522 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 3 / Wednesday, January 6, 2021 / Notices 

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; An Observer Program for AtSea Processing Vessels in the Pacific 

Coast Groundfish Fishery 

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 

(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 March 8, 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– 

0500 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 Matt 

Dunlap, Fishery Policy Analyst, West 

Coast Regional Office, 7600 Sand Point 

Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115, (206) 526– 

6119, or matthew.dunlap@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

In 2011, the National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS) mandated observer 

requirements for the West Coast 

groundfish trawl catch shares program. 

For all fishery sectors, observers must be 

obtained through third-party observer 

provider companies operating under 

permits issued by NMFS. The 

regulations at §§ 660.140(h), 660.150(j), 

and 660.160(g), specify observer 

coverage requirements for trawl vessels 

and define the responsibilities for 

observer providers, including reporting 

requirements. Regulations at 

§ 660.140(i) specify requirements for 

catch monitor coverage for first 

receivers. Data collected by observers 

are used by NMFS to estimate total 

landed catch and discards, monitor the 

attainment of annual groundfish 

allocations, estimate catch rates of 

prohibited species, and as a component 

in stock assessments. These data are 

necessary to comply with the 

Magnuson-Stevens Act requirements to 

prevent overfishing. In addition, 

observer data is used to assess fishing 

related mortality of protected and 

endangered species. 

II. Method of Collection 

This collection utilizes both 

electronic and paper forms, depending 

on the specific item. Methods of 

submittal include email of electronic 

forms, and mail and facsimile 

transmission of paper forms. 

Additionally, this collection utilizes 

interviews for some information 

collection and phone calls for 

transmission of other information. 

III. Data 

OMB Control Number: 0648–0500. 

Form Number(s): None. 

Type of Review: Regular submission 

(extension of a current information 

collection). 

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

268 (5 providers (supplying a total of 75 

observers or catch monitors) and 263 

fishing vessels). 

Estimated Time per Response: For 

providers: 15 minutes for observer 

training/briefing/debriefing registration, 

notification of observer physical 

examination, observer status reports, 

other reports on observer harassment, 

safety concerns, or performance 

problems, catch monitor status reports, 

and other catch monitor reports on 

harassment, prohibited actions, illness 

or injury, or performance problems; 5 

minutes for observer safety checklist 

submission to NMFS, observer provider 

contracts, observer information 

materials, catch monitor provider 

contracts, and catch monitor 

informational materials; 10 minutes for 

certificate of insurance; 7 minutes for 

catch monitor training/briefing 

registration, notification of catch 

monitor physical examination, and 

catch monitor debriefing registration. 

For vessels: 10 minutes for fishing 

departure reports and cease-fishing 

reports. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 525 (305 for providers and 220 

for fishing vessels. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to 

Public: $0 in capital costs as it is 

assumed that each of the 5 observer/ 

catch monitor providers will maintain a 

computer system with email capacity 

for general business purposes and that 

each vessel owner/operator has access 

to a telephone for toll-free calls. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory. 

Legal Authority: The regulations at 

§§ 660.140(h), 660.150(j), and 

660.160(g), specify observer coverage 

requirements for trawl vessels and 

define the responsibilities for observer 

providers, including reporting 

requirements. Regulations at 

§ 660.140(i) specify requirements for 

catch monitor coverage for first 

receivers. 

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. 2020–29269 Filed 1–5–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 


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