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###### Department of Commerce

###### National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35).

*Agency:*                     National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).                

*Title:*                     Alaska Chinook Salmon Economic Data Report (EDR).                

*OMB Control Number:*                     0648-0633.                

*Form Number(s):*                     None.                

*Type of Request:*                     Regular (extension of a currently approved information collection).                

*Number of Respondents:*                     133.                

*Average Hours per Response:*                     40 hours for Compensated Transfer Report; 4 hours each for Vessel Fuel Survey, Vessel Master Survey; and Chinook EDR Verification/Audit.                

*Burden Hours:*                     1,168.                

*Needs and Uses:*                     National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Alaska Region manages the groundfish fisheries in the Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) prepared the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (FMP) under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, 16 U.S.C. 1801*et seq.*                     (Magnuson-Stevens Act). The FMP is implemented under regulations at 50 CFR part 679.                

NMFS manages the Bering Sea pollock fishery under the American Fisheries Act (AFA) (16 U.S.C. 1851). The AFA “rationalized” the Bering Sea pollock fishery in part by allowing for the formation and management of fishery cooperatives. AFA fishing vessels harvest pollock using pelagic (mid-water) trawl gear, which consists of large nets towed through the water by the vessel. At times, Chinook salmon and pollock occur in the same locations in the Bering Sea. Consequently, Chinook salmon are incidentally caught in the nets as pollock is harvested. This incidental catch is called bycatch and is also called prohibited species catch (PSC). Chinook Salmon are defined as a prohibited species because they are caught by a vessel issued a Federal Fisheries Permit under § 679.4(b) while fishing for groundfish (pollock) in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI) or Gulf of Alaska.

In December 2009, the Council recommended that NMFS implement the Chinook Salmon Economic Data Report (Chinook Salmon EDR) to evaluate the effectiveness of Chinook salmon bycatch management measures for the Bering Sea pollock fishery that were implemented under Amendment 91 to the BSAI FMP (75 FR 53026, August 30, 2010).

The Chinook EDR Program provides information to the analysts and the Council for determining the effectiveness of the Incentive Plan Agreement (IPA). The Chinook EDR Program evaluates the effectiveness of the IPA incentives, the PSC limits, and the performance standard in terms of minimizing salmon bycatch in times of high and low levels of salmon abundance, and evaluates how Amendment 91 affects where, when, and how pollock fishing and salmon bycatch occur. The data collection program also provides data for NMFS and the Council to study and verify conclusions drawn by industry in the IPA annual reports.

*Affected Public:*

*Frequency:*

*Respondent's Obligation:*

                    This information collection request may be viewed at                     *reginfo.gov.*                     Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce collections currently under review by OMB.                

                    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to                     *OIRA_Submission@omb.eop.gov*                     or fax to (202) 395-5806.                

Dated: February 24, 2015.

Sarah Brabson,

NOAA PRA Clearance Officer.

[FR Doc. 2015-04145 Filed 2-26-15; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-22-P