7378 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 23 / Friday, February 2, 2024 / Notices 

increases investment in underserved 

communities, as well as individuals 

from those communities.’’ 

Affected Public: Individuals or 

households. 

Frequency: This is a one-time 

information collection for this region, 

although the collection may be 

deployed to other regions in the future. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary. 

Legal Authority: Coastal Zone 

Management Act (CZMA) (16 U.S.C. 

1452 (303)(2)(D)), National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (40 

CFR 1502.6). 

This information collection request 

may be viewed at www.reginfo.gov. 

Follow the instructions to view the 

Department of Commerce collections 

currently under review by OMB. 

Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be 

submitted within 30 days of the 

publication of this notice on the 

following website www.reginfo.gov/ 

public/do/PRAMain. Find this 

particular information collection by 

selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day 

Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or 

by using the search function and 

entering either the title of the collection. 

Sheleen Dumas, 

Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of 

the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, 

Commerce Department. 

[FR Doc. 2024–02141 Filed 2–1–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–JS–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; Transshipment Requirements 

Under the Commission for the 

Conservation and Management of 

Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the 

Western and Central Pacific Ocean 

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 Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB). 

DATES: To ensure consideration, 

comments regarding this proposed 

information collection must be received 

on or before April 2, 2024. 

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– 

0649 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 Emily 

Reynolds, Fishery Policy Analyst, 

NOAA Fisheries, 1845 Wasp Blvd., 

Bldg. #176, Honolulu, HI 96818, (808)– 

725–5039, emily.reynolds@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

This request is for an extension of a 

currently approved information 

collection. National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS) has issued regulations 

under authority of the Western and 

Central Pacific Fisheries Convention 

Implementation Act (WCPFCIA; 16 

U.S.C. 6901 et seq.) to carry out the 

obligations of the United States under 

the Convention on the Conservation and 

Management of Highly Migratory Fish 

Stocks in the Western and Central 

Pacific Ocean (Convention), including 

implementing the decisions of the 

Commission for the Conservation and 

Management of Highly Migratory Fish 

Stocks in the Western and Central 

Pacific Ocean (WCPFC or Commission). 

The regulations include requirements 

for the owners and operators of U.S. 

vessels to: (1) complete and submit a 

Pacific Transshipment Declaration form 

for each transshipment that takes place 

in the area of application of the 

Convention (Convention Area) of highly 

migratory species caught in the 

Convention Area, (2) submit notice to 

the WCPFC Executive Director 

containing specific information at least 

36 hours prior to each transshipment on 

the high seas in the Convention Area, 

(3) in the event that a vessel anticipates 

a transshipment where an observer is 

required, provide notice to NMFS at 

least 72 hours before leaving port of the 

need for an observer, (4) complete and 

submit a U.S. Purse Seine Discard form 

within 48 hours after any discard, (5) 

submit daily purse seine fishing effort 

reports; (6) submit a notice to a contact 

designated by NMFS in the event of a 

serious illness, assault, harassment, 

intimidation or threat to a WCPFC 

observer; and (7) submit notice to obtain 

a WCPFC observer for a purse seine 

vessel departing from American Samoa. 

The information collected from these 

requirements is used by NOAA and the 

Commission to help ensure compliance 

with domestic laws and the 

Commission’s conservation and 

management measures, and are 

necessary in order for the United States 

to satisfy its obligations under the 

Convention. There are no changes to 

this collection. 

II. Method of Collection 

Respondents must submit some of the 

information by mail or in person via 

paper forms and must submit other 

information electronically by fax or 

email. 

III. Data 

OMB Control Number: 0648–0649. 

Form Number(s): None. 

Type of Review: Regular submission 

(extension of a current information 

collection). 

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations; individuals or 

households. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

203. 

Estimated Time per Response: 

Transshipment Report: 60 minutes; 

Notice for Transshipment: 15 minutes; 

Pre-trip Notification for Observer 

Placement: 1 minute; Purse Seine 

Discard Report: 30 minutes; Purse Seine 

Fishing Activity Information: 10 

minutes; Observer Safety Notification: 5 

minutes; Pre-trip Notification for Purse 

Seine Vessels requesting a WCPFC 

observer: 5 minutes. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 959. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to 

Public: $5,494. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory. 

Legal Authority: WCPFCIA; 16 U.S.C. 

6901 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, 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 23 / Friday, February 2, 2024 / Notices 7379 

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 Request (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. 2024–02075 Filed 2–1–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XD674] 

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic 

Zone Off Alaska; Groundfish of the 

Gulf of Alaska; Central Gulf of Alaska 

Rockfish Program 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notification of standard prices 

and fee percentage. 

SUMMARY: NMFS publishes the standard 

ex-vessel prices and fee percentage for 

cost recovery under the Central Gulf of 

Alaska (GOA) Rockfish Program 

(Rockfish Program). This action is 

intended to provide participants in a 

rockfish cooperative with the standard 

prices and fee percentage for the 2023 

fishing year, which was authorized from 

May 1 through November 15. The fee 

percentage is 3.00 percent. The fee 

payments are due from each rockfish 

cooperative on or before February 15, 

2024. 

DATES: Valid on: February 2, 2024. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Charmaine Weeks, 907–586–7105. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The rockfish fisheries are conducted 

in Federal waters near Kodiak, Alaska 

by trawl and longline vessels. 

Regulations implementing the Rockfish 

Program are set forth at 50 CFR part 679. 

Exclusive harvesting privileges are 

allocated as quota share under the 

Rockfish Program for rockfish primary 

and secondary species. Each year, 

NMFS issues rockfish primary and 

secondary species cooperative quota 

(CQ) to rockfish quota shareholders to 

authorize harvest of these species. The 

rockfish primary species are northern 

rockfish, Pacific Ocean perch, and 

dusky rockfish. The rockfish secondary 

species include Pacific cod, rougheye 

rockfish, shortraker rockfish, sablefish, 

and thornyhead rockfish. Rockfish 

cooperatives began fishing under the 

Rockfish Program in 2012. 

The Rockfish Program is a limited 

access privilege program established 

under the provisions of section 303A of 

the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

(Magnuson-Stevens Act). Sections 303A 

and 304(d) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act 

require NMFS to collect fees to recover 

the actual costs directly related to the 

management, data collection and 

analysis, and enforcement of any 

limited access privilege program. 

Therefore, NMFS is required to collect 

fees for the Rockfish Program under 

sections 303A and 304(d)(2) of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Act. Section 

304(d)(2) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act 

also limits the cost recovery fee so that 

it may not exceed 3.00 percent of the exvessel value of the fish harvested under 

the Rockfish Program. 

Standard Prices 

NMFS calculates cost recovery fees 

based on standard ex-vessel value 

prices, rather than actual price data 

provided by each rockfish CQ holder. 

Use of standard ex-vessel prices is 

allowed under sections 303A and 

304(d)(2) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. 

NMFS generates a standard ex-vessel 

price for each rockfish primary and 

secondary species on a monthly basis to 

determine the average price paid per 

pound for all shoreside processors 

receiving rockfish primary and 

secondary species CQ. Rockfish 

processors that receive and purchase 

landings of rockfish CQ groundfish must 

submit, on an annual basis, a volume 

and value report for the period May 1 

to November 15 (50 CFR 

679.5(r)(10)(ii)). 

Regulations at 50 CFR 679.85(b)(2) 

require the Regional Administrator to 

publish rockfish standard ex-vessel 

values during the first quarter of each 

calendar year. The standard prices are 

described in U.S. dollars per pound for 

rockfish primary and secondary species 

CQ landings made during the previous 

year. 

Fee Percentage 

NMFS assesses a fee on the standard 

ex-vessel value of rockfish primary 

species and rockfish secondary species 

CQ harvested by rockfish cooperatives 

in the Central GOA and waters adjacent 

to the Central GOA when rockfish 

primary species caught by a cooperative 

are deducted from the Federal total 

allowable catch. The rockfish entry level 

longline fishery and trawl vessels that 

opt out of joining a cooperative are not 

subject to cost recovery fees because 

those participants do not receive 

rockfish CQ. Specific details on the 

Rockfish Program’s cost recovery 

provision may be found in the 

implementing regulations set forth at 50 

CFR 679.85. 

NMFS informs—by letter—each 

rockfish cooperative of the fee 

percentage applied to the previous 

year’s landings and the total amount 

due. Fees are due on or before February 

15 of each year. Failure to pay on time 

will result in the permit holder’s 

rockfish quota share becoming nontransferable, and the person will be 

ineligible to receive any additional 

rockfish quota share by transfer. In 

addition, cooperative members will not 

receive any rockfish CQ the following 

year until full payment of the fee is 

received by NMFS. 

NMFS calculates and publishes in the 

Federal Register the fee percentage in 

the first quarter of each year according 

to the factors and methods described in 

Federal regulations at 50 CFR 

679.85(c)(2). NMFS determines the fee 

percentage that applies to landings 

made in the previous year by dividing 

the total Rockfish Program management, 

data collection and analysis, and 

enforcement costs (direct program costs) 

during the previous year by the total 

standard ex-vessel value of the rockfish 

primary species and rockfish secondary 

species for all rockfish CQ landings 

made during the previous year (fishery 

value). NMFS captures the direct 

program costs through an established 

accounting system that allows staff to 

track labor, travel, contracts, rent, and 

procurement. Fee collections in any 

given year may be less than or greater 

than the direct program costs and 

fishery value for that year, as the fee 

percentage is established by regulation 

in the first quarter of the calendar year 

based on the program costs and the 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES