2644 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 8 / Wednesday, January 13, 2021 / Notices 

and assessment webinars, and a Review 

Workshop. See SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION. 

DATES: The SEDAR 68 Assessment 

Webinar II will be held February 12, 

2021, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Eastern 

Time. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held 

via webinar. The webinar is open to 

members of the public. Those interested 

in participating should contact Julie A. 

Neer at SEDAR (see FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT) to request an 

invitation providing webinar access 

information. Please request webinar 

invitations at least 24 hours in advance 

of each webinar. 

SEDAR address: 4055 Faber Place 

Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 

29405. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julie 

A. Neer, SEDAR Coordinator; (843) 571– 

4366; email: Julie.neer@safmc.net. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf 

of Mexico, South Atlantic, and 

Caribbean Fishery Management 

Councils, in conjunction with NOAA 

Fisheries and the Atlantic and Gulf 

States Marine Fisheries Commissions 

have implemented the Southeast Data, 

Assessment and Review (SEDAR) 

process, a multi-step method for 

determining the status of fish stocks in 

the Southeast Region. SEDAR is a multistep process including: (1) Data 

Workshop, (2) a series of assessment 

webinars, and (3) A Review Workshop. 

The product of the Data Workshop is a 

report that compiles and evaluates 

potential datasets and recommends 

which datasets are appropriate for 

assessment analyses. The assessment 

webinars produce a report that describes 

the fisheries, evaluates the status of the 

stock, estimates biological benchmarks, 

projects future population conditions, 

and recommends research and 

monitoring needs. The product of the 

Review Workshop is an Assessment 

Summary documenting panel opinions 

regarding the strengths and weaknesses 

of the stock assessment and input data. 

Participants for SEDAR Workshops are 

appointed by the Gulf of Mexico, South 

Atlantic, and Caribbean Fishery 

Management Councils and NOAA 

Fisheries Southeast Regional Office, 

HMS Management Division, and 

Southeast Fisheries Science Center. 

Participants include data collectors and 

database managers; stock assessment 

scientists, biologists, and researchers; 

constituency representatives including 

fishermen, environmentalists, and 

NGO’s; International experts; and staff 

of Councils, Commissions, and state and 

federal agencies. 

The items of discussion during the 

Assessment Webinar are as follows: 

1. Using datasets and initial 

assessment analysis recommended from 

the data webinars, panelists will employ 

assessment models to evaluate stock 

status, estimate population benchmarks 

and management criteria, and project 

future conditions. 

2. Participants will recommend the 

most appropriate methods and 

configurations for determining stock 

status and estimating population 

parameters. 

Although non-emergency issues not 

contained in this agenda may come 

before this group for discussion, those 

issues may not be the subject of formal 

action during this meeting. Action will 

be restricted to those issues specifically 

identified in this notice and any issues 

arising after publication of this notice 

that require emergency action under 

section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens 

Fishery Conservation and Management 

Act, provided the public has been 

notified of the intent to take final action 

to address the emergency. 

Special Accommodations 

The meeting is physically accessible 

to people with disabilities. Requests for 

sign language interpretation or other 

auxiliary aids should be directed to the 

Council office (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 

business days prior to each workshop. 

Note: The times and sequence specified in 

this agenda are subject to change. 

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

Dated: January 8, 2021. 

Rey Israel Marquez, 

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–00562 Filed 1–12–21; 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; Individual Fishing Quotas for 

Pacific Halibut and Sablefish in the 

Alaska Fisheries 

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 15, 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– 

0272 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 Gabrielle 

Aberle, 907–586–7228. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

The National Marine Fisheries Service 

(NMFS), Alaska Regional Office, is 

requesting renewal of a currently 

approved information collection that 

contains requirements for the Pacific 

Halibut and Sablefish Individual 

Fishing Quota Program (IFQ Program). 

The International Pacific Halibut 

Commission (IPHC) and NMFS Alaska 

Region manage fishing for Pacific 

halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) 

through regulations established under 

the authority of the Northern Pacific 

Halibut Act of 1982, 16 U.S.C. 773c 

(Halibut Act). The IPHC promulgates 

regulations governing the halibut fishery 

under the Convention between the 

United States and Canada for the 

Preservation of the Halibut Fishery of 

the Northern Pacific Ocean and Bering 

Sea (Convention). Regulations pursuant 

to the Convention are set forth at 50 CFR 

300 subpart E. 

The North Pacific Fishery 

Management Council, under the 

authority of the Halibut Act (with 

respect to Pacific halibut) and the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation 

and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et 

seq.; Magnuson-Stevens Act) (with 

respect to sablefish), manages the IFQ 

Program. NMFS Alaska Region 

administers the IFQ Program. 

Regulations implementing the IFQ 

Program are set forth at 50 CFR part 679. 

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 8 / Wednesday, January 13, 2021 / Notices 2645 

The IFQ Program provides a limited 

access system for Pacific halibut in 

Convention waters in and off Alaska 

and sablefish fisheries in waters of the 

Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska. 

The IFQ Program provides coastal 

Alaska communities a source of 

revenue, while maintaining the social 

and economic character of the fixed-gear 

sablefish and halibut fisheries. The IFQ 

Program provides economic stability for 

these fisheries while reducing many of 

the conservation and management 

problems commonly associated with 

open-access fisheries. The IFQ Program 

includes several provisions, such as 

ownership caps and vessel use caps that 

protect small producers, part-time 

participants, and entry-level 

participants that otherwise could be 

adversely affected by excessive 

consolidation. 

Participation in the IFQ Program is 

limited to persons that hold quota share 

(QS), although there are several very 

limited provisions for ‘‘leasing’’ of 

annual IFQ. QS is a transferable permit 

that was initially issued to persons who 

owned or leased vessels that made legal 

commercial fixed-gear landings of 

Pacific halibut or sablefish in the waters 

off Alaska from 1988 through 1990. 

Currently, QS may only be obtained 

through transfer. 

Annually, NMFS issues eligible QS 

holders an IFQ fishing permit that 

authorizes participation in the IFQ 

fisheries. Those to whom IFQ permits 

are issued may harvest their annual 

allocation at any time during the eight 

plus-month IFQ halibut and sablefish 

seasons. 

More information on the IFQ Program 

is provided on the NMFS Alaska Region 

website at https://

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/alaska/ 

sustainable-fisheries/pacific-halibutand-sablefish-individual-fishing-quotaifq-program. 

Some of the collection instruments in 

this information collection are used by 

participants in the Western Alaska 

Community Development Quota (CDQ) 

Program. The purpose of the CDQ 

Program is to provide eligible western 

Alaska villages with the opportunity to 

participate and invest in fisheries in the 

Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands 

Management Area (BSAI); to support 

economic development in western 

Alaska; to alleviate poverty and provide 

economic and social benefits for 

residents of western Alaska; and to 

achieve sustainable and diversified local 

economies in western Alaska. In fitting 

with these goals, NMFS allocates a 

portion of the annual catch limits for a 

variety of commercially valuable marine 

species in the BSAI to the CDQ Program. 

Pacific halibut is one of these species. 

More information on the CDQ Program 

is provided on the NMFS Alaska Region 

website at https://

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/alaska/ 

sustainable-fisheries/communitydevelopment-quota-cdq-program. 

Information collection requirements for 

the CDQ Program are approved under 

OMB Control Number 0648–0269. 

This information collection is 

required to manage commercial halibut 

and sablefish fishing under the 

Magnuson-Stevens Act, the Halibut Act, 

and under 50 CFR parts 300 and 679. 

This information collection contains 

the forms used by participants in the 

IFQ Program to apply for, renew, or 

replace permits; transfer or lease IFQ 

and QS; determine compliance with IFQ 

program requirements; and designate a 

beneficiary for a QS holder. Two of the 

permit applications are also used by 

participants in the CDQ Program. This 

information collection also contains 

annual reports and other collections 

submitted by telephone or other 

methods and that do not have forms. 

The type of information collected 

includes information on the applicants, 

transferors, transferees, permits, IFQ or 

QS types and owners, beneficiaries, 

vessels, business operations, medical 

declarations, landings, gear types, 

products, and harvests and harvest 

areas. 

This information is used to identify 

and authorize participants in the halibut 

and sablefish fisheries, to track and 

transfer quota share, to limit transfers to 

authorized participants, and to monitor 

quota share balances and harvest in 

these fisheries. 

II. Method of Collection 

The information is collected primarily 

by mail, delivery, fax, email, or 

telephone. Registered buyers may use 

eFISH to renew or amend their 

registered buyer permit. eFISH is the 

NMFS Alaska Region online Fisheries 

Information System. The forms and 

applications are available as fillable 

pdfs on the NMFS Alaska Region 

website at https://

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/permit/alaskaifq-halibut-sablefish-and-cdq-halibutprogram-fishery-applications-andreporting. 

III. Data 

OMB Control Number: 0648–0272. 

Form Number(s): None. 

Type of Review: Regular submission 

(extension of a current information 

collection). 

Affected Public: Individuals or 

households; Business or other for-profit 

organizations; Not-for-profit 

institutions. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

2,559. 

Estimated Time per Response: 

Application for IFQ/CDQ Hired Master 

Permit, 1 hour; Application for IFQ/ 

CDQ Registered Buyer Permit, 30 

minutes; Application for Replacement 

of Certificates or Permits, 30 minutes; 

Application for Eligibility to Receive 

QS/IFQ by Transfer, 2 hours; QS Holder: 

Identification of Ownership Interest, 2 

hours; Application for Transfer of QS, 2 

hours; Application for Transfer of QS/ 

IFQ by Self Sweep Up, 2 hours; 

Application for Medical Transfer of IFQ, 

1.5 hours; Application for Temporary 

Transfer of Halibut/Sablefish IFQ, 2 

hours; Annual Report for CDQ IFQ 

Transfers, 40 hours; QS/IFQ Beneficiary 

Designation Form, 30 minutes; Appeals, 

4 hours; IFQ Administrative Waiver, 6 

minutes; Prior Notice of Landing, 15 

minutes; IFQ Departure Report, 15 

minutes; Transshipment Authorization, 

12 minutes; Dockside sales, 6 minutes; 

Application for a Non-profit 

Corporation to be Designated as a 

Recreational Quota Entity, 200 hours; 

Application for Transfer of Quota Share 

To or From a Recreational Quota Entity, 

2 hours; Recreational Quota Entity 

Annual Report, 40 hours. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 4,588 hours. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to 

Public: $21,471. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Required to 

Obtain or Retain Benefits; Mandatory. 

Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens 

Fishery Conservation and Management 

Act, 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.; Northern 

Pacific Halibut Act of 1982, 16 U.S.C. 

773c. 

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 

2646 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 8 / Wednesday, January 13, 2021 / Notices 

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. 2021–00553 Filed 1–12–21; 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; Alaska Chinook Salmon 

Economic Data Reports (EDR) 

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 15, 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– 

0633 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 Scott 

Miller, 907–586–7416, scott.miller@

noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

The National Marine Fisheries Service 

(NMFS), Alaska Regional Office, is 

requesting renewal of the currently 

approved information collection for the 

Chinook Salmon Economic Data Report 

Program. 

National Marine Fisheries Service 

(NMFS) manages the Bering Sea pollock 

fishery under the American Fisheries 

Act (AFA) (16 U.S.C. 1851). AFA fishing 

vessels harvest pollock in the Bering Sea 

pollock fishery using pelagic (midwater) 

trawl gear, which consists of large nets 

towed through the water by the vessel. 

At times, Chinook salmon and pollock 

occur in the same locations in the 

Bering Sea; consequently, Chinook 

salmon are incidentally caught in the 

nets as pollock is harvested. This 

incidental catch is called bycatch and is 

also called prohibited species catch 

(PSC). 

The Chinook Salmon Economic Data 

Report (Chinook Salmon EDR) Program 

provides NMFS and the North Pacific 

Fishery Management Council (Council) 

with data to evaluate the effectiveness of 

Chinook salmon bycatch management 

measures for the Bering Sea pollock 

fishery that were implemented under 

Amendment 91 to the Fishery 

Management Plan for Groundfish of the 

Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands 

Management Area (75 FR 53026, August 

30, 2010). The Chinook Salmon EDR 

Program provides information to the 

analysts and the Council and is 

intended to evaluate the effectiveness of 

the Chinook Salmon Incentive Plan 

Agreement (IPA) (see OMB Control No. 

0648–0401). The Chinook Salmon EDR 

Program is intended to evaluate where, 

when, and how pollock fishing and 

salmon bycatch occur and to provide 

data to study and verify conclusions 

drawn by industry in the IPA annual 

reports. 

The Chinook Salmon EDR Program is 

managed primarily by the Alaska 

Fisheries Science Center, with support 

from NMFS Alaska Region, and is 

administered in collaboration with 

Pacific States Marine Fisheries 

Commission (Pacific States). The EDR is 

a mandatory reporting requirement 

under 50 CFR 679.65 for all entities 

participating in the AFA BSAI pollock 

trawl fishery, including vessel masters 

and businesses that own or lease one or 

more AFA-permitted vessels active in 

fishing or processing BSAI pollock, 

Western Alaska Community 

Development Quota (CDQ) groups 

receiving allocations of BSAI pollock, 

and representatives of sector entities 

receiving allocations of Chinook salmon 

PSC from NMFS. 

The Chinook Salmon EDR Program 

consists of three separate forms: 

• Chinook PSC Allocation In-season 

Compensated Transfer Report—Collects 

transfer and monetary compensation 

information for Chinook salmon PSC 

allocations. 

• Vessel Fuel Survey—Collects fuel 

consumption and average fuel costs. 

• Vessel Master Survey—Collects 

vessel master impressions of fishing 

experiences during the year and of 

Chinook salmon PSC avoidance efforts. 

The Chinook Salmon EDR Program 

also includes a means for NMFS to 

verify the data submitted in the 

Compensated Transfer Report. These 

collections are unchanged since the 

previous renewal in 2018. 

II. Method of Collection 

The Compensated Transfer Report, 

Vessel Fuel Survey, and Vessel Master 

Survey are completed and submitted 

using the economic data reporting web 

application on the Pacific States Marine 

Fisheries Commission website at 

https://www.psmfc.org//chinookedr/. In 

2019, NMFS discontinued automated 

auditing of EDR Program reporting. 

Audits will now only be conducted in 

cases of suspected gross noncompliance. 

Future audits will be conducted by a 

designated auditor and an audit report 

will be provided to NMFS 

electronically. 

III. Data 

OMB Control Number: 0648–0633. 

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: 

117. 

Estimated Time per Response: 

Compensated Transfer Report: 40 hours; 

Vessel Fuel Survey: 4 hours; Vessel 

Master Survey: 4 hours; CTR 

Verification Audit: 4 hours. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 728 hours. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to 

Public: $0. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory. 

Legal Authority: American Fisheries 

Act (16 U.S.C. 1851); Magnuson-Stevens 

Fishery Conservation and Management 

Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.). 

IV. Request for Comments 

We are soliciting public comments to 

permit the Department/Bureau to: (a)