Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 130 /Wednesday, July 8, 1998 / Notices 36881

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

Seafood Inspection Services

ACTION: Proposed Collection; Comment

Request.

SUMMARY: The Department of

Commerce, as part of its continuing

effort to reduce paperwork and

respondent burden, invites the general

public and other Federal agencies to

take this opportunity to comment on

proposed and/or continuing information

collections, as required by the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub.

L. 104–13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

DATES: Written comments must be

submitted on or before September 8,

1998.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments

to Linda Engelmeier, Departmental

Forms Clearance Officer, Department of

Commerce, Room 5327, 14th and

Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington

DC 20230.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information or

copies of the information collection

instrument(s) and instructions should

be directed to Rita Creitz, 1315 EastWest Highway, Silver Spring, MD, 301–

713–2355.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

The National Marine Fisheries Service

(NMFS) operates a voluntary fee-forservice seafood inspection program

(Program) under the authorities of the

Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as

amended, the Fish and Wildlife Act of

1956, and Reorganization Plan No. 4 of

1970. The regulations for the Program

are contained in 50 CFR Part 260. The

program offers inspection grading, and

certification services, including the use

of official quality grade marks which

indicate that specific products have

been Federally inspected. In addition,

the NMFS inspection program is the

only Federal entity which establishes

quality grade standards for seafood

marketed in the United States. Qualified

participants are permitted to use the

program’s official quality grade marks

on their products to facilitate trade of

fishery products.

Participants in the inspection program

are requested to submit specific

information pertaining to the type of

inspection service requested [§ 260.15].

In all cases, applicants provide the

program information regarding the type

of products to be inspected, the

quantity, and location of the product.

There are also application requirements

if there is an appeal on previous

inspection results [§ 260.36].

Participants requesting regular

inspection services on a contractual

basis also submit a contract [§ 260.96].

Participants interested in using official

grade marks are required to submit

product labels and specifications for

review and approval to ensure

compliance with mandatory labeling

regulations established by the U.S. Food

and Drug Administration as well as

proper use of the Program’s marks

[§ 260.97(c)(12) and (13)].

Current regulations state requirements

for approval of drawings and

specifications prior to approval of

facilities [§ 260.96(b) and (c)]. There are

no respondents under this section. The

Program will amend this part of the

regulations in a future action.

In July 1992, NMFS announced new

inspection services, which were fully

based on guidelines recommended by

the National Academy of Sciences,

known as Hazard Analysis Critical

Control Point (HACCP). The information

collection requirements fall under

§ 260.15 of the regulations. These

guidelines required that a facility’s

quality control system have a written

plan of the operation, identification of

control points with acceptance criteria

and a corrective action plan, as well as

identified personnel responsible for

oversight of the system. HACCP requires

continuing monitoring and

recordkeeping by the facility’s

personnel.

Although HACCP involves substantial

self-monitoring by the industry, the

HACCP-based program is not a selfcertification program. It relies on

unannounced system audits by NMFS.

The frequency of audits is determined

by the ability of the firm to monitor its

operation. By means of these audits,

NMFS reviews the records produced

through the program participant’s selfmonitoring. The audits determine

whether the participant’s HACCP-based

system is in compliance by checking for

overall sanitation, accordance with good

manufacturing practices, labeling, and

other requirements. In addition, inprocess reviews, end-product sampling,

and laboratory analyses are performed

by NMFS at frequencies based on the

potential consume risk associated with

the product and/or the firm’s history of

compliance with the program’s criteria.

The information collected is used to

determine a participant’s compliance

with the program. The reported

information, a HACCP plan, is needed

only once. Other information is

collected and kept by the participant as

part of its routine monitoring activities.

NMFS audits the participant’s records

on unannounced frequencies to further

determine compliance.

The U.S. Food and Drug

Administration (FDA) implemented

mandatory HACCP seafood safety

requirements in December 1997. The

burden hours identified are those

beyond the FDA’s mandatory HACCP

requirements. HACCP-related burden

hours are identified separately below

and are based on an estimate of 30 new

HACCP facilities a year and include

annual monitoring and recordkeeping

estimates for 100 facilities already in the

Program.

II. Method of Collection

Information will be obtained via

telephone, fax, or hard-copy submission

or audit conducted by NMFS personnel.

III. Data

OMB Number: 0648–0266.

Form Number: N/A.

Type of Review: Regular Submission.

Affected Public: Business and other

for-profit organizations (participants in

the NMFS voluntary seafood inspection

program).

Estimated Number of Respondents,

Response Times, and Total Burden:

Section 260.15 Application for

Inspection Services

Estimated Number of Respondents:

6,952.

Estimated Time Per Response: 5

minutes.

Estimated Total Annual Burden

Hours: 571.

Estimated Total Annual Cost to

Public: $0.

Section 260.36 Application for Appeal

Estimated Number of Respondents:

75.

Estimated Time Per Response: 5

minutes.

Estimated Total Annual Burden

Hours: 6.

Estimated Total Annual Cost to

Public: $0.

Section 260.96 Contract Completion

Estimated Number of Respondents:

35.

Estimated Time Per Response: 5

minutes.

Estimated Total Annual Burden

Hours: 3.

Estimated Total Annual Cost to

Public: $0.

Section 260.96 (b) and (c) Drawing and

Floor Plan Approval

Estimated Number of Respondents: 0.

Estimated Time Per Response: 0

minutes.
36882 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 130 /Wednesday, July 8, 1998 / Notices

Estimated Total Annual Burden

Hours: 0.

Estimated Total Annual Cost to

Public: $0.

Section 260.97(c) (12) and (13) Label

and Specification Submission

Estimated Number of Respondents:

2,624.

Estimated Time Per Response: 16

minutes.

Estimated Total Annual Burden

Hours: 700.

Estimated Total Annual Cost to

Public: $0.

HACCP Participants

New Respondents

Estimated Number of Respondents:

30.

Estimated Time Per Response: 105

hours.

Estimated Total Annual Burden

Hours: 3,150.

Estimated Total Annual Cost to

Public: $0.

Current Respondents

Estimated Number of Respondents:

100.

Estimated Time Per Response: 80

hours.

Estimated Total Annual Burden

Hours: 8,000.

Estimated Total Annual Cost to

Public: $0.

Total Respondents: 7,082.

Total Burden Hours: 12,430.

Total Cost: $0—no capita

expenditures required.

IV. Request for Comments

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether

the proposed collection of information

is necessary for the proper performance

of the functions of the agency, including

whether the information shall have

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the

agency’s estimate of the burden

(including hours and cost) of the

proposed collection of information; (c)

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and

clarity of the information to be

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the

burden of the collection of information

on respondents, including through the

use of automated collection techniques

or other forms of information

technology.

Comments submitted in response to

this notice will be summarized and/or

included in the request for OMB

approval of this information collection;

they also will become a matter of public

record.

Dated: July 1, 1998.

Linda Engelmeier,

Departmental Forms Clearance Officer, Office

of Management and Organization.

[FR Doc. 98–17981 Filed 7–7–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 051398B]

Marine Mammals

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Issuance of permit amendment.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that

the Southwest Fisheries Science Center,

Honolulu Laboratory, NMFS, 2570 Dole

Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822–2396,

has been issued a permit to ‘‘take’’

Hawaiian monk seals (Monachus

schauinslandi) for purposes of scientific

research.

ADDRESSES: The amendment and related

documents are available for review

upon written request or by appointment

in the following offices:

Permits Division, Office of Protected

Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West

Highway, Room 13130, Silver Spring,

MD 20910 (301/713–2289);

Regional Administrator, Southwest

Region, NMFS, 501 West Ocean

Boulevard, Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA

90802–4213 (310/980–4001); and

Protected Species Program

Coordinator, Pacific Area Office,

Southwest Region, NMFS, 2570 Dole

Street, Room 106, Honolulu, HI 96822–

2396 (808/973–2987).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On April

15, 1998, notice was published in the

Federal Register (63 FR 18377) that an

amendment of Permit No. 848–1335,

issued June 10, 1997 (62 FR 32586), had

been requested by the above-named

organization. The requested amendment

has been issued under the authority of

the Marine Mammal Protection Act of

1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et

seq.), the Regulations Governing the

Taking and Importing of Marine

Mammals (50 CFR Part 216), the

Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973,

as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and

the Regulations Governing the Taking,

Importing, and Exporting of Endangered

Fish and Wildlife (50 CFR part 222).

Issuance of this amendment, as

required by the ESA, was based on a

finding that such permit: (1) was

applied for in good faith; (2) will not

operate to the disadvantage of the

endangered species which is the subject

of this permit; and (3) is consistent with

the purposes and policies set forth in

section 2 of the ESA.

Dated: June 30, 1998.

Ann D. Terbush,

Chief, Permits and Documentation Division,

Office of Protected Resources, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 98–18120 Filed 7–7–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 062998A]

Marine Mammals

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Issuance of permit amendment.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that

Moana Productions, Inc., 311 Portlock

Road, Honolulu, Hawaii 96825, has

been issued an amendment to Permit

No. 867–1388 to take by Level B

harassment several species of nonthreatened, non-endangered marine

mammals for purposes of commercial

photography.

ADDRESSES: The amendment and related

documents are available for review

upon written request or by appointment

in the following offices:

Permits Division, Office of Protected

Resources, NMFS,

1315 East-West Highway, Room

13130, Silver Spring, MD 20910 (301/

713–2289);

Protected Species Program Manager,

Pacific Area Office, NMFS, 2570 Dole

Street, Room 106, Honolulu, HI 96822–

2396 (808/973–2987);

Regional Administrator, Alaska

Region, NMFS 709 W. 9th Street, Federal

Building, Room 461, Box 21668, Juneau,

Alaska 99802 (907/586–7012); and

Regional Administrator, Southwest

Region, NMFS, 501 West Ocean Blvd.,

suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802 (562/

980–4001).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Trevor Spradlin, 301/713–2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May

28, 1998, notice was published in the

Federal Register (63 FR 29181), had

been requested by the above-named

organization. The requested amendment

has been granted under the authority of

the Marine Mammal Protection Act of

1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et