2017-15811. Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Alaska American Fisheries Act Report

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 September 25, 2017.

ADDRESSES:

Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at [e-mail]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information or copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should be directed to Stephanie Warpinski, [phone] or [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

This request is for extension of a current information collection.

On October 21, 1998, the President signed into law The American Fisheries Act, 16 U.S.C. 1851 (AFA). The AFA authorizes the formation of fishery cooperatives in all sectors of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI) pollock fishery, grants antitrust exemptions to cooperatives in the mothership sector, and imposes operational limits on fishery cooperatives in the BSAI pollock fishery. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issues a single pollock allocation to each cooperative, and the cooperative may make sub-allocations of pollock to each individual vessel owner in the cooperative.

With respect to the fisheries off Alaska, the AFA Program is a suite of management measures that fall into four general regulatory categories:

• Limit access into the fishing and processing sectors of the BSAI pollock fishery and that allocate pollock to such sectors (50 CFR 679.64).
• Govern the formation and operation of fishery cooperatives in the BSAI pollock fishery, including filing of cooperative contracts (50 CFR 679.61 and 679.62).
• Protection of other fisheries from spillover effects from the AFA (50 CFR 679.64).
• Govern catch measurement and monitoring in the BSAI pollock fishery, including filing of annual reports and completing and submitting inshore catcher vessel pollock cooperative catch reports (50 CFR 679.63).

II. Method of Collection

Respondents have a choice of either electronic or paper forms. Methods of submittal include email of electronic forms, and mail and facsimile transmission of paper forms.

III. Data

OMB Control Number: 0648-0401.

Form Number(s): None.

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

Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 8.

Estimated Time Per Response: AFA Annual Cooperative Report, AFA Annual Cooperative Catch Report, and AFA Cooperative Contract, 8 hours each; Incentive Plan Agreement, 50 hours; IPA Annual Report, 40 hours; and IPA appeals, 4 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 366 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $89 in recordkeeping/reporting costs.

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.

Dated: July 24, 2017.

Sarah Brabson,

NOAA PRA Clearance Officer.