2021-02566. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Alaska Region Permit Family of Forms

The Department of Commerce will submit the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, on or after the date of publication of this notice. We invite the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register on November 30, 2020, (85 FR 76536) during a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.

Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

Title: Alaska Region Permit Family of Forms.

OMB Control Number: 0648-0206.

Form Number(s): None.

Type of Request: Regular submission [extension of a current information collection].

Number of Respondents: 484.

Average Hours per Response: FFP application, 21 minutes; FPP application, 25 minutes; EFP application, 100 hours.

Total Annual Burden Hours: 474 hours.

Needs and Uses: The National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS), Alaska Region, is requesting extension of a currently approved information collection for the applications for the Federal Fisheries Permit (FFP), the Federal Processor Permit (FPP), and the Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP).

NMFS requires an FFP or FPP for participation in the groundfish fisheries of the exclusive economic zone off Alaska. NMFS issues an EFP to allow groundfish fishing activities that would otherwise be prohibited under regulations for groundfish fishing. EFPs are issued to support projects that could benefit the groundfish fisheries and the environment and result in gathering information not otherwise available through research or commercial fishing operations. Regulations governing these permits are at 50 CFR 600.745, 679.4, and 679.6.

Operators of vessels and managers of processors must have a permit on board or on site when fishing, receiving, buying, or processing groundfish and non-groundfish species. The permit information provides harvest gear types; descriptions of vessels, shoreside processors, and stationary floating processors; and expected fishery activity levels. The information requested on the permit applications is used for fisheries management and regulatory compliance by NMFS Sustainable Fisheries Division, NMFS Restricted Access Management Program, NMFS Observer Program, NOAA Office of Law Enforcement, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council.

Section 303(b)(1) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act specifically recognizes the need for permit issuance. Requiring a permit for marine resource users is one of the regulatory steps taken to carry out conservation and management objectives. Permit issuance is essential in fishery resources management for identification of the participants and expected activity levels and for regulatory compliance.

Affected Public: Individuals or households; Business or other for-profit organizations.

Frequency: Annually; Every 3 years; On occasion.

Respondent's Obligation: Required to Obtain or Retain Benefits; Mandatory.

Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

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

Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of this notice on the following website www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting “Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments” or by using the search function and entering either the title of the collection or the OMB Control Number 0648-0206.

Sheleen Dumas,

Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Commerce Department.