2013-27340. Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Northeast Region Gear Identification

AGENCY:

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), 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 January 14, 2014.

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 Jason Berthiaume, [phone] or [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

This notice is for the extension of Paperwork Reduction Act requirements regarding fishing gear marking requirements. Regulations at 50 CFR 648.84(a), (b), and (d), 648.123(b)(3), 648.144(b)(1), 648.264(a)(5), and 697.21(a) and (b) require that Federal fishing permit holders using certain types of fishing gear mark the gear with specified information. The gear marking requirements provide vessel and gear identification information (e.g., hull identification number, Federal fishing permit number, etc.). The regulations also specify how the gear is to be marked for the purposes of visibility (e.g., buoys, radar reflectors, etc.).

The quantity of gear in the case of longline, pots, and traps is not the number of hooks, pots, or traps, but rather the number of attached end lines associated with each string of hooks, pots, or traps. As such, a single Federal permit holder may be responsible for marking several strings of a given gear type, or may use multiple different gear types that require marking. These gear marking requirements aid in fishery law enforcement, make the gear more visible to other vessels to aid in navigation, and provide other fishermen with information regarding the gear type being used to help prevent gear conflicts.

II. Method of Collection

No information is submitted to the NMFS as a result of this collection. The vessel's hull identification number or other means of identification specified in the regulations must be affixed to the buoy or other part of the gear as specified in the regulations.

III. Data

OMB Control Number: 0648-0351.

Form Number: None.

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

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

Estimated Number of Respondents: 6,116.

Estimated Time per Response: 1 minute per string of gear.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 20,309.

Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $61,160 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.

Gwellnar Banks,

Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.