[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 202 (Friday, October 18, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Page 83839]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-24162]


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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; Reporting of Sea Turtle Incidental Takes in Virginia 
Chesapeake Bay Pound Net Operations

    The Department of Commerce will submit the following information 
collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 
review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995, on or after the date of publication of this notice. We invite 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. Public comments were previously requested via the 
Federal Register on August 7, 2024 during a 60-day comment period. This 
notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
    Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Commerce.
    Title: Reporting of Sea Turtle Incidental Takes in Virginia 
Chesapeake Bay Pound Net Operations.
    OMB Control Number: 0648-0470.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Regular submission (extension of a current 
information collection).
    Number of Respondents: 33.
    Average Hours per Response: 10 minutes.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 167 hours.
    Needs and Uses: This is a request for renewal of an approved 
information collection.
    Since 2002, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's 
(NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has promulgated several 
rules restricting the use of large mesh and stringer pound net leaders 
in certain Virginia Chesapeake Bay waters during the late spring/early 
summer each year. On June 17, 2002, an interim final rule was published 
(67 FR 41196) restricting leader use, which also required year-round 
reporting of sea turtle takes. In 2004, NMFS issued a final rule 
further restricting pound net leader use in Virginia (69 FR 24997). The 
2004 rule retained the reporting requirement from the 2002 rule. These 
regulations (modifications to 50 CFR parts 222 and 223) were 
implemented as a result of high sea turtle strandings each spring in 
Virginia and the documented take of sea turtles in pound net leaders. 
On March 31, 2018, a revised Biological Opinion on NMFS gear 
regulations in the Virginia pound net fishery was completed pursuant to 
section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). An 
Incidental Take Statement was included in this Biological Opinion, 
exempting the incidental take of a certain number of loggerhead, Kemp's 
ridley, green and leatherback sea turtles in pound net operations.
    A non-discretionary term and condition of the Incidental Take 
Statement involved the reporting to NMFS of live or dead sea turtles 
taken in pound net operations (reflected in 50 CFR 223.206). The 
collection of this information on the incidental take of sea turtles in 
the Virginia pound net fishery is necessary to ensure sea turtles are 
being conserved and protected, as mandated by the ESA. Documenting the 
accurate occurrence of sea turtle incidental take in pound net 
operations will help to determine if additional regulatory actions or 
management measures are necessary to protect sea turtles caught in 
pound net operations. This information will help NMFS better assess the 
Virginia pound net fishery and its impacts (or lack thereof) on sea 
turtle populations in the Virginia Chesapeake Bay. The collection of 
this information is also imperative to ensure that the Incidental Take 
Statement is not being exceeded, the anticipated take levels are 
appropriate, and the effects analysis in the Biological Opinion is 
accurate. Further, reporting the take of live, injured sea turtles 
caught in pound net gear will ensure these turtles are transferred 
immediately to a stranding and rehabilitation center for appropriate 
medical treatment.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Frequency: Reporting occurs when sea turtles are encountered in 
Virginia pound net gear, which could occur occasionally from May 
through November.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Endangered Species Act.
    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 or the OMB 
Control Number 0648-0470.

Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for 
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2024-24162 Filed 10-17-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P