishing vessels is provided by Sec. 118 
of the MMPA (50 U.S.C. Part 229) and Parts 222 and 223 (U.S.C.) of the 
ESA.
    This information collection request may be viewed at 
www.reginfo.gov. 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 www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. 
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 -0593.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2020-27113 Filed 12-9-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P