[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 123 (Friday, June 26, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34850-34851]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-17128]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 042398D]


Vessel Registration and Fisheries Information System

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Sustainable Fisheries Act, passed in October 1996, added 
various amendments to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). Section 401 of the Magnuson-
Stevens Act requires the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to deliver 
an implementation plan for a national fishing vessel registration and 
fisheries information system (System) in a Report to Congress. NMFS has 
developed, in consultation with interested parties, a draft of the 
implementation plan.

DATES: Written comments on the implementation plan must be received on 
or before August 25, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments concerning this notice to: Fisheries 
Statistics and Economic Division (F/ST1), National Marine Fisheries 
Service, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910; (301) 713-
2328; fax (301) 713-4137. The implementation plan is available for 
public comment by mail from the address here, or in electronic form 
(pdf format) via the world wide web at http://www.nmfs.gov/sfa.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Holliday, (301) 713-2328.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 401 of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, 
amended in 1996, directs the Secretary

[[Page 34851]]

to deliver a report to Congress on the implementation of a national 
fishing vessel registration and information management system.
    NMFS, the U.S. Coast Guard, coastal states, the three regional 
commissions (Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, Gulf States 
Marine Fisheries Commission, and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries 
Commission), and the eight regional Fishery Management Councils (New 
England, Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, 
Pacific, North Pacific, and Western Pacific) play various roles in 
commercial fishing vessel registration and marine fisheries data 
collection. Consistent with previous directions from the Assistant 
Administrator of NMFS, NMFS has been engaged in collaborative processes 
to develop joint regional data collection and planning activities with 
these organizations. Section 401 of the Magnuson-Stevens Act directs 
the Secretary to create a plan that will coordinate the techniques used 
to collect and disseminate data and to integrate these vessel 
registration and fisheries information systems on a national basis. 
This is to be accomplished while taking into account the unique 
characteristics of regional fisheries.
    Section 401 of the Magnuson-Stevens Act sets a number of benchmarks 
for a national vessel registration and fisheries information system. It 
also defines several principles that should guide the system's 
development. These include the reduction of duplicative information 
reporting burdens on the fishing industry and the integration of 
existing data collection and information management systems to the 
furthest extent possible.
    NMFS organized the implementation plan into two components: the 
Vessel Registration System and the Fisheries Information System (FIS). 
Within these components, the proposed System addresses information 
management architecture, integration and harmonization of data 
collection programs, and the institutional arrangements and 
accountability issues.

Vessel Registration System

    Vessel registration, licensing, and permitting systems among the 
coastal states, territories, tribal entities and the U.S. Coast Guard 
have been reviewed. The Magnuson-Stevens Act requests a plan for a 
national system that contains the following information for each 
fishing vessel: (1) The name and official number or other 
identification, together with the address of the owner or operator or 
both; (2) gross tonnage, vessel capacity, type and quantity of fishing 
gear, mode of operation, and other such pertinent information with 
respect to vessel characteristics as the Secretary may require; and (3) 
identification of the fisheries in which the fishing vessel 
participates. Currently, no vessel registration system at any level 
fully satisfies these criteria.

Fisheries Information System

    State and Federal data collection programs and information 
management systems have developed over time to meet specific regional 
needs and reflect varying degrees of integration and management 
efficiency. These efforts, often state-Federal partnerships, have 
definite time frames and outcomes. NMFS has relied on these processes 
to support development of the section 401 FIS.

Process

    The creation of the proposed system has targeted the highest level 
of detail possible in the draft report to produce specific and 
justifiable estimates of implementation steps and resource 
requirements. NMFS has consulted many major stakeholders, and has 
gathered input through a series of presentations and meetings with 
stakeholders, using a ``discussion draft'' paper to highlight critical 
issues and options. These stakeholders included internal NMFS 
organizational units as well as external entities. NMFS has, to the 
extent possible, reconciled the comments of the various stakeholders in 
the draft implementation plan.

    Authority: Pub. L. 104-297.

    Dated: June 22, 1998.
William W. Fox, Jr.,
Director, Office of Science and Technology, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 98-17128 Filed 6-25-98; 8:45 am]
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