[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 41 (Wednesday, March 2, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11690-11691]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-04354]


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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; North Pacific Observer Program

    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 October 12, 2021 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: North Pacific Observer Program.
    OMB Control Number: 0648-0318.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Regular submission (extension of a current 
information collection).
    Number of Respondents: 875.
    Average Hours per Response: Observer Notification: 2 minutes; 
Industry Request for Assistance in Improving Observer Data Quality 
Issues: 30 minutes; Pre-cruise meeting notification: 5 minutes; 
Catcher/processor request to be placed in Partial Observer Coverage: 30 
minutes; Request to be placed in the Full Observer Coverage Category: 5 
minutes; Request to be placed in or removed from the EM selection pool: 
5 minutes; Observer Declare and Deploy System (ODDS) Log a fishing 
trip: 15 minutes; Deck Safety Plan--Initial Year: 12 hours; Deck Safety 
Plan--Annual Renewal: 1 hour; Deck Sorting Safety Meeting: 15 minutes; 
Vessel Monitoring Plan: 48

[[Page 11691]]

hours; Closing EM trips in ODDS: 5 minutes; Submit EM Data to NMFS: 1 
hour; Observer Provider Permit Application: 60 hours; Candidate College 
Transcripts: 8 hours; Observer Training Registration: 1 hour; Observer 
Briefing Registration: 7 minutes; Projected Observer Assignments: 7 
minutes; Physical Examination Verification: 5 minutes; Observer 
Deployment/Logistics Report: 7 minutes; Observer Debriefing 
Registration: 30 minutes; Certificates of Insurance: 12 minutes; 
Observer Provider Contracts: 30 minutes; Other Reports: 2 hours; Update 
to Provider Information: 5 minutes; Observer Provider Invoices: 30 
minutes.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 16,030 hours.
    Needs and Uses: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), 
Alaska Regional Office, is requesting renewal of a currently approved 
information collection that contains requirements for the North Pacific 
Observer Program (Observer Program). A slight revision is requested to 
change the title of the collection from ``Alaska Observer Program'' to 
``North Pacific Observer Program.''
    Section 313 of the Magnuson-Stevens Act (16 U.S.C. 1862) authorizes 
the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council), in consultation 
with NMFS, to prepare a fishery research plan for the purpose of 
stationing observers and electronic monitoring (EM) systems to collect 
data necessary for the conservation, management, and scientific 
understanding of the commercial groundfish and Pacific halibut 
fisheries of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) and Gulf of 
Alaska (GOA) management areas. The Observer Program is implemented by 
regulations at subpart E of 50 CFR part 679, which authorize the 
deployment of observers and EM to collect information necessary for the 
conservation and management of the BSAI and GOA groundfish and halibut 
fisheries. Under the Observer Program, observers and EM systems collect 
fishery-dependent information used to estimate total catch and 
interactions with protected species. Managers use this data to manage 
groundfish and prohibited species catch within established limits and 
to document and reduce fishery interactions with protected species. 
Scientists use this data to assess fish stocks, provide data for 
fisheries and ecosystem research and fishing fleet behavior, assess 
marine mammal interactions with fishing gear, and characterize fishing 
impacts on habitat.
    All vessels and processors that participate in federally managed or 
parallel groundfish and halibut fisheries off Alaska (except catcher 
vessels delivering unsorted codends to a mothership) are subject to 
Observer Program requirements and assigned to one of two categories: 
(1) The full observer coverage category, where vessels and processors 
obtain observer coverage by contracting directly with observer 
providers; or (2) the partial coverage category, where NMFS, in 
consultation with the Council determines when and where observer 
coverage is needed. Some vessels and processors may be in full coverage 
for part of the year and partial coverage at other times of the year 
depending on the observer coverage requirements for specific fisheries. 
Funds for deploying observers on vessels in the partial coverage 
category are provided through a system of fees based on the gross ex-
vessel value of retained groundfish and halibut. This observer fee is 
assessed on all landings by vessels that are not otherwise in full 
coverage. The observer fee is approved under OMB Control Number 0648-
0711.
    Information in this collection is submitted by observer provider 
companies and owners and operators of vessels and processors subject to 
Observer Program requirements. Information submitted by owners and 
operators includes information on owner identification, vessels, 
observer coverage category, deck safety, the EM system, fishing trips, 
and fishing operations. Information submitted by observer provider 
companies includes information on ownership and operations; observers 
and observer candidates; observer deployment; insurance coverage; 
contracts with observers, vessels, and processors; costs for observer 
services; and other information including possible observer harassment, 
prohibited actions, safety concerns, observer illness or injury 
preventing the observer from completing duties, and any information, 
allegation, or reports regarding observer conflict of interest or 
breach of the standards of behavior. Observers, observer provider 
companies, and industry may submit information on improving observer 
data quality and resolving observer sampling issues.
    More information on the Observer Program is provided on the NMFS 
Alaska Region website at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/alaska/fisheries-observers/north-pacific-observer-program.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households; Business or other for-
profit organizations.
    Frequency: On Occasion; Weekly; Annually.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary; Required to Obtain or Retain 
Benefits; Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management 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 0648-0318.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2022-04354 Filed 3-1-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P