2024-19313. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; North Pacific Observer Program Safety and Security Survey

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Department of Commerce

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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 April 10, 2024 during a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.

Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Commerce.

Title: North Pacific Observer Program Safety and Security Survey.

OMB Control Number: 0648-0759.

Form Number(s): None.

Type of Request: Regular submission. Extension and revision of a current information collection.

Number of Respondents: 280.

Average Hours per Response:.17 hours (10 minutes per respondent).

Total Annual Burden Hours: 47.

Needs and Uses: This request is for an extension and revision of an existing information collection. The revision to the survey instrument will allow the survey participants to specify to whom they reported unwanted behavior. NMFS certified observers are a vital part of fisheries management. Observers deploy to collect fisheries data in the field; observers often deploy to vessels and work alongside fishers for weeks and months at a time. The work environment observers find themselves in can be challenging, especially if the observer finds themselves a target for victim type violations such as sexual harassment, intimidation, or even assault. The NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement has primary jurisdiction to investigate violations of the Magnuson Stevens Act. The Office of Law Enforcement prioritizes investigations initiated from reports made by observers involving assault, sexual harassment, hostile work environment, intimidation, and other behaviors that may affect observers individually. However, it is difficult for a person to disclose if they have been a victim of a crime, and if law enforcement does not receive reports of unwanted behavior then they cannot initiate an investigation. The true number of observers who have experienced victim type crimes is unknown, and the reasons why they do not report is also unclear. More information is needed to understand how many observers per year experience victim type crimes, and why they chose not to report to the Office of Law Enforcement.

The Office of Law Enforcement, Alaska Division, is conducting a survey of observer who deploy under the North Pacific Observer Program to determine the true number of observers who experienced victimizing behavior during their deployments, and what factors prevented them from reporting. Twenty questions, describing varying levels of behavior that may violate the Magnuson Act, will determine if an observer has experienced the behavior, if they reported the behavior, and to whom the report was made. The survey will assess the specific impediments to disclosure. This survey will launch on an annual basis. The results of the survey will provide the Office of Law Enforcement a better understanding of how often observers are victimized, which will enable them to reallocate resources as needed, conduct more training for observers to ensure they know how to report, conduct training to ensure people understand what constitutes a victim crime, and to increase awareness of potential victimizations. Additionally, the survey results will help law enforcement understand the barriers to disclosure, so enforcement may begin to address these impediments so they no longer prevent observers from disclosure.

Affected Public: Federal Government, Individuals, and Households.

Frequency: On Occasion.

Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.

Legal Authority: Magnuson Stevens Act. ( print page 68865)

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 0648-0759.

Sheleen Dumas,

Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.