2012-3932. 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: Fishery Capacity Reduction Program Buyback Requests.

OMB Control Number: 0648-0376.

Form Number(s): NA.

Type of Request: Regular submission (extension of a current information collection).

Number of Respondents: 923.

Average Hours per Response: Implementation plans, 6,634 hours; state approval/buyback, 270 hours; advance and post referenda, bids and buyer annual reports and seller/buyer reports, 4 hours each; fish tickets, 10 minutes; buyer monthly reports, 2 hours; advisements of conflict in ownership claims, 10 hours.

Burden Hours: 18,922.

Needs and Uses: This request is for an extension of a current information collection.

NOAA has established a program to reduce excess fishing capacity by paying fishermen to (1) surrender their fishing permits or (2) surrender their permits, and either scrap their vessels or restrict vessel titles to prevent fishing. These fishing capacity reduction programs, or buybacks, can be funded by a Federal loan to the industry or by direct Federal or other funding. These buybacks are conducted pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and the Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization Act (Pub. L. 109-479). The regulations implementing the buybacks are at 50 CFR part 600.

Depending upon the type of buyback involved, the program can entail the submission of buyback requests by industry, the submission of bids, referenda of fishery participants, and reporting of the collection of fees to repay a Federal loan. For buybacks involving State-managed fisheries, the State may need to develop the buyback plan and comply with other information requirements. The information collected by NMFS is required to request a buyback, submit supporting data for requested buybacks, to submit bids, and to conduct referenda of fishery participants.

The recordkeeping and reporting requirements at 50 CFR 600.1013 through 600.1017 form the basis for this collection of information on fee payment and collection. NMFS requests information from participating buyback participants. This information, upon receipt, tracks the repayment of the Federal loans that are issued as part of the buybacks, and ensures accurate management and monitoring of the loans during the repayment term.

Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.

Frequency: Annually, monthly and on occasion.

Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or maintain benefits.

OMB Desk Officer: [e-mail].

Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained by calling or writing Jennifer Jessup, Departmental Paperwork Clearance Officer, [phone], Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at [e-mail]).

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

Dated: February 15, 2012.

Gwellnar Banks,

Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.