Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 238 / Thursday, December 10, 2020 / Notices 79473 

beacons. The ELT (Emergency Locator 

Transmitter) form is used for aircraft 

beacons. The PLB (Personal Locator 

Beacon) is used to register portable 

beacons carried by individuals. Ship 

Security Alerting System (SSAS) 

beacons are carried aboard ships, are 

similar to EPIRBs and are used in the 

event of an emergency situation such as 

piracy or terrorism. 

Affected Public: Individuals or 

households; Business or other for-profit 

organizations; Not-for-profit 

institutions; State, Local, or Tribal 

government; Federal government. 

Frequency: As Required. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory. 

Legal Authority: Federal 

Communications Commission (FCC) 

regulations at 47 CFR 80.1061, 47 CFR 

87.199 and 47 CFR 95.1402. 

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 0648–0295. 

Sheleen Dumas, 

Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of 

the Chief Information Officer, Commerce 

Department. 

[FR Doc. 2020–27112 Filed 12–9–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–HR–P 

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 atsea 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 


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79474 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 238 / Thursday, December 10, 2020 / Notices 

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 forprofit 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 MagnusonStevens 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 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XA628] 

Fisheries Off West Coast States; 

Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; 

Trawl Rationalization Program; 2021 

Cost Recovery Fee Notice 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice, 2021 cost recovery fee 

percentages and average mothership 

cooperative program pricing. 

SUMMARY: This action provides 

participants in the Pacific Coast 

Groundfish Trawl Rationalization 

Program with the 2021 cost recovery fee 

percentages and the average mothership 

(MS) price per pound to be used in the 

catcher/processor (C/P) coop program to 

calculate the fee amount for the 

upcoming calendar year. For the 2021 

calendar year, NMFS announces the 

following fee percentages by sector 

specific program: 2.5 percent for the 

Shorebased Individual Fishing Quota 

(IFQ) Program; 1.3 percent for the MS 

Co-op Program; and 0.2 percent for the 

C/P Co-op Program. For 2021, the MS 

pricing to be used as a proxy by the C/ 

P Co-op Program is $0.09/lb for Pacific 

whiting. 

DATES: Applicable January 1, 2021. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Keeley Kent, (206) 247–8252, 

keeley.kent@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 

304(d) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

(MSA) authorizes and requires NMFS to 

collect fees to recover the costs directly 

related to the management, data 

collection and analysis, and 

enforcement directly related to and in 

support of a limited access privilege 

program (LAPP) (16 U.S.C. 1854(d)(2)), 

also called ‘‘cost recovery.’’ Cost 

recovery fees recover the actual costs 

directly related to the management, data 

collection and analysis, and 

enforcement of the programs (Section 

303A(e)). Section 304(d) of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Act mandates that 

cost recovery fees not exceed 3 percent 

of the annual ex-vessel value of fish 

harvested by a program subject to a cost 

recovery fee, and that the fee be 

collected either at the time of landing, 

filing of a landing report, or sale of such 

fish during a fishing season or in the last 

quarter of the calendar year in which 

the fish is harvested. 

The Pacific Coast Groundfish Trawl 

Rationalization Program is a LAPP, 

implemented in 2011, and consists of 

three sector-specific programs: the 

Shorebased IFQ Program, the MS Co-op 

Program, and the C/P Co-op Program. In 

accordance with the MSA, and based on 

a recommended structure and 

methodology developed in coordination 

with the Pacific Fishery Management 

Council (Council), NMFS began 

collecting mandatory fees of up to 3 

percent of the ex-vessel value of 

groundfish from each program 

(Shorebased IFQ Program, MS Co-op 

Program, and C/P Co-op Program) in 

2014. NMFS collects the fees to recover 

the incremental costs of management, 

data collection and analysis, and 

enforcement of the Groundfish Trawl 

Rationalization Program. Additional 

background can be found in the cost 

recovery proposed rule (78 FR 7371; 

February 1, 2013) and final rule (78 FR 

75268; December 11, 2013). The details 

of cost recovery for the Groundfish 

Trawl Rationalization Program are in 

regulation at 50 CFR 660.115 (Trawl 

fishery—cost recovery program), 

§ 660.140 (Shorebased IFQ Program), 

§ 660.150 (MS Co-op Program), and 

§ 660.160 (C/P Co-op Program). 

By December 31 of each year, NMFS 

announces the next year’s fee 

percentages and the applicable MS 

pricing for the C/P Co-op Program. To 

calculate the fee percentages, NMFS 

used the formula specified in regulation 

at § 660.115(b)(1), where the fee 


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