55030 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 186 / Wednesday, September 24, 2008 / Notices 

Copies of the above information 

collection proposal can be obtained by 

calling or writing Diana Hynek, 

Departmental Paperwork Clearance 

Officer, (202) 482–0266, Department of 

Commerce, Room 6625, 14th and 

Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, 

DC 20230 (or via the Internet at 

dHynek@doc.gov). 

Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be sent 

within 30 days of publication of this 

notice to David Rostker, OMB Desk 

Officer, FAX number (202) 395–7285, or 

David_Rostker@omb.eop.gov. 

Dated: September 18, 2008. 

Gwellnar Banks, 

Management Analyst, Office of the Chief 

Information Officer. 

[FR Doc. E8–22231 Filed 9–23–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request 

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: Atlantic Highly Migratory 

Species Permit Family of Forms. 

Form Number(s): None. 

OMB Approval Number: 0648–0327. 

Type of Request: Regular submission. 

Burden Hours: 8,571. 

Number of Respondents: 40,810. 

Average Hours per Response: Initial 

vessel permit applications other than 

shark and swordfish, 30 minutes; 

renewals, 6 minutes; shark and 

swordfish permit applications, 20 

minutes; dealer Atlantic Tunas permits: 

initial, 15 minutes and renewal, 5 

minutes; dealer shark and swordfish 

and international trade permits, 5 

minutes. 

Needs and Uses: This information 

collection, for which renewal is 

requested, consists of a mandatory 

vessel permit program for commercial 

tuna, swordfish and shark fisheries, 

recreational highly migratory species 

(HMS) fisheries and charter//headboat 

HMS fisheries, and mandatory dealer 

permits for purchase of HMS from 

vessels and for international trade of 

several HMS. These permits provide the 

basis for catch monitoring and 

collection of catch and effort statistics in 

these fisheries as required under the 

Atlantic Tuna Conventions Act and the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act. 

Such information is essential for the 

United States to meet its reporting 

obligations to the International 

Commission for the Conservation of 

Atlantic Tunas. 

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations. 

Frequency: Annually, biweekly and 

on occasion. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory. 

OMB Desk Officer: David Rostker, 

(202) 395–3897. 

Copies of the above information 

collection proposal can be obtained by 

calling or writing Diana Hynek, 

Departmental Paperwork Clearance 

Officer, (202) 482–0266, Department of 

Commerce, Room 6625, 14th and 

Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, 

DC 20230 (or via the Internet at 

dHynek@doc.gov). 

Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be sent 

within 30 days of publication of this 

notice to David Rostker, OMB Desk 

Officer, FAX number (202) 395–7285, or 

David_Rostker@omb.eop.gov. 

Dated: September 18, 2008. 

Gwellnar Banks, 

Management Analyst, Office of the Chief 

Information Officer. 

[FR Doc. E8–22232 Filed 9–23–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request 

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: Atlantic Highly Migratory 

Species Observer Notification 

Requirements. 

Form Number(s): None. 

OMB Approval Number: 0648–0374. 

Type of Request: Regular submission. 

Burden Hours: 166. 

Number of Respondents: 241. 

Average Hours per Response: 5 

minutes. 

Needs and Uses: Under current 

regulations, NMFS may select for 

observer coverage any fishing trip by a 

vessel that has a permit for Atlantic 

Highly Migratory Species (HMS). 

National Marine Fisheries Service 

(NMFS) notifies vessel owners, in 

writing, when their vessels have been 

selected. The owners of those vessels 

are then required to notify NMFS before 

commencing any fishing trip for 

Atlantic HMS. Such notification allows 

NMFS to arrange for observer 

placements and assignments. 

Vessels are selected randomly from a 

list of active vessels that have reported 

landings of targeted species during the 

previous year. Observers are placed 

aboard vessels to collect, among other 

things, information on species caught, 

catch disposition, gear, effort, and 

bycatch. The information is used in 

stock assessments to estimate rates of 

bycatch of non-targeted and protected 

species such as sea turtles, and to 

improve overall management of the 

fishery. 

A Biological Opinion (BiOp) issued 

on June 1, 2004, under the Endangered 

Species Act, requires a minimum of 

eight percent observer coverage in the 

pelagic longline fishery. In order to 

better monitor incidental landings of 

bluefin tuna in the Gulf of Mexico, 

during bluefin tuna spawning season, 

pelagic longline vessels fishing in the 

gulf will be subject to 100 percent 

observer coverage from March 9–June 9 

(41 vessels). 

The shark bottom longline observer 

program has set a target of five percent 

observer coverage in the shark bottom 

longline fishery. A BiOp issued in 

October 2003 requires NMFS to 

maintain or increase this level of 

observer coverage. Additionally, 

upcoming management measures will 

establish a shark research fishery 

including approximately 10 vessels with 

100 percent coverage throughout the 

year. Observer coverage for the shark 

gillnet fishery fluctuates from 

approximately 50 percent to 100 

percent, depending on the time of year. 

Although technically not required, 

vessels operating in other HMS fisheries 

may be selected for observer coverage 

depending on factors including limited 

funding. Burden estimates include a ten 

percent adjustment upward from 

current levels to account for future 

expansion of observer coverage in other 

fisheries. 

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations. 

Frequency: On occasion. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory. 

OMB Desk Officer: David Rostker, 

(202) 395–3897. 

Copies of the above information 

collection proposal can be obtained by 

calling or writing Diana Hynek, 

Departmental Paperwork Clearance 

Officer, (202) 482–0266, Department of 

Commerce, Room 6625, 14th and 


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