60184 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 168 / Thursday, August 31, 2023 / Notices 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

purpose of the meeting is for the 

Advisory Panel to create a Fishery 

Performance Report that includes 

advisor input on recent spiny dogfish 

catch, specifications, and related 

management measures. 

Special Accommodations 

The meeting is physically accessible 

to people with disabilities. Requests for 

sign language interpretation or other 

auxiliary aid should be directed to 

Shelley Spedden, (302) 526–5251, at 

least 5 days prior to the meeting date. 

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

Dated: August 28, 2023. 

Rey Israel Marquez, 

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2023–18857 Filed 8–30–23; 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; NMFS Observer Programs’ 

Information That Can Be Gathered 

Only Through Questions 

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 October 30, 2023. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit written comments to 

Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, 

at NOAA.PRA@noaa.gov. Please 

reference OMB Control Number 0648– 

0593 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 Ken 

Keene, National Observer Program 

Coordinator, NOAA, 1315 East-West 

Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, 

(301–427–8158), and kenneth.keene@

noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

This is a request for revision and 

extension of an existing information 

collection. 

The National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

National Marine Fisheries Service 

(NMFS) deploys fishery observers on 

United States (U.S.) commercial fishing 

vessels and to fish processing plants in 

order to collect biological and economic 

data. NMFS has at least one observer 

program in each of its five Regions. 

These observer programs provide the 

most reliable and effective method for 

obtaining information that is critical for 

the conservation and management of 

living marine resources. Observer 

programs primarily obtain information 

through direct observations by 

employees or agents of NMFS; and such 

observations are not subject to the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). 

However, observer programs also collect 

the following information that requires 

clearance under the PRA: (1) 

Standardized questions of fishing vessel 

captains/crew or fish processing plant 

managers/staff, which include gear and 

performance questions, safety questions, 

and trip costs, crew size and other 

economic questions; (2) questions asked 

by observer program staff/contractors to 

plan observer deployments; (3) forms 

that are completed by observers and that 

fishing vessel captains are asked to 

review and sign; (4) questionnaires to 

evaluate observer performance; and (5) 

a form to certify that a fisherman is the 

permit holder when requesting observer 

data from the observer on the vessel. 

The information collected will be 

used to: (1) Monitor catch and bycatch 

in federally managed commercial 

fisheries; (2) understand the population 

status and trends of fish stocks and 

protected species, as well as the 

interactions between them; (3) 

determine the quantity and distribution 

of net benefits derived from living 

marine resources; (4) predict the 

biological, ecological, and economic 

impacts of existing management action 

and proposed management options; and 

(5) ensure that the observer programs 

can safely and efficiently collect the 

information required for the previous 

four uses. In particular, these biological 

and economic data collection programs 

contribute to legally mandated analyses 

required under the Magnuson-Stevens 

Fishery Conservation and Management 

Act (MSA), the Endangered Species Act 

(ESA), the Marine Mammal Protection 

Act (MMPA), the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the 

Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA), 

Executive Order 12866 (E.O. 12866), as 

well as a variety of state statutes. The 

confidentiality of the data will be 

protected as required by the MSA, 

section 402(b). 

This collection will be revised as 

follows. First 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. Second, 

NOAA is combining the Southeast 

observer efforts into one program. The 

third change is the West Coast 

Groundfish Observer Program (WCGOP) 

would like to start collecting the names 

of crew members within their observer 

logbooks. The data 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. Other observer 

programs are also working on 

converting to smart phone apps, but 

they have not yet been implemented. 

II. Method of Collection 

The information will be collected by 

(1) NMFS observers while they are 

deployed on a vessel to observe a 

particular fishing trip; questions will be 

asked in-person to the captain, crew 

and/or owner (if on board the vessel) 

during the course of the observed trip; 

(2) via mail through follow up surveys 

of economic information not available 

during the trip; (3) via telephone or mail 

survey by the observer program staff or 

contractor planning to deploy observers; 

or (4) via feedback questionnaires 

mailed to the vessel owners or captains 

to evaluate observer performance. 

III. Data 

OMB Control Number: 0648–0593. 

Form Number: None. 

Type of Review: Regular submission. 

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

13,212. 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 168 / Thursday, August 31, 2023 / Notices 60185 

Estimated Time 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, 31 minutes; Pacific Islands 

Region Observer Program, 86 minutes; 

Southeast Fishery Observer Program, 55 

minutes; West Coast Region Observer 

Program, 62 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. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 16,253. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to 

Public: $459,631. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary. 

Legal Authority: The primary 

authority for NMFS to place observers 

on fishing vessels is included in the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation 

and Management Act (MSA), the 

Endangered Species Act (ESA), and the 

Marine Mammal Protection Act 

(MMPA). 

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 Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, 

Commerce Department. 

[FR Doc. 2023–18815 Filed 8–30–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XD306] 

September Management Track Peer 

Review Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of public meeting. 

SUMMARY: NMFS will convene the 

Assessment Oversight Panel (AOP) to 

convene the Management Track 

Assessment Peer Review Meeting for the 

purpose of reviewing Red Hake (North 

and South), Acadian Redfish, Skate 

Complex, Atlantic Mackerel, Northern 

Windowpane Flounder, and Spiny 

Dogfish stocks. The Management Track 

Assessment Peer Review is a formal 

scientific peer-review process for 

evaluating and presenting stock 

assessment results to managers for fish 

stocks in the offshore U.S. waters of the 

northwest Atlantic. Assessments are 

prepared by the lead stock assessment 

analyst and reviewed by an independent 

panel of stock assessment experts. The 

public is invited to attend the 

presentations and discussions between 

the review panel and the scientists who 

have participated in the stock 

assessment process. 

DATES: The public portion of the 

Management Track Assessment Peer 

Review Meeting will be held from 

September 18, 2023 to September 20, 

2023. The meeting will conclude on 

September 20, 2023 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern 

Standard Time. Please see 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for the 

daily meeting agenda. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held 

via Google Meet: 

https://meet.google.com/qza-zvku-oig 

+1 252–987–4102 

PIN: 732 891 507# 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Alexander Dunn, 508–495–2195, 

alexander.dunn@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: For 

further information, please visit the 

Northeast Fisheries Science Center 

(NEFSC) website at https://

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/new-englandmid-atlantic/population-assessments/ 

fishery-stock-assessments-new-englandand-mid-atlantic. For additional 

information about management track 

assessment peer review, please visit the 

NEFSC web page at https://

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/new-englandmid-atlantic/population-assessments/ 

management-track-stock-assessments. 

Daily Meeting Agenda—Management 

Track Peer Review Meeting 

The agenda is subject to change; all 

times are approximate and may be 

changed at the discretion of the Peer 

Review Chair. 

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2023 

Time Subject Presenter 

9 a.m.–9:15 a.m ................................................. Welcome/Logistics/Conduct of Meeting ........... Michele Traver, Russ Brown, Adrian Jordaan, 

Chair. 

9:15 a.m.–10:45 a.m .......................................... Red Hake (North and South) ........................... Toni Chute. 

Discussion/Questions ....................................... Panel. 

10:45 a.m.–11 a.m ............................................. Break.

11 a.m.–12 p.m .................................................. Red Hake (North and South) cont ................... Toni Chute. 

Discussion/Questions ....................................... Panel. 

12 p.m.–12:15 p.m ............................................. Morning Wrap Up Summary/Discussion .......... Panel. 

12:15 p.m.–12:30 p.m ........................................ Public Comment ............................................... Public. 

12:30 p.m.–1:30 p.m .......................................... Lunch.

1:30 p.m.–3 p.m. ................................................ Acadian Redfish ............................................... Brian Linton. 

Discussion/Questions ....................................... Panel. 

3 p.m.–3:15 p.m ................................................. Break.

3:15 p.m.–4:30 p.m ............................................ Acadian Redfish cont ....................................... Brian Linton. 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1