Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Southeast Region Dealer and Interview Family of Forms

AGENCY:

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION:

Notice.

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.

DATES:

Written comments must be submitted on or before December 9, 2019.

ADDRESSES:

Direct all written comments to Adrienne Thomas, PRA Officer, NOAA, 151 Patton Avenue, Room 159, Asheville, NC 28801 (or at PRAcomments@doc.gov). All comments received are part of the public record. Comments will generally be posted without change. All Personally Identifiable Information (for example, name and address) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information or copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should be directed to Dr. David Gloeckner, (305) 361-4257 or david.gloeckner@noaa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

This request is for renewal of a current information collection. Fishery quotas are established for many species in the fishery management plans developed by the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Fishery Management Council, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and the Caribbean Fishery Management Council. The Southeast Fisheries Science Center has been delegated the responsibility to monitor these quotas. To do so in a timely manner, seafood dealers that handle these species are required to report the purchases (landings) of these species. The frequency of these reporting requirements varies depending on the magnitude of the quota (e.g., lower quota usually require more frequent reporting) and the intensity of fishing effort. The most common reporting frequency is weekly. Daily reporting is only used for one fishery.

In addition, information collection included in this family of forms includes interview with fishermen to gather information on the fishing effort, location and type of gear used on individual trips. This data collection is conducted for a subsample of the fishing trips and vessel/trips in selected commercial fisheries in the Southeast region and commercial fisheries of the US Caribbean. Fishing trips and individuals are selected at random to provide a viable statistical sample. These data are used for scientific analyses that support critical conservation and management decisions made by national and international fishery management organizations.

This data collection is authorized under 50 CFR part 622.5.

II. Method of Collection

Dealer reports used for quota monitoring are reported electronically for all but one fishery (mackerel gillnet) is reported via fax. Bio profile data from Trip Interview programs is obtained by face-to-face interviews with fisherman or sea food dealers.

III. Data

OMB Number: 0648-0013.

Form Number: None.

Type of Review: Regular submission (renewal of a current information collection).

Affected Public: Business and other for-profit organizations.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 6,188.

Estimated Time per Response:

Dealer reporting for monitoring Federal fishery annual catch limits (ACLs): Coastal fisheries dealers reporting, 10 minutes; mackerel dealer reporting (gillnet), 10 minutes; wreckfish dealer reporting, 10 minutes.

Bio profile data from Trip Interview programs (TIP): Shrimp Interviews, 10 minutes; Fin Fish interviews, 10 minutes.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 4,334.

Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0.

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.