2018-12344. 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: U.S. Caribbean Commercial Fishermen Census.

OMB Control Number: 0648-0716.

Form Number(s): None.

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

Number of Respondents: 1,500.

Average Hours per Response: 30 minutes.

Burden Hours: 750.

Needs and Uses: This request is for revision and extension of a currently approved information collection.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) proposes to conduct a census of small-scale fishermen operating in the United States (U.S.) Caribbean. The extension for the data collection applies only to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico because the data collection was completed in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The proposed socio-economic study will collect information on demographics, capital investment in fishing gear and vessels, fishing and marketing practices, economic performance, and miscellaneous attitudinal questions. The data gathered will be used for the development of amendments to fishery management plans, which require descriptions of the human and economic environment and socio-economic analyses of regulatory proposals. The information collected will also be used to strengthen fishery management decision-making and satisfy various legal mandates under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), Executive Order 12866, Regulatory Flexibility Act, Endangered Species Act, and National Environmental Policy Act, and other pertinent statues.

Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.

Frequency: One time.

Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.

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: June 5, 2018.

Sarah Brabson,

NOAA PRA Clearance Officer.