2015-03151. 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: Southeast Region Vessel and Gear Identification Requirements.

OMB Control Number: 0648-0358.

Form Number(s): None.

Type of Request: Regular (revision and extension of a currently approved information collection).

Number of Respondents: 7,825.

Average Hours per Response: Vessel marking, 75 minutes; gear marking varies from 10 seconds for cultured live rocks, to 20 minutes for mackerel gillnet buoys.

Burden Hours: 50,575.

Needs and Uses: This request is for a regular submission (revision and extension of a currently approved information collection). With this request, OMB Control No. 0648-0359, Southeast Region Gear Identification Requirements is being merged into OMB Control No. 0648-0358, Southeast Region Vessel Identification Requirements.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Southeast Region manages the U.S. fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the South Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico regions under various Fishery Management Plans (FMPs). The Regional Fishery Management Councils prepared the FMPs pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The regulations implementing the FMPs are located at 50 CFR part 622.

The recordkeeping and reporting requirements at 50 CFR part 622 form the basis for this collection of information. NMFS Southeast Region requires that all permitted fishing vessels must mark their vessel with the official identification number or some form of identification. A vessel's official number, under most regulations, is required to be displayed on the port and starboard sides of the deckhouse or hull, and weather deck. The official number and color code identifies each vessel and should be visible at distances from the sea and in the air. These markings provide law enforcement personnel with a means to monitor fishing, at-sea processing, and other related activities, to ascertain whether the vessel's observed activities are in accordance with those authorized for that vessel. The identifying number is used by NMFS, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and other marine agencies in issuing violations, prosecutions, and other enforcement actions. Vessels that qualify for particular fisheries are readily identified, gear violations are more readily prosecuted, and this allows for more cost-effective enforcement.

Requirements, also at 50 CFR part 622, that fishing gear be marked, are also essential to facilitate enforcement. The ability to link fishing gear to the vessel owner is crucial to enforcement of regulations issued under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. The marking of fishing gear is also valuable in actions concerning damage, loss, and civil proceedings. The requirements imposed in the Southeast Region are for coral aquacultured live rock; golden crab traps; mackerel gillnet floats; spiny lobster traps; black sea bass pots; and buoy gear.

Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.

Frequency: On occasion.

Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.

This information collection request may be viewed at reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce collections currently under review by OMB.

Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to [e-mail] or fax to [phone].

Dated: February 11, 2015.

Sarah Brabson,

NOAA PRA Clearance Officer.