Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 197 / Thursday, October 10, 2024 / Notices 82227 

The full agenda and additional 

information will be posted on https://

gulfcouncil.org/recreational-initiative/. 

This meeting is being held in-person 

at the Gulf Council office, Tampa, FL. 

You may register for the webinar to 

listen-in only by visiting 

www.gulfcouncil.org and click on the 

meeting on the calendar. 

The timing and order in which agenda 

items are addressed may change as 

required to effectively address the issue, 

and the latest version along with other 

meeting materials will be posted on the 

website as they become available. 

Special Accommodations 

These meetings are physically 

accessible to people with disabilities. 

Requests for sign language 

interpretation or other auxiliary aid or 

accommodations should be directed to 

Kathy Pereira, (813) 348–1630, at least 

15 days prior to the meeting date. 

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

Dated: October 7, 2024. 

Rey Israel Marquez, 

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–23463 Filed 10–9–24; 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; Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery 

Management Plan Data Collection 

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 December 9, 2024. 

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– 

0491 in the subject line of your 

comments. All comments received are 

part of the public record and will 

generally be posted on https://

www.regulations.gov without change. 

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 Colette 

Tweeddale, Fishery Management 

Specialist, Greater Atlantic Regional 

Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Dr., 

Gloucester, MA 01930, (978)-281–9335, 

colette.tweeddale@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

This is a request for a renewal of an 

approved information collection. 

Under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act, the 

Secretary of Commerce has the 

responsibility for the conservation and 

management of marine fishery 

resources. Much of this responsibility 

has been delegated to NOAA’s National 

Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). 

NMFS manages the Atlantic sea scallop 

(scallop) fishery through a set of 

regulations that limit catch of scallops 

and fishing vessel activity. In addition, 

regulations limit catch of certain other 

species of fish in order to minimize 

bycatch and bycatch mortality (bycatch 

is the catch and discard of species that 

are not targeted in the scallop fishery). 

Finally, the regulations control vessel 

permitting and the exchange of effort 

and quota allocations between vessels. 

In order to effectively manage these 

resources, track fishing effort and catch, 

and to allow vessel owners to exchange 

fishing trips and quota, NMFS must 

collect information through the 

reporting requirements included in this 

renewal. This renewal contains the 

following information collections: 

Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) 

requirements; Access area trip exchange 

application procedures; Individual 

Fishing Quota (IFQ) transfers; Cost 

recovery; and IFQ sector program. 

Access Area Trip Exchange Application 

The one-for-one access area trip 

exchange program provides flexibility to 

scallop vessels about where they may 

fish. Participants need to send an access 

area trip exchange application to NMFS 

with the following information: Vessel 

name and permit number, owner name 

and signature, specification of the areas 

involved in the exchange. Both vessels 

involved in the exchange are required to 

submit forms for cross verification. This 

measure provides flexibility to vessels 

regarding which areas to fish, thereby 

reducing the possibility of revenue loss 

to those vessels that are unable to access 

some distant areas due to vessel 

capacity constraints. 

IFQ Transfers 

IFQ permit holders can temporarily 

and/or permanently transfer individual 

fishing quota from one IFQ vessel to 

another. Quota transfers are requested 

through the submission of transfer 

applications. Required information 

includes vessel information, quota 

transfer information, and authorizing 

signatures from both parties. The IFQ 

transfer program is entirely optional, 

and provides greater flexibility for IFQ 

permit holders by enabling them to 

increase their vessel’s IFQ or for 

individuals to lease or sell IFQ if they 

choose not to fish the allocation. 

Cost Recovery 

Section 304(d)(2) of the MagnusonStevens Act (MSA) requires an IFQ cost 

recovery plan to recover management 

and enforcement costs for IFQ fisheries. 

The FMP includes an IFQ cost recovery 

program, whereby NMFS will collect up 

to 3% of ex-vessel value of landed 

product to cover actual costs directly 

related to enforcement and management 

of the IFQ program. IFQ permit holders 

are required to submit a cost recovery 

payment annually via a pre-existing 

Federal payment system called 

www.pay.gov, which is also currently 

used by the Alaska Region and the 

Southeast Region. Information 

submitted via the internet would require 

the user to establish an online account, 

including personal and financial 

information. This requirement is 

necessary in order to comply with the 

provisions of the MSA and to collect 

payments from individuals that have 

been granted an allocation to a public 

resource. 

IFQ Sector Program 

The FMP contains provisions that 

authorize allocation of a portion of the 

overall IFQ fishery total allowable catch 

(TAC) to a self-selected group of IFQ 

permit holders (sector), provided the 

sector provides adequate information 

describing the formation of the sector 

and its intended plan of operations. 

Individuals or other entities 

(corporations, cooperatives, etc.) 

proposing a sector are required to 

submit a Sector Allocation Proposal and 


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82228 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 197 / Thursday, October 10, 2024 / Notices 

Operations Plan. Any person may 

submit a Sector Allocation Proposal for 

a group of limited access general 

category scallop vessels to the Council, 

at least 1 year in advance of the start of 

a sector, and request that the Sector be 

implemented through a framework 

procedure specified at § 648.55. A group 

that wants to form a Sector and receive 

an allocation is required to submit a 

legally binding Operations Plan to the 

Council and the Regional Administrator. 

The operations plan must be agreed 

upon and signed by all members of the 

sector and, if approved, would 

constitute a contract. This information 

is necessary to describe the proposed 

sector and the proposed rules under 

which the sector would operate. This 

information is used to determine 

whether this sector would maintain 

consistency with the goals and 

objectives of the FMP. 

II. Method of Collection 

Participants will submit paper 

applications by mail, facsimile, or 

email. 

III. Data 

OMB Control Number: 0648–0491. 

Form Number(s): None. 

Type of Review: Regular submission 

[extension of a current information 

collection]. 

Affected Public: Businesses and other 

for-profit organizations are primarily 

affected. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

647. 

Estimated Time per Response: Cost 

recovery, 2 hours; Sector proposals, 150 

hours; Sector operations plans, 100 

hours; IFQ transfer application 35 

hours; Access area trip exchange, 45 

hours. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 980. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to 

Public: $23,932. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Required to 

Obtain or Retain Benefits. 

Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens 

Fishery Conservation and Management 

Act. 

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 request. 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, 

Departmental PRA Clearance Officer, Office 

of the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, 

Commerce Department. 

[FR Doc. 2024–23437 Filed 10–9–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XE371] 

New England Fishery Management 

Council; Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of public meeting. 

SUMMARY: The New England Fishery 

Management Council (Council) is 

scheduling a public hybrid meeting of 

its Groundfish Recreational and 

Advisory Panels to consider actions 

affecting New England fisheries in the 

exclusive economic zone (EEZ). This 

meeting will be held in-person with a 

webinar option. Recommendations from 

this group will be brought to the full 

Council for formal consideration and 

action, if appropriate. 

DATES: This meeting will be held on 

Monday, October 28, 2024, at 12:30 p.m. 

ADDRESSES: This meeting will be held at 

the Hilton Garden Inn, 100 High Street, 

Portsmouth, NH 03801; telephone: (603) 

431–1499. 

Webinar registration URL 

information: https://nefmc-org.zoom.us/ 

meeting/register/tJYkd-GgpjsoGtx9oyjD

brnhazzPqUCH59WZ. 

Council address: New England 

Fishery Management Council, 50 Water 

Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cate 

O’Keefe, Executive Director, New 

England Fishery Management Council; 

telephone: (978) 465–0492. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Agenda 

The Groundfish Recreational and 

Advisory Panels will meet to receive an 

update on development of draft 

alternatives in Framework Adjustment 

69/Specifications and Management 

Measures, including potential 

recommendations to the Groundfish 

Committee. They will receive an update 

on development of the Atlantic Cod 

Management Transition Plan. The 

Panel’s will also make 

recommendations to the Groundfish 

Committee, as appropriate. Other 

business will be discussed, if necessary. 

Although non-emergency issues not 

contained on the agenda may come 

before this Council for discussion, those 

issues may not be the subject of formal 

action during this meeting. Council 

action will be restricted to those issues 

specifically listed in this notice and any 

issues arising after publication of this 

notice that require emergency action 

under section 305(c) of the MagnusonStevens Act, provided the public has 

been notified of the Council’s intent to 

take final action to address the 

emergency. The public also should be 

aware that the meeting will be recorded. 

Consistent with 16 U.S.C. 1852, a copy 

of the recording is available upon 

request. 

Special Accommodations 

This meeting is physically accessible 

to people with disabilities. Requests for 

sign language interpretation or other 

auxiliary aids should be directed to Cate 

O’Keefe, Executive Director, at (978) 

465–0492, at least 5 days prior to the 

meeting date. 

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

Dated: October 7, 2024. 

Rey Israel Marquez, 

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–23468 Filed 10–9–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 


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