Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 248 / Monday, December 28, 2020 / Notices 84305 

bait and/or wing fishery, as well as 

measures that may prevent the 

triggering of incidental skate possession 

limits, improve the precision and 

accuracy of catch data, and better define 

skate fishery participants. This notice 

alerts the public of a supplemental 

scoping period and the opportunity for 

public participation in that process. 

DATES: Written scoping comments must 

be received on or before 5 p.m., local 

time, Friday, February 12, 2021. Two 

supplemental public scoping webinar 

meetings will be held during this 

comment period on January 21, 2021 

and February 8, 2021. More information 

about the webinars is at: https:// 

www.nefmc.org/library/amendment-5-3. 

ADDRESSES: Written scoping comments 

on Amendment 5 may be sent by any of 

the following methods: 

• Email to the following address: 

comments@nefmc.org; 

• Mail to Thomas A. Nies, Executive 

Director, New England Fishery 

Management Council, 50 Water Street, 

Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950; or 

• Fax to (978) 465–3116. 

Please indicate ‘‘Skate Amendment 5 

Supplemental Scoping Comment’’ on 

your correspondence. Requests for 

copies of the supplemental Amendment 

5 scoping document and other 

information should be directed to 

Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director, 

New England Fishery Management 

Council, 50 Water Street, Mill 2, 

Newburyport, MA 01950, telephone 

(978) 465–0492. The supplemental 

scoping document is accessible 

electronically via the internet at https:// 

www.nefmc.org/library/amendment-5-3. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director, 

New England Fishery Management 

Council, (978) 465–0492. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The New England Fishery 

Management Council (Council), working 

through its public participatory 

committee and meeting processes, 

anticipates the development of an 

amendment that may require an 

environmental impact statement (EIS) to 

meet applicable criteria in the Council 

on Environmental Quality (CEQ) 

regulations and guidance for 

implementing the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). In 

the development of Amendment 5 to the 

Northeast Skate Complex Fishery 

Management Plan (FMP), the Council 

has been considering limited access to 

the skate bait and/or wing fishery. 

NEPA reviews initiated prior to the 

effective date of the 2020 CEQ 

regulations may be conducted using the 

1978 version of the regulations. The 

effective date of the 2020 CEQ NEPA 

regulations was September 14, 2020. 

The NEPA process for this action began 

with the initial scoping period and first 

notice of intent (NOI) (82 FR 825, 

January 4, 2017) in early 2017. 

Therefore, the development of this 

amendment will continue under the 

1978 NEPA regulations. 

The Northeast Skate Complex 

comprises seven species (barndoor, 

clearnose, little, rosette, smooth, thorny, 

and winter skate), managed as a single 

unit along the east coast from Maine to 

Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The skate 

bait fishery primarily targets little skate, 

with a small catch component of winter 

skate. The wing fishery primarily targets 

winter skate. 

The Council first conducted scoping 

for Amendment 5 in early 2017 (82 FR 

825, January 4, 2017) to address 

concerns that increasingly strict 

regulations in other fisheries, 

particularly in the Northeast 

Multispecies (groundfish) fishery, might 

cause these fishermen to switch fishing 

effort onto skates. An increase in effort 

in the skate fishery could cause the 

fishery to attain its quota in a shorter 

time, trigger reduced skate trip limits, or 

have other negative economic impacts 

on current participants. The Council has 

been exploring the creation of a limited 

access skate permit as a potential 

solution to these concerns. In September 

2020, the Council expanded the scope of 

this action by approving a problem 

statement, goals, and types of measures 

to consider in Amendment 5. In 

addition to limited access, the Council 

may consider measures such as creating 

an intermediate trigger for incidental 

limits, creating different landing limits 

for segments of the wing fishery, 

revising monitoring and reporting 

requirements, restricting switching 

between state and Federal fishing for the 

wing and/or bait fishery, modifying gear 

to reduce bycatch, making the Federal 

skate permit a year-round permit for the 

wing and/or bait fishery, or other 

measures related to the problem 

statement and intended to achieve the 

Amendment’s goals. These measures 

could help improve the accuracy of 

fishery data and the long-term 

sustainable management of the skate 

fishery. Through the development of 

Amendment 5, the Council may also 

consider updates to the goal and 

objectives of the FMP, which are 

unchanged since the FMP was adopted 

in 2003. Following the supplemental 

scoping period, the Council, with input 

from the public, will develop a range of 

alternatives to address the problem 

statement and goals of this action. The 

supplemental scoping document has 

more information on Amendment 5 and 

the topics being considered during this 

supplementary scoping period (see 

ADDRESSES). 

Public Comment 

All persons interested in the 

management of the Northeast Skate 

Complex for either the wing and/or bait 

fishery are invited to comment on the 

scope and significance of issues to be 

analyzed by submitting written 

comments (see ADDRESSES) and/or by 

participating in either of the two 

supplemental scoping webinar meetings 

for this amendment (see DATES). 

After the supplemental scoping 

period, there will be additional 

opportunities for public comment 

throughout the development of a range 

of alternatives for Amendment 5, and, if 

necessary, a draft EIS to analyze their 

impacts. In addition to scoping 

comments, the public will have the 

opportunity to comment on the 

alternatives being considered by the 

Council through public meetings on any 

proposed action. 

Special Accommodations 

The webinar meetings are accessible 

to people with physical disabilities. 

Requests for sign language 

interpretation or other auxiliary aids 

should be directed to Thomas A. Nies 

(see ADDRESSES) at least five days prior 

to the meeting dates. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. 

Dated: December 18, 2020. 

Jennifer M. Wallace, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2020–28479 Filed 12–23–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–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; Fishermen’s Contingency 

Fund 

AGENCY: National Oceanic & 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of information collection, 

request for comment. 

SUMMARY: The Department of 

Commerce, in accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 


tkelley on DSKBCP9HB2PROD with NOTICES
84306 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 248 / Monday, December 28, 2020 / Notices 

(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 February 26, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit written comments to 

Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, 

at Adrienne.thomas@noaa.gov. Please 

reference OMB Control Number 0648– 

0082 in the subject line of your 

comments. 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 Elaine 

Saiz, Chief, Financial Services Division, 

NOAA National Marine Fisheries 

Service, (301) 427–8725 or elaine.saiz@

noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

This request is for extension of a 

currently approved information 

collection. 

United States (U.S.) commercial 

fishermen may file claims for 

compensation for losses of, or damage 

to, fishing gear or vessels, plus 50 

percent of resulting economic losses, 

attributable to oil and gas activities on 

the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. To 

obtain compensation, applicants must 

comply with requirements set forth in 

50 CFR part 296. 

The requirements include a ‘‘report’’ 

within 15 days of the date the vessel 

first returns to port after the casualty 

incident to gain a presumption of 

eligible causation, and an ‘‘application’’ 

within 90 days of when the applicant 

first became aware of the loss and/or 

damage. 

The report is NOAA Form 88–166 and 

it requests identifying information such 

as: Respondent’s name; address; social 

security number; and casualty location. 

The information in the report is usually 

completed by NOAA during a telephone 

call with the respondent. 

The application is NOAA Form 88– 

164 and it requires the respondent to 

provide information on the property and 

economic losses and/or damages 

including type of damage; purchase date 

and price of lost/damaged gear; and 

income from recent fishing trips. It also 

includes an affidavit by which the 

applicant attests to the truthfulness of 

the claim. 

II. Method of Collection 

Respondents may telephone NOAA 

and provide the information for the 

report verbally or submit a paper or 

electronic report. Respondents have a 

choice of either electronic or paper 

forms for the application. 

III. Data 

OMB Control Number: 0648–0082. 

Form Number: NOAA Forms 88–164, 

88–166. 

Type of Review: Extension of a current 

information collection. 

Affected Public: Individuals or 

households; business or other for-profit 

organizations. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

20. 

Estimated Time per Response: 15 

minutes for a report and 7 hours, 45 

minutes for an application. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 160. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to 

Public: $500 in recordkeeping/filing 

costs. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Required to 

Obtain or Retain Benefits. 

Legal Authority: Title IV of the Outer 

Continental Shelf Lands Act 

Amendments of 1978 (43 U.S.C. 1841) 

authorizes the Fishermen’s Contingency 

Fund (Fund or FCF) program to 

compensate U.S. commercial fishermen 

for losses of, or damages to, fishing gear 

or vessels, plus 50% of resulting gross 

economic loss, attributable to oil and 

gas activities on the OCS. Program 

requirements are set forth in 50 CFR 

part 296. 

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 ICR. 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, 

Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of 

the Chief Information Officer, Commerce 

Department. 

[FR Doc. 2020–28549 Filed 12–23–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XA745] 

North Pacific Fishery Management 

Council; Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of a public meeting. 

SUMMARY: The North Pacific Fishery 

Management Council (Council) 

Community Engagement Committee will 

meet via web conference on January 12, 

2021. 

DATES: The meeting will be held on 

Tuesday, January 12, 2021, from 9 a.m. 

to 3 p.m., Alaska Time. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be a web 

conference. Join online through the link 

at https://meetings.npfmc.org/Meeting/ 

Details/1847. 

Council address: North Pacific 

Fishery Management Council, 1007 W 

3rd Ave., Anchorage, AK 99501–2252; 

telephone: (907) 271–2809. Instructions 

for attending the meeting via video 

conference are given under 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION, below. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Steve MacLean, Council staff; phone: 

(907) 271–2809; email: steve.maclean@

noaa.gov. For technical support please 

contact our admin Council staff, email: 

npfmc.admin@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Agenda 

Tuesday, January 12, 2021 

The Community Engagement 

Committee will meet to review and 


tkelley on DSKBCP9HB2PROD with NOTICES