Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 15 / Tuesday, January 23, 2024 / Notices 4279 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XD645] 

South Atlantic 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 South Atlantic Fishery 

Management Council (Council) will 

hold a meeting of the Wreckfish SubCommittee. 

DATES: The Wreckfish Sub-Committee 

meeting will be held via webinar on 

February 8, 2024. The meeting will be 

held from 9 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., EDT. 

ADDRESSES: 

Meeting address: The meeting will be 

held via webinar. The webinar is open 

to members of the public. Registration is 

required. Webinar registration, an 

online public comment form, and 

briefing book materials will be available 

two weeks prior to the meeting at: 

https://safmc.net/events/feb-2024- 

wreckfish-sub-committee-meeting/. 

Council address: South Atlantic 

Fishery Management Council, 4055 

Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, N 

Charleston, SC 29405. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Christina Wiegand, Fishery Social 

Scientists, SAFMC; phone: (843) 571– 

4366 or toll free: (866) SAFMC–10; fax: 

(843) 769–4520; email: 

christina.wiegand@safmc.net. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Wreckfish Sub-Committee will discuss 

Amendment 48 to the Snapper Grouper 

Fishery Management Plan, select 

preferred alternatives, and consider 

approval for public hearings. Current 

actions under consideration in 

Amendment 48 include: sector 

allocations, electronic reporting, fishing 

season, Individual Transferable Quota 

(ITQ) participation and eligibility 

requirements, fishery monitoring 

requirements, and cost recovery. 

Special Accommodations 

The meeting is physically accessible 

to people with disabilities. Requests for 

auxiliary aid should be directed to the 

Council office (see ADDRESSES) 5 days 

prior to the meeting. 

Note: The times and sequence 

specified in this agenda are subject to 

change. 

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

Dated: January 18, 2023. 

Rey Israel Marquez, 

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–01244 Filed 1–22–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XD647] 

South Atlantic Fishery Management 

Council; Public Meetings 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of a public meeting. 

SUMMARY: The South Atlantic Fishery 

Management Council (Council) will 

hold a meeting of the Scientific and 

Statistical Committee (SSC). 

DATES: The SSC meeting will be held via 

webinar from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. EST on 

February 9, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held 

via webinar. 

Council address: South Atlantic 

Fishery Management Council, 4055 

Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, N 

Charleston, SC 29405. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kim 

Iverson, Public Information Officer, 

4055 Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, North 

Charleston, SC 29405; phone: (843) 571– 

4366 or toll free: (866) SAFMC–10; fax: 

(843) 769–4520; email: kim.iverson@

safmc.net. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

meeting is open to the public via 

webinar as it occurs. Webinar 

registration is required. Information 

regarding webinar registration will be 

posted to the Council’s website at: 

https://safmc.net/events/feb-2024-sscmeeting/ as it becomes available. The 

meeting agenda, briefing book materials, 

and online comment form will be 

posted to the Council’s website two 

weeks prior to the meeting. Written 

comment on SSC agenda topics is to be 

distributed to the Committee through 

the Council office, similar to all other 

briefing materials. For this meeting, the 

deadline for submission of written 

comment is 5 p.m. EST, February 8, 

2024. 

The SSC meeting agenda includes the 

review of the Southeast Data 

Assessment and Review (SEDAR) 76 

Black Sea Bass Operational Assessment; 

Snapper Grouper Management Strategy 

Evaluation; Terms of Reference, 

schedules, and participant selection for 

upcoming SEDAR assessments; and 

discussion of other business as needed. 

The SSC will provide guidance to staff 

and make recommendations for Council 

consideration. 

Special Accommodations 

The meeting is physically accessible 

to people with disabilities. Requests for 

auxiliary aids should be directed to the 

Council office (see ADDRESSES) 5 days 

prior to the meeting. 

Note: The times and sequence 

specified in this agenda are subject to 

change. 

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

Dated: January 18, 2024. 

Rey Israel Marquez, 

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–01249 Filed 1–22–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XD626] 

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic 

Zone off Alaska; Application for an 

Exempted Fishing Permit 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application for 

exempted fishing permit. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces NMFS’ 

receipt of an application and the public 

comment period for an exempted 

fishing permit (EFP) from Real Time 

Data North America, LLC (RTDNA), a 

private company specializing in 

software/application development. If 

issued, this permit would allow the 

applicant to test methods for its 

software application to interface with 

and meet the electronic logbook (ELB) 

requirements without also meeting the 

duplicate hard copies recordkeeping 

and reporting requirement. The 

objectives of this EFP, if issued, would 

be to exempt fishery participants from 

the requirement to print paper logbooks 

when using a RTDNA ELB, and to test 

and scale a fully electronic reporting 

system in partnership with the NMFS 

Alaska Regional Office. Field testing 

would be conducted between March 1, 

2024 and January 1, 2026. This 

experiment would have the potential to 

streamline recordkeeping and reporting 

requirements and thus promote the 

objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens 


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4280 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 15 / Tuesday, January 23, 2024 / Notices 

Fishery Conservation and Management 

Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). 

DATES: Comments on this EFP 

application must be submitted to NMFS 

on or before February 12, 2024. The 

North Pacific Fishery Management 

Council (Council) will consider the 

application at its meeting from February 

5, 2024 through February 12, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: The Council meeting will be 

held virtually and in person in Seattle, 

WA. The agenda for the Council 

meeting is available at https:// 

www.npfmc.org. In addition to 

submitting public comments during the 

Council meeting through the Council 

website, you may submit your 

comments, identified by NOAA–NMFS– 

2023–0158, by either of the following 

methods: 

• Electronic Submission: Submit all 

electronic public comments via the 

Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to 

https://www.regulations.gov and enter 

[NOAA–NMFS–2023–0158] in the 

Search box (note: copying and pasting 

the FDMS Docket Number directly from 

this document may not yield search 

results). Click on the ‘‘Comment’’ icon, 

complete the required fields, and enter 

or attach your comments. 

• Mail: Submit written comments to 

Gretchen Harrington, Assistant Regional 

Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries 

Division, Alaska Region NMFS, Attn: 

Records Office. Mail comments to P.O. 

Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802–1668. 

• Instructions: Comments sent by any 

other method, to any other address or 

individual, or received after the end of 

the comment period, may not be 

considered by NMFS. All comments 

received are a part of the public record 

and will generally be posted for public 

viewing on https://www.regulations.gov 

without change. All personal identifying 

information (e.g., name, address), 

confidential business information, or 

otherwise sensitive information 

submitted voluntarily by the sender will 

be publicly accessible. NMFS will 

accept anonymous comments (enter ‘‘N/ 

A’’ in the required fields if you wish to 

remain anonymous). 

Electronic copies of the EFP 

application and the basis for a 

categorical exclusion under the National 

Environmental Policy Act are available 

from https://www.regulations.gov or 

from the NMFS Alaska Region website 

at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/ 

region/alaska. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Amy Hadfield, 907–586–7228. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS 

manages the groundfish fisheries in the 

exclusive economic zone of the Bering 

Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) and 

GOA under the Fishery Management 

Plan (FMP) for Groundfish of the BSAI 

Management Area (BSAI FMP) and the 

FMP for Groundfish of the GOA (GOA 

FMP). The Council prepared the BSAI 

and GOA FMPs under the authority of 

the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act, 16 

U.S.C. 1801 et seq. Regulations 

governing the BSAI and GOA 

groundfish fisheries appear at parts 600 

and 679. The FMPs and the EFPimplementing regulations at 

§ 600.745(b) and § 679.6 allow the 

NMFS Regional Administrator to 

authorize, for limited experimental 

purposes, fishing that would otherwise 

be prohibited. Procedures for issuing 

EFPs are contained in the implementing 

regulations. 

Background and Need for Exempted 

Fishing Permit 

NMFS requires daily fishing logbooks 

to be completed by most catcher vessels 

operating under a Federal Fisheries 

Permit. NMFS logbooks serve as a 

record of the location and time of 

fishing gear deployment and retrieval 

and the harvest and discard of target 

and non-target species. Logbook data are 

used to manage fisheries and assist in 

monitoring compliance with fishery 

regulations. Most vessel operators 

currently use paper logbooks to record 

the required information. However, 

upon approval of the Regional 

Administrator, vessel operators may use 

NMFS-approved electronic versions of 

the logbook. These systems are called 

electronic logbooks (ELBs). 

Beginning in 2015, NMFS developed, 

with Council input, the Electronic 

Technologies Implementation Plan for 

the Alaska Region to guide integration 

of monitoring technologies into North 

Pacific fisheries management and 

provide goals and benchmarks to 

evaluate attainment of goals (plan and 

updates are available at https://www.

fisheries.noaa.gov/national/fisheriesobservers/electronic-technologiesimplementation-plans). The plan 

identified several North Pacific fisheries 

where electronic logbooks would be 

beneficial to management. 

In 2023, RTDNA was awarded 

funding by the National Fish and 

Wildlife Federation to advance the 

development of electronic logbooks in 

Alaska’s fishing industry. Throughout 

the year, RTDNA implemented the 

Deckhand ELB on 29 vessels as part of 

a pilot project. This initiative 

highlighted several regulatory 

challenges, particularly for smaller 

vessels. The feedback from vessel 

operators delivered to both RTDNA and 

NMFS staff revealed that existing 

regulations, initially designed without 

considering modern technologies like 

tablets, hinder the transition from 

paper-based recordkeeping to fully 

electronic logbooks. This pilot phase 

underscored the need for regulatory 

adaptations to accommodate electronic 

logbook systems. 

Current regulations in the Alaska 

Region mandate daily printing and 

signatures on board vessels for users of 

NMFS-approved ELBs in Alaska federal 

fisheries. These regulations significantly 

limit the ability and potential for ELB 

technology to comprehensively benefit 

fishers and NMFS. NMFS believes the 

printing and signature requirements 

should be reconsidered and updated to 

allow innovation in modern ELB 

technologies. This requested EFP would 

exempt fishers from the regulations 

found in § 679.5(f)(3) and (4) that 

require fishing vessels to produce 

printed copies of ELB logsheets, ELB 

discard reports, and signatures on 

printed copies. If approved, this EFP 

would facilitate further research into 

necessary regulatory changes to 

integrate electronic logbooks effectively 

with modern technology. 

Exempted Fishing Permit 

On October 20, 2023, Mr. Lange 

Solberg of RTDNA submitted an 

application for an EFP to develop and 

test changes in regulations found in 

§ 679.5(f)(3) and § 679.5(f)(4) that 

require vessels using ELB logbooks to 

produce printed copies of ELB 

logsheets, ELB discard reports, and 

signatures on printed copies. The 

objectives of this proposed EFP are as 

follows: 

• To test 100 percent electronic 

submission of logbook and discard 

reports. 

• To evaluate the effectiveness of 

electronic reporting in improving data 

accuracy and timeliness. 

• To assess the feasibility of 

transferring data electronically to 

observers and International Pacific 

Halibut Commission port samplers. 

• To demonstrate the potential for 

cost savings and efficiency gains 

through digital processes. 

• To explore ways to enhance 

compliance with fishing regulations via 

electronic reporting. 

• To gather data on the impact of 

electronic reporting on vessel 

operations. 

Vessel operators participating in this 

project would utilize the Deckhand ELB 

platform, which is an iPad with 

RTDNA’s software application installed, 

for data collection in halibut and 

groundfish fisheries in the North 

Pacific. Vessel operators would provide 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 15 / Tuesday, January 23, 2024 / Notices 4281 

access to these devices to authorized 

personnel on request and test alternate 

methods to a physical signature. Ideas 

that are currently under consideration 

include a digital signature component 

for validation, using a personal 

identification number (PIN) for each 

operator. 

Vessel operators would also assist in 

the testing methods for transferring 

logbook data to observers, IPHC port 

samplers and other authorized 

personnel either directly from the 

electronic device or via electronic 

communications. This project aims to 

improve overall efficiency, provide 

access to necessary ELB data and enable 

an end-to-end testing of a fully 

electronic logbook data collection and 

submission framework. 

Exemptions 

Two exemptions are necessary to 

conduct this project. First, an exemption 

would be necessary from the 

requirement at § 679.5(f)(3) for printed 

copies of ELB logsheet and discard 

reports on board participating vessels. 

The second exemption would be from 

§ 679.5(f)(4)’s requirement for physical 

signatures on printed ELB logsheets and 

discard reports on board participating 

vessels. Physical signatures would be 

replaced by electronic signatures using 

PINs. 

Permit Conditions, Review, and Effects 

The applicant would be required to 

submit to NMFS a report of the EFP 

results six months after the close of the 

2025 IFQ fishing season. The report 

would include the method(s) chosen for 

digital signature and a comparison 

among methods if applicable; 

interactions with observers, port 

samplers and an analysis of both 

benefits and challenges of transferring 

required data to them electronically; 

and an analysis of cost savings, 

efficiency and impact aboard 

participating vessels. Under the current 

regulations, observers and port samplers 

both collect physical hard copies of the 

logbooks. Since there would no longer 

be physical pages under this EFP, best 

methods for the vessel operator to 

provide that information electronically 

must be developed. The activities that 

would be conducted under this EFP are 

not expected to have a significant 

impact on the human environment, as 

detailed in the categorical exclusion for 

this action (see ADDRESSES). 

In accordance with §§ 679.6 and 

600.745, NMFS has determined that the 

application warrants further 

consideration and has forwarded the 

application to the Council to initiate 

consultation. The Council is scheduled 

to consider the EFP application during 

its February 2024 meeting, which will 

be held in person in Seattle, WA with 

an option to participate virtually. The 

EFP application will also be provided to 

the Council’s Scientific and Statistical 

Committee for review at the February 

Council meeting. The applicant has 

been invited to speak in support of the 

application. 

Public Comments 

Interested persons may comment on 

the application during the February 

2024 Council meeting during public 

testimony or the Federal eRulemaking 

Portal (see ADDRESSES) until February 

12, 2024 when the comment period 

ends. Information regarding the meeting 

is available at the Council’s website at 

http://www.npfmc.org. Copies of the 

application and categorical exclusion 

are available for review from NMFS (see 

ADDRESSES). Comments may also be 

submitted directly to NMFS (see 

ADDRESSES) by the end of the comment 

period (see DATES). 

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

Dated: January 17, 2024. 

Everett Wayne Baxter, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–01121 Filed 1–22–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XD660] 

Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management 

Council (MAFMC); Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; public meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic and New 

England Fishery Management Councils 

(Councils) will hold a public meeting of 

their joint Northeast Trawl Advisory 

Panel. 

DATES: The meeting will be held on 

Thursday, February 8, 2024, from 9 a.m. 

to 5 p.m., EDT. For agenda details, see 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. 

ADDRESSES: This meeting will be 

conducted in person with a virtual 

option available. 

Meeting address: The meeting will be 

held at the Westin Arlington Gateway, 

801 North Glebe Road, Arlington, VA 

22203; telephone: (703) 717–6200. 

Webinar registration details will be 

posted to the calendar at 

www.mafmc.org prior to the meeting. 

Council address: Mid-Atlantic Fishery 

Management Council, 800 N State 

Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901; 

telephone: (302) 674–2331; 

www.mafmc.org. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Christopher M. Moore, Ph.D., Executive 

Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery 

Management Council, telephone: (302) 

526–5255. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Councils’ Northeast Trawl Advisory 

Panel will meet to review recent 

developments related to relevant fishery 

surveys, the Industry Based 

Multispecies Bottom Trawl Survey 

white paper, and Henry B. Bigelow 

bottom trawl survey contingency plan 

next steps. The Northeast Trawl 

Advisory Panel will also discuss topics 

related to survey redesign and 

mitigation, receive an update on the 

restrictor rope research manuscript and 

discuss potential expansion of that 

work, as well as brainstorm future 

research projects. 

Special Accommodations 

The meeting is physically accessible 

to people with disabilities. Requests for 

sign language interpretation or other 

auxiliary aids 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: January 18, 2024. 

Rey Israel Marquez, 

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–01250 Filed 1–22–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION 

BUREAU 

[Docket No. CFPB–2024–0004] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Comment Request 

AGENCY: Consumer Financial Protection 

Bureau. 

ACTION: Notice and request for comment. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 

(PRA), the Consumer Financial 

Protection Bureau (CFPB) is requesting 

the Office of Management and Budget’s 

(OMB’s) approval for a new information 

collection titled ‘‘Auto Finance Data 

Project.’’ 

DATES: Written comments are 

encouraged and must be received on or 

before March 25, 2024 to be assured of 

consideration. 


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