58552 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 165 / Monday, August 28, 2023 / Notices 

whether to approve or deny a permit 

application. In making this decision, the 

agencies will consider such factors as: 

• the professional qualifications and 

financial ability of the applicant as 

related to the proposed activity; 

• the duration of the activity and its 

effects; 

• the appropriateness of the methods 

and procedures proposed by the 

applicant for the conduct of the activity; 

• the extent to which the conduct of 

the activity may diminish or enhance 

the qualities for which the Monument 

was designated; 

• the end value of the activity; and 

• other such matters as agency staff 

deem appropriate. 

In addition to informing the agencies’ 

decisions on permit applications, 

information submitted in permit 

applications and reports submitted 

pursuant to permit conditions may also 

be used by the agencies to inform— 

• administrative appeals of permit 

decisions; 

• decision making on a permit 

amendment request or another permit 

application; or 

• other management actions (e.g., 

emergency response and enforcement). 

In terms of frequency of use, the 

information submitted in permit 

applications will, in general, only be 

used at the time the application is 

submitted to make a final decision on 

the application. Some of the information 

may also be used subsequent to the 

initial decision making to inform 

management actions or decision 

making. For example, a survey of a 

project location by one permit applicant 

may be used by the agencies in the 

future to respond to a vessel grounding 

in the same area to facilitate the 

agencies’ decision in response to that 

matter. Information submitted in a 

report will be used to periodically 

assess the permittee’s compliance with 

permit terms and conditions and to 

assist in evaluating the appropriateness 

of the permitted activity. 

II. Method of Collection 

Respondents have a choice of either 

electronic or paper forms. Methods of 

submittal include email of electronic 

forms, and mail and facsimile 

transmission of paper forms. 

III. Data 

OMB Control Number: 0648–0548. 

Form Number(s): None. 

Type of Review: Regular submission, 

extension of a current information 

collection. 

Affected Public: Individuals, nonprofit institutions; Federal, State, local, 

government, Native Hawaiian 

organizations; business or other forprofit organizations. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

411. 

Estimated Time per Response: 

Conservation and Management and 

Education (‘‘general’’ permits), 5 hours; 

Special Ocean Use permits, 10 hours; 

Native Hawaiian Practices permits, 8 

hours; Recreation permits, 6 hours; 

permit modification requests and final 

reports, 10 hours; and annual reports, 5 

hours. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 1,343. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to 

Public: $61,783 in recordkeeping/ 

reporting costs and vessel monitoring 

system installation and maintenance. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Required to 

Obtain or Retain Benefits, or Mandatory. 

Legal Authority: 54 U.S.C. 320301 et 

seq.; 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.; 16 U.S.C. 

742f, 16 U.S.C. 742l; 16 U.S.C. 1431 et 

seq. 

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 Information 

Collection Review. 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 Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, 

Commerce Department. 

[FR Doc. 2023–18477 Filed 8–25–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–NK–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XD249] 

Schedules for Atlantic Shark 

Identification Workshops and 

Protected Species Safe Handling, 

Release, and Identification Workshops 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of public workshops. 

SUMMARY: Free Atlantic Shark 

Identification Workshops and Safe 

Handling, Release, and Identification 

Workshops will be held in October, 

November, and December of 2023. 

Certain fishermen and shark dealers are 

required to attend a workshop to meet 

regulatory requirements and to maintain 

valid permits. Specifically, the Atlantic 

Shark Identification Workshop is 

mandatory for all federally permitted 

Atlantic shark dealers. The Safe 

Handling, Release, and Identification 

Workshop is mandatory for vessel 

owners and operators who use bottom 

longline, pelagic longline, or gillnet 

gear, and who have also been issued 

shark or swordfish limited access 

permits. Additional free workshops will 

be conducted in 2024 and will be 

announced in a future notice. In 

addition, NMFS has implemented 

online recertification workshops for 

persons who have already taken an inperson training. 

DATES: The Atlantic Shark Identification 

Workshops will be held on October 12, 

2023 and November 9, 2023. The Safe 

Handling, Release, and Identification 

Workshops will be held on October 19, 

2023, November 7, 2023, and December 

5, 2023. 

ADDRESSES: The Atlantic Shark 

Identification Workshops will be held in 

Mount Pleasant, SC and Largo, FL. The 

Safe Handling, Release, and 

Identification Workshops will be held in 

Warwick, RI, Kitty Hawk, NC, and 

Manahawkin, NJ. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 165 / Monday, August 28, 2023 / Notices 58553 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Peter Cooper by email at peter.cooper@

noaa.gov or by phone at 301–427–8503. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Atlantic 

highly migratory species (HMS) 

fisheries are managed under the 

authority of the Atlantic Tunas 

Convention Act (16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.) 

and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act (16 

U.S.C. 1801 et seq.). The 2006 

Consolidated Atlantic HMS Fishery 

Management Plan and its amendments 

are implemented by regulations at 50 

CFR part 635. Section 635.8 describes 

the requirements for the Atlantic Shark 

Identification Workshops and Safe 

Handling, Release, and Identification 

Workshops. The workshop schedules, 

registration information, and a list of 

frequently asked questions regarding the 

Atlantic Shark Identification and Safe 

Handling, Release, and Identification 

workshops are available online at: 

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantichighly-migratory-species/atlantic-sharkidentification-workshops and https://

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highlymigratory-species/safe-handling-releaseand-identification-workshops. 

Atlantic Shark Identification 

Workshops 

Since January 1, 2008, Atlantic shark 

dealers have been prohibited from 

receiving, purchasing, trading, or 

bartering for Atlantic sharks unless a 

valid Atlantic Shark Identification 

Workshop certificate is on the premises 

of each business listed under the shark 

dealer permit that first receives Atlantic 

sharks (71 FR 58057, October 2, 2006). 

Dealers who attend and successfully 

complete a workshop are issued a 

certificate for each place of business that 

is permitted to receive sharks. These 

certificate(s) are valid for 3 years. Thus, 

certificates that were initially issued in 

2020 will expire in 2023. 

Currently, permitted dealers may send 

a proxy to an Atlantic Shark 

Identification Workshop. However, if a 

dealer opts to send a proxy, the dealer 

must designate a proxy for each place of 

business covered by the dealer’s permit 

that first receives Atlantic sharks. Only 

one certificate will be issued to each 

proxy. A proxy must be a person who 

is currently employed by a place of 

business covered by the dealer’s permit; 

is a primary participant in the 

identification, weighing, and/or first 

receipt of fish as they are offloaded from 

a vessel; and who fills out dealer 

reports. Atlantic shark dealers are 

prohibited from renewing a Federal 

shark dealer permit unless a valid 

Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop 

certificate for each business location 

that first receives Atlantic sharks has 

been submitted with the permit renewal 

application. Additionally, a copy of a 

valid dealer or proxy Atlantic Shark 

Identification Workshop certificate must 

be in any trucks or other conveyances 

that are extensions of a dealer’s place of 

business. 

Workshop Dates, Times, and Locations 

1. October 12, 2023, 12 p.m.–4 p.m., 

Holiday Inn Express Charleston NE 

Mount Pleasant, 1104 Stockade Lane, 

Mount Pleasant, SC 29466. 

2. November 9, 2023, 12 p.m.–4 p.m., 

Hampton Inn & Suites Largo, 100 East 

Bay Drive, Largo, FL 33770. 

Registration 

To register for a scheduled Atlantic 

Shark Identification Workshop, please 

contact Eric Sander at ericssharkguide@

yahoo.com or at 386–852–8588. Preregistration is highly recommended, but 

not required. 

Registration Materials 

To ensure that workshop certificates 

are linked to the correct permits, 

participants will need to bring the 

following specific items to the 

workshop: 

• Atlantic shark dealer permit holders 

must bring proof that the attendee is an 

owner or agent of the business (such as 

articles of incorporation), a copy of the 

applicable permit, and proof of 

identification; and 

• Atlantic shark dealer proxies must 

bring documentation from the permitted 

dealer acknowledging that the proxy is 

attending the workshop on behalf of the 

permitted Atlantic shark dealer for a 

specific business location, a copy of the 

appropriate valid permit, and proof of 

identification. 

Workshop Objectives 

The Atlantic Shark Identification 

Workshops are designed to reduce the 

number of unknown and improperly 

identified sharks reported in the dealer 

reporting form and increase the 

accuracy of species-specific dealerreported information. Reducing the 

number of unknown and improperly 

identified sharks will improve quota 

monitoring and the data used in stock 

assessments. These workshops will train 

shark dealer permit holders or their 

proxies to properly identify Atlantic 

shark carcasses. 

Safe Handling, Release, and 

Identification Workshops 

Since January 1, 2007, shark limited 

access and swordfish limited access 

permit holders who fish with longline 

or gillnet gear have been required to 

submit a copy of their Safe Handling, 

Release, and Identification Workshop 

certificate in order to renew either 

permit (71 FR 58057, October 2, 2006). 

These certificate(s) are valid for 3 years. 

Certificates issued in 2020 will expire in 

2023. As such, vessel owners who have 

not already attended a workshop and 

received a NMFS certificate, or vessel 

owners whose certificate(s) will expire 

prior to the next permit renewal, must 

attend a workshop to fish with, or 

renew, their swordfish and shark 

limited access permits. Additionally, 

new shark and swordfish limited access 

permit applicants who intend to fish 

with longline or gillnet gear must attend 

a Safe Handling, Release, and 

Identification Workshop and submit a 

copy of their workshop certificate before 

either of the permits will be issued. 

In addition to vessel owners, at least 

one operator on board vessels issued a 

limited access swordfish or shark permit 

that uses longline or gillnet gear is 

required to attend a Safe Handling, 

Release, and Identification Workshop 

and receive a certificate. Vessels that 

have been issued a limited access 

swordfish or shark permit and that use 

longline or gillnet gear may not fish 

unless both the vessel owner and 

operator have valid workshop 

certificates on board at all times. Vessel 

operators who have not already 

attended a workshop and received a 

NMFS certificate, or vessel operators 

whose certificate(s) will expire prior to 

their next fishing trip, must attend a 

workshop to operate a vessel with 

swordfish and shark limited access 

permits on which longline or gillnet 

gear is used. 

Workshop Dates, Times, and Locations 

1. October 19, 2023, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., 

Hilton Garden Inn, 1 Thurber Street, 

Warwick, RI 02886. 

2. November 7, 2023, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., 

Hilton Garden Inn/Outer Banks-Kitty 

Hawk, 5353 North Virginia Dare Trail, 

Kitty Hawk, NC 27949. 

3. December 5, 2023, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., 

The Mainland 151 Route 72 East, 

Manahawkin, NJ 08050. 

Registration 

To register for a scheduled Safe 

Handling, Release, and Identification 

Workshop, please contact Angler 

Conservation Education at 386–682– 

0158. Pre-registration is highly 

recommended, but not required. 

Registration Materials 

To ensure that workshop certificates 

are linked to the correct permits, 

participants will need to bring the 


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58554 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 165 / Monday, August 28, 2023 / Notices 

following specific items with them to 

the workshop: 

• Individual vessel owners must 

bring a copy of the appropriate 

swordfish and/or shark permit(s), a copy 

of the vessel registration or 

documentation, and proof of 

identification; 

• Representatives of a businessowned or co-owned vessel must bring 

proof that the individual is an agent of 

the business (such as articles of 

incorporation), a copy of the applicable 

swordfish and/or shark permit(s), and 

proof of identification; and 

• Vessel operators must bring proof of 

identification. 

Workshop Objectives 

The Safe Handling, Release, and 

Identification Workshops are designed 

to teach the owner and operator of a 

vessel that fisheries with longline or 

gillnet gear the required techniques for 

the safe handling and release of 

entangled and/or hooked protected 

species, such as sea turtles, marine 

mammals, smalltooth sawfish, Atlantic 

sturgeon, and prohibited sharks. In an 

effort to improve reporting, the proper 

identification of protected species and 

prohibited sharks will also be taught at 

these workshops. Additionally, 

individuals attending these workshops 

will gain a better understanding of the 

requirements for participating in these 

fisheries. The overall goal of these 

workshops is to provide participants 

with the skills needed to reduce the 

mortality of protected species and 

prohibited sharks, which may prevent 

additional regulations on these fisheries 

in the future. 

Online Recertification Workshops 

NMFS implemented an online option 

for shark dealers and owners and 

operators of vessels that fish with 

longline and gillnet gear to renew their 

certificates in December 2021. To be 

eligible for online recertification 

workshops, dealers and vessel owners 

and operators need to have previously 

attended an in-person workshop. 

Information about the courses is 

available online at https://

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highlymigratory-species/atlantic-sharkidentification-workshops and https://

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highlymigratory-species/safe-handling-releaseand-identification-workshops. To access 

the course please visit: https://

hmsworkshop.fisheries.noaa.gov/start. 

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

Dated: August 23, 2023. 

Jennifer M. Wallace, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2023–18493 Filed 8–25–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XD277] 

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic 

Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Cod Trawl 

Cooperative Program; Public 

Workshop 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notification of public workshop. 

SUMMARY: NMFS will present a public 

workshop on the implementation of the 

Pacific cod Trawl Cooperative Program 

(PCTC Program or Program) for 

potentially eligible participants and 

other interested parties. The PCTC 

Program allocates Pacific cod harvest 

quota to qualifying groundfish License 

Limitation Program (LLP) license 

holders and qualifying processors and 

requires participants to form 

cooperatives to harvest the quota. At the 

workshop, NMFS will provide an 

overview of the PCTC Program, discuss 

the key PCTC Program elements, 

describe the process for participating in 

the Program, and answer questions. 

NMFS is conducting this public 

workshop to provide assistance to 

fishery participants in understanding 

and reviewing this Program. 

DATES: The same workshop will be 

presented in Seattle and then via 

webinar. The first workshop will be 

held in-person on Wednesday, 

September 20, 2023 from 5:30 to 7:30 

p.m. Pacific Standard Time in Seattle, 

Washington and will not have a webinar 

option. The second workshop will be 

held via webinar on Wednesday, 

September 27, 2023 from 5:30 to 7:30 

p.m. Alaska Standard Time. 

ADDRESSES: The first workshop on 

September 20 will be held in Seattle, 

Washington at The Mountaineers Seattle 

Program Center, 7700 Sand Point Way 

NE, Seattle, WA 98115. The second 

workshop will be held via webinar and 

the link to the meeting is: https://

meet.google.com/oky-ajgw-nhm. A 

phone connect is also available by 

calling +1 502–518–3401 and entering 

the following pin number: 163 659 

782#. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Stephanie Warpinski, 

stephanie.warpinski@noaa.gov, (907)- 

586–7234. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS 

published a final rule that implements 

Amendment 122 to the Bering Sea and 

Aleutian Islands Management Area 

(BSAI) Groundfish Fishery Management 

Plan (FMP) on (88 FR 53704, August 8, 

2023). The PCTC Program assigns 

Pacific cod harvest quota to qualifying 

groundfish LLP license holders and 

qualifying processors. The Program is a 

limited access privilege program for the 

harvest of Pacific cod in the BSAI trawl 

catcher vessel (CV) sector. Under the 

Program, participants holding quota 

share (QS) form harvesting cooperatives 

in association with a processor to 

harvest the annual harvest privilege of 

Pacific cod. 

The PCTC Program implements a 

complex suite of measures to improve 

fishery conditions for all participants. 

This Program establishes criteria for 

harvesters and processors in the BSAI 

trawl CV sector Pacific cod fishery to 

qualify for and receive QS, criteria for 

allocating QS in the initial year of 

implementation, and criteria for the 

transfer of QS. QS holders are required 

to join a cooperative (harvesters) or 

associate with a cooperative 

(processors). The aggregate QS of 

cooperative members and associated 

processors yields an exclusive harvest 

privilege for PCTC Program 

cooperatives, which NMFS will issue as 

cooperative quota (CQ) each year. CQ 

represents a portion of the A and B 

season BSAI trawl CV sector Pacific cod 

Directed Fishing Allowance (DFA). Of 

the total annual CQ, 77.5 percent is 

derived from QS issued to LLP licenses, 

and 22.5 percent is derived from QS 

issued to processors. The DFA for the C 

season remains available for harvest as 

a limited access fishery open to all CVs 

with the required trawl gear and area 

endorsements on the LLP license 

assigned to the vessel. 

As required under Magnuson-Stevens 

Act section 303A(c)(5)(D), the PCTC 

Program includes ownership and use 

caps to prevent a permit holder from 

acquiring an excessive share of the 

fishery. No person is permitted to hold 

more than 5 percent of harvester-issued 

QS or 20 percent of processor-issued 

QS. In addition, no vessel is allowed to 

harvest more than 5 percent of the 

annual CQ, and no company is allowed 

to process more than 20 percent of the 

annual CQ. The PCTC Program also 

includes legacy exemptions for persons 

over these ownership and use caps at 

the time of PCTC Program 


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