0460 ss rev 040309rev

SUPPORTING STATEMENT
SUBSISTENCE FISHERY FOR PACIFIC HALIBUT IN WATERS OFF ALASKA:
REGISTRATION AND MARKING OF GEAR
OMB CONTROL NO. 0648-0460

INTRODUCTION
The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) and National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS), Alaska Region manage fishing for Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) through
regulations established under authority of the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982 (Halibut
Act). The IPHC promulgates regulations governing the Pacific halibut fishery under the
Convention between the United States and Canada for the Preservation of the Halibut Fishery of
the North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea, signed at Ottawa, Ontario, on March 2, 1953, as
amended by a Protocol Amending the Convention (signed at Washington, DC, on March 29,
1979). The Halibut Act also authorizes the North Pacific Fishery Management Council
(Council) to develop halibut fishery regulations, including limited access regulations, in its
geographic area of concern that would apply to nationals or vessels of the United States.
The Council may recommend additional regulations that are not in conflict with approved IPHC
regulations, and the United States (U.S.) Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) must approve and
implement the Council Action. It was under this general authority that the Council, in October
2000, voted to adopt a subsistence halibut policy. NMFS prepared regulations formalizing the
Council’s subsistence halibut policy, and these regulations were adopted by the Secretary and
published in the Federal Register on April 15, 2003 (68 FR 18145). Regulations implementing
the Halibut Act in waters in and off Alaska appear at 50 CFR part 300.60 through 300.66.
This action is a revision of the collection-of-information describing the Pacific Halibut
Subsistence Program (Program) in waters off Alaska.
A. JUSTIFICATION
1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary.
Subsistence fishing and hunting in Alaska has historically been part of the customary and
traditional practices of Alaska Natives and non-Natives, especially in rural areas with limited
alternative food resources. Only persons who qualify pursuant to 50 CFR part 300.65(g) may
conduct subsistence fishing for Pacific halibut in waters in and off Alaska. Persons eligible to
fish must hold a subsistence halibut registration certificate (SHARC) to exercise the privilege.
This Program is available to 117 rural communities and 123 Alaska Native tribes.
A person is eligible to harvest subsistence halibut if he or she is a rural resident of a community
with customary and traditional uses of halibut. This action would extend rural eligibility
requirements for Alaska residents, to include individuals who reside outside of currently eligible
rural places. After regulations implemented the Program, members of the public requested that
the Council revise the criteria for rural residents to participate in the Program because the current
regulations have inadvertent, adverse implications for some rural residents. The Program
currently prohibits individuals who live in a rural place that is not recognized by the U.S. Census
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or live outside the boundaries of designated communities, but may live in close proximity to
and/or have a mailing address in that community. A community in this Program is defined as a
place that is recognized by the U.S. Census; thus, only municipalities and census designated
places (CDP) are included.
The Program seeks to develop a wider geographic scope for eligibility to include individuals who
reside in remote homesteads outside the boundaries of eligible communities within the
subsistence use areas of Alaska. Those individuals or families practice the same patterns of use
as residents of nearby communities that have customary and traditional uses, and, therefore,
would be eligible to participate in subsistence fishing for halibut. Rural residents who reside
within a designated ten statute mile band of land, adjacent to the waters of the Bering Sea and
Pacific Ocean, and other designated places would be eligible to participate in the Program (see
Table 1). In addition, the current non-subsistence marine waters areas would be expanded to
include the land areas of adjacent non-rural municipalities.
Table 1. List of Additional Eligible Places by Area
Place
Covenant Life CDP
Cube Cove CDP
Excursion Inlet CDP
Game Creek CDP
Hobart Bay CDP
Kupreanof
Lutak CDP
Mosquito Lake CDP
Mud Bay CDP
Thoms Place CDP
Whitestone Logging Camp CDP
Afognak
Aleneva CDP
Cape Yakataga
Chiniak
Eyak
Kaguyak
Kodiak Station CDP
Portlock
Seldovia Village CDP
Uganik
Uyak
Womens Bay
Woody Is.
Ayakulik
Belkofski
Pauloff Harbor

General Description
Part of Haines Borough
Southeast Alaska
Part of Haines Borough
Southeast Alaska
Southeast Alaska
Near Petersburg
Part of Haines Borough
Part of Haines Borough
Part of Haines Borough
Southeast Alaska
Southeast Alaska
Kodiak Island Borough
Kodiak Island Borough
Near Yakutat
Kodiak road system
Part of Cordova
Kodiak Island;
abandoned
Kodiak Island Borough
road system
Near Nanwalek;
abandoned
Road connected to
Seldovia city
Kodiak Island
Kodiak Island
Kodiak road system
Kodiak road system
Kodiak Island
abandoned
Near King Cove;
abandoned
On Sanak Island near
False pass; abandoned

2

Area
2C
2C
2C
2C
2C
2C
2C
2C
2C
2C
2C
3A
3A
3A
3A
3A
3A

Population
348
0
12
19
1
26
40
150
141
7
NA*
0
48
NA
42
137

Population by Area

744

0
3A
1,817
3A
NA
3A
3A
3A
3A
3A
3B

161
NA
NA
830
0
NA

3B
0
3B
0

3,035

Place
Sanak
Squaw Harbor
Unga
Attu
Bill Moores
Choolunawick
Ekuk
Fort Glenn
Hamilton
King Island
Mary's Igloo
Paimiut
Port Clarence CDP
Port Moller
Shemya Station
Umkumiute

General Description
Near False Pass;
abandoned
Near Sand Point;
abandoned
Near Sand Point;
abandoned
Aleutian islands
abandoned
Yukon Delta
Yukon Delta
Nushagak Bay; no one
year round
Aleutian islands
Yukon Delta
Near Nome; abandoned
Near Nome
Near Hooper Bay
Near Nome
Near Nelson Lagoon;
few if any year-round
Aleutians, a.k.a.
Earekson Air Force
Station
Nelson Island
Total

Area
3B

Population

Population by Area

NA
3B
NA
3B

0
NA

4
4
4
4

15
0
0

4
4
4
4
4
4
4

0
NA
0
0
0
2
23
NA

4

27

4

NA
3,846

67
3,846

*NA/is not available
Source: Draft Regulatory Impact Review for Proposed Regulatory Amendment to the Subsistence Halibut Program
to Revise the Definition of Rural Eligibility, June 18, 2008, NOAA Fisheries Service, Juneau, Alaska 99802

2. Explain how, by whom, how frequently, and for what purpose the information will be
used. If the information collected will be disseminated to the public or used to support
information that will be disseminated to the public, then explain how the collection
complies with all applicable Information Quality Guidelines.
This action changes the estimated number of participants in the Program due to the addition of
new eligible rural areas and current number of participants.
In addition, this action removes the form to gather subsistence information from an individual
and replaces it with two forms, one form for an individual rural resident and one form for an
individual tribal member. The other form in this collection, for a tribe submitting multiple
SHARC requests, remains unchanged. This form change will make the completion of each of
the applications simpler and more efficient.
NMFS revised the SHARC application for a rural resident to indicate the basis upon which the
applicant is eligible to harvest subsistence halibut. The eligibility basis for a person to harvest
subsistence halibut is the description of one of the rural areas of Alaska described as follows:

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♦ A rural community, as listed in 50 CFR part 300.65(g)(1).
♦ Southeast Alaska east of 141º W long., except for the non-rural areas of Juneau and
Ketchikan specified at Figure 2 to subpart E of 50 CFR Part 300
♦ The Alaska Peninsula, Aleutian Islands, Kodiak Island Archipelago, or the area south of
the Bristol Bay Borough and south of 58º 39.2 N lat. (see Figures 3 and 6 to subpart E of
50 CFR Part 300).
♦ Nelson, Nunivak, and Saint Lawrence Islands.
♦ Any other area of Alaska within 10 statute miles of the marine coastline of the Bering Sea
and Pacific Ocean, south of Cape Espenberg, as measured from mean high water and that
is not specified as non-rural areas as defined in 50 CFR Part 300.65(h)(3) (see Figure 6 to
subpart E of 50 CFR Part 300).
Due to the rural nature of the participants, NMFS requests additional information on home
address, such as listing a post office box number, describing the physical location of the domicile
if there is no street address. For consistency, the address requirements for a SHARC application
for an Alaska Native tribal member was also revised to more fully state what is needed for
address or location information. One data element, community or area of residence, was added
to both individual forms. The location of a SHARC holder’s domicile is needed to verify that the
reimbursement of a rural fisherman’s actual expenses came from residents of the same
community. These changes are not expected to increase or decrease the time to complete the
forms.
Table 2 presents an array of 2006 SHARC information, including the estimated number of
persons eligible for a rural SHARC; this number was used initially to determine number of PRA
respondents for this Program. Table 2 also presents the known number of rural SHARC issued
by NMFS at the end of 2006, and the known number of rural SHARC being used by fishermen
or active SHARC. In addition, two percentages are shown. One percentage is a comparison of
eligible rural persons versus active SHARC, and the other percentage is a comparison of
obtained SHARC versus active SHARC.
Table 2. Number of Rural SHARC Permits Issued and Used, by IPHC Area in 2006.

AREA

ELIGIBLE
PERSONS

2C
3A
3B
4
TOTAL

27,271
18,878
2,320
33,852
82,321

SHARC
ISSUED

ACTIVE
SHARC

4,510
2,245
82
246
7,083

2,196
1,192
54
92
3,534

% ACTIVE/
ELIGIBLE
8.1
6.3
2.3
0.3
4.3

% ACTIVE/
SHARC
HELD
49
53
66
37
50

Source: Draft Regulatory Impact Review for Proposed Regulatory Amendment to the Subsistence
Halibut Program to Revise the Definition of Rural Eligibility, June 18, 2008, NOAA Fisheries
Service, Juneau, Alaska 99802

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Table 3 presents 2007 SHARC summary data. At the end of 2007, NMFS reported 17,449
SHARC were issued; 9,958 rural, and 7,491 tribal. Estimating the active SHARC using the 50
percent from the 2006 data, results in 4,979 active rural SHARC and 3,746 active tribal SHARC.
Because the estimated number of eligible persons is not known and is always changing due to
birth and death of participants and participants moving out of the rural area, NMFS determines
that a comparison of obtained SHARC versus active SHARC provides a better estimate for
number of respondents.
Table 3. 2007 SHARC Summary Report
RURAL
9,958
4,979

TOTAL ISSUED TO DECEMBER 2007
TOTAL ACTIVE SHARC (estimated at 50%)

TRIBAL
7,491
3,746

TOTAL
17,449
8,725

Source: NMFS Alaska Region website at: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/ram/subsistence/07sharc_summary.pdf

Table 4 presents 2008 summary data on SHARC issued and active SHARC. At the end of 2008,
NMFS reported 18,525 SHARC issued; 10,799 rural (an increase from 9,958 issued in 2007) and
7,726 tribal (an increase from 7,491 issued in 2007). The percentage of active SHARC for rural
residents is shown at 62%, or 4,979 active rural SHARC. The percentage of active SHARC for
tribal members is shown at 47%, or 3,746 active tribal SHARC. The summary shows
Table 4. 2008 SHARC Summary Report
RURAL
10,799
6,662
62%

TOTAL ISSUED TO DECEMBER 2008
TOTAL ACTIVE SHARC
PERCENT ACTIVE

TRIBAL
7,726
3,615
47%

TOTAL
18,525
10,277
56%

Source: NMFS Alaska Region website at: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/ram/subsistence/08sharc_summary.pdf

Table 5 summarizes NMFS’ analysis of the additional rural residents who could be eligible for a
SHARC after the revised regulations are in place. In the Regulatory Impact Review (RIR)
created for this Program, NMFS projected participation by eligible new Alaska rural residents by
applying the percentage active obtained in 2006 (see Table 2 above). Using this method, 9,438
persons are eligible to obtain a SHARC and 606 active SHARC are predicted.
Table 5. Number of Additional Rural SHARC Expected to be Issued and Used,
by IPHC Area
AREA
2C
3A
3B
4
TOTAL

EXPECTED
ELIGIBLE
PERSONS

2006
%
ACTIVE

1,509
7,659
22
248
9,438

8.1
6.3
2.3
0.3
4.3

%
ACTIVE
SHARC
122
483
1
1
606

Source: Draft Regulatory Impact Review for Proposed Regulatory Amendment to the Subsistence Halibut Program
to Revise the Definition of Rural Eligibility, June 18, 2008, NOAA Fisheries Service, Juneau, Alaska 99802

5

Table 6 presents the projected total number of respondents to submit a SHARC. Adding the
2008 numbers (6,662 active SHARC, 62% of those issued) and the expected new rural SHARC
(606) results in a projected total of 7,268 rural SHARC. The projected total of tribal SHARC is
3,615 (based on 2008 numbers). To obtain the total number of respondents to use in this
analysis, adding the tribal member and rural resident SHARC totals 10,883 (7,268 + 3,615)
expected SHARC to be issued in 2009 and beyond. This total is 5,100 fewer respondents than
reported in the last support statement (15,983 (based on eligibility) – 10,883 estimated to be
active).
Table 6. Number of SHARC Respondents
ACTIVE
RURAL
SHARC
6,662

TOTAL ISSUED IN 2008

EXPECTED
ACTIVE
RURAL
SHARC
606

TOTAL
ACTIVE
RURAL
SHARC
7,268
TOTAL
ACTIVE
TRIBAL
SHARC
3,615

ACTIVE
TRIBAL
SHARC
3,615

TOTAL ISSUED IN 2008

TOTAL
EXPECTED
ACTIVE
SHARC
7,268
3,615
10,883

RURAL RESIDENTS
TRIBAL MEMBERS
TOTAL

a. Subsistence Halibut Registration Certificate (SHARC) Application
1. Subsistence halibut registration certificate (SHARC) application for a rural resident
Block A - Type of Subsistence Halibut Registration
Whether registration is new or a renewal
If a renewal, enter SHARC number
Indicate the basis for your eligibility to harvest subsistence halibut.
Block B - Alaska Rural Registrant Information
Name (First, Middle, Last) and birth date (mm/dd/yyyy) of fisherman
Daytime telephone number
Mailing address (P.O. box number or number and street, city, state, and zip code)
If no street address, describe physical location of your domicile.
Include street address even if you have a P.O. Box number.
If no street address, describe the physical location of your domicile, such as latitude and longitude, if
known, or direction and distance from a landmark or from a milepost on a road.
Community or area of residence
Dates of residence in this community or area (month, day, year)
Block C – Certification Of Eligibility
Signature of rural applicant and date of signature
2. Subsistence Halibut Registration Certificate (SHARC) For Individual Native Tribal Member
Block A - Type of Subsistence Halibut Registration
Whether registration is new or a renewal

6

If a renewal, enter SHARC number
Block B - Alaska Native Tribal Registrant Information
Name (First, Middle, Last) and birth date (mm/dd/yyyy) of fisherman
Daytime telephone number, including area code
Mailing address (P.O. box number or number and street, city, state, and zip code)
Name of Alaska Native Tribe
Community or area of residence
Dates of residence in this community or area (month, day, year)
Block C – Certification Of Eligibility
Signature of tribal applicant and date of signature
3. Alaska Native Tribal Subsistence Halibut Registration Certificate (SHARC) Application
Block A - Alaska Native Tribe (as defined at 50 CFR 300.65(g)(2)
Name of Alaska Native Tribe
Business mailing Address: (street, city, state, zip code)
Daytime Telephone Number
E-mail address
Block B - Tribal Member(s) Information
Name (first, middle, last) and date of birth of tribal member
Daytime telephone number
Community of Residence
Mailing address (P.O. number or street, city, state, zip code)
Indicate whether applying for new SHARC or renewal
If renewal, enter SHARC number
Block C - Certification of Tribal Official
Printed name, signature, and title of tribal official
Date of signature

The total number of eligible persons to obtain a SHARC, 27,963 (18,525 + 9,438 new eligible
rural residents), is the total number of respondents. The total annual response number is the
number of active SHARC (10,883) divided by the effective length of the SHARC.
Subsistence halibut registration, Respondent
Total estimated number of respondents
Total estimated annual responses
2 year, rural registrants
7,268/2 yr = 3,634
4 year, Native registrants
3,615/3 yr = 1,205
Total estimated burden hours (806.5)
Time per response = 10 minutes
Total estimated personnel cost (807 x $25)
Total miscellaneous cost (average of $2 to submit by mail, fax,
email or on line x 4,839)
Subsistence halibut registration, Federal Government
Total estimated annual responses
Total estimated burden hours (403.25)
Time per response = 5 minutes
Total estimated personnel cost (387 x $25)
Total miscellaneous cost

27,963
4,839

807 hr
$20,175
$9,678

4,839
403 hr
$10,075
0

b. Subsistence Gear Marking
The change in number of respondents is applied to marking of gear. Gear types authorized for
use in the subsistence halibut fishery are setline, hand-held gear (i.e. handline, rod-and-reel),
7

spear, jig, and hand-troll gear. Of these five types of authorized gear, only setline gear must be
marked with identification information. Setline gear means one or more stationary, buoyed, or
anchored lines with hooks attached.
Each eligible subsistence halibut fisherman with a SHARC shall plainly and legibly inscribe his
first initial and last name (followed by an “S” to indicate subsistence), and address on a keg or
buoy attached to the setline gear; this requires approximately 15 minutes to paint each buoy.
Materials needed to mark the buoys consist of paint and paintbrush, permanent ink applicator, or
tape, costing at most $5. Labor costs to mark the buoys are estimated at $12.50 per hour, based
on a range between $10 and $15 per hour.
The total number of respondents eligible for SHARC is, again, 27,963. The total annual
responses number is the number of active SHARC (10,883) divided by the effective length of the
SHARC, or 4,839.
Persons using setline gear will probably harvest subsistence halibut in small groups of two or
three, fishing together for efficiency in a larger vessel. If three fishermen were fishing together
in one vessel, each person’s 30-hook limit could be combined into one setline unit of 90 hooks
marked with one pair of buoys. For three fishermen, the ratio of 1 pair (2 buoys) to 3 pair (6
buoys) is equal to one third or an estimated 1,597 pairs (or 3,194 separate buoys) that need to be
marked, although not all of these buoys would need marking each year. An estimated 50 percent
or 1,597 individual buoys would need marking, because the markings from the previous year are
still legible, and the information is still correct.
Subsistence halibut gear marking, Respondent
Total estimated respondents
Total estimated annual responses
(4,839 active SHARC x 0.33 = 1597 pair of buoys
or 3,194 buoys x 0.50)
Total estimated burden hours (399.25)
Estimated time to paint each buoy = 15 minutes
Total estimated personnel cost (4987.50)
Cost per hour, in dollars = 12.50
Total miscellaneous cost
Marking materials ($5 materials x 1597)
Subsistence halibut gear marking, Federal Government
Total estimated annual responses
Total estimated burden hours
Total estimated personnel cost
Total miscellaneous cost

27,963
1,597

399 hr
$4,988
$7,985

0
0
0
0

As explained in the preceding paragraphs, the information gathered has utility. National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries will retain control over the information and
safeguard it from improper access, modification, and destruction, consistent with NOAA
standards for confidentiality, privacy, and electronic information. See Question 10 of this
Supporting Statement for more information on confidentiality and privacy. The information
collection is designed to yield data that meet all applicable information quality guidelines. Prior
to dissemination, the information will be subjected to quality control measures and a predissemination review pursuant to Section 515 of Public Law 106-554.
8

3. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological techniques or other forms of
information technology.
The individual rural resident or tribal member may submit a SHARC application online, as well
as by fax, mail, or attachment to an e-mail. Applications are on line at:
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/ram/applications.htm#subapp.
4. Describe efforts to identify duplication.
No duplication exists with other information collections at NMFS Alaska Region.
5. If the collection of information involves small businesses or other small entities, describe
the methods used to minimize burden.
This collection-of-information does not impose a significant impact on small entities, because
this action regulates individuals and does not regulate small entities as defined in the Regulatory
Flexibility Act of 1980 (RFA). Small entities are defined as small businesses, small
organizations, and small governmental jurisdictions in Section 601(3)-(5) of the RFA. This
action applies to unique individuals, natural persons, who are not considered small entities within
the meaning of the RFA.
6. Describe the consequences to the Federal program or policy activities if the collection is
not conducted or is conducted less frequently.
If this revision to the collection is not made, some rural residents would continue to be excluded
from opportunities for subsistence harvests, because they live outside of designated places listed
in the regulations. Some applicants live in areas that are “too rural” to be defined as a ‘place’
under the U.S. Census, and thus are not eligible under current regulations. According to the
Census Bureau’s Geographic Areas Reference Manual (1994), a ‘place’ either is legally
incorporated under the laws of its respective State, or a statistical equivalent that the Census
Bureau treats as a CDP.
Since before 1950, the minimum CDP size for Alaska has been 25 or more inhabitants. For
Census 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau dropped this requirement, and a CDP anywhere in the
United States can be any population size. The definition of a community, as established by the
State of Alaska for purposes of revenue sharing agreements, is a group of not fewer than 25
people living in a geographic location as a social unit.
Basing eligibility on a set of legal boundaries (i.e., 10 statute miles), in addition to the current list
of eligible places and proposed list of eligible places (e.g., Kodiak Island Archipelago), would
minimize potential future discrepancies that may arise, as the boundaries for CDPs with low
populations could change every 10 years, as a result of the decennial census. While the list of
eligible communities would change, only if the Secretary of Commerce approved an amendment
to the regulations, the public could become confused if the census designation (or the rural
status) for their place of residence changed.

9

7. Explain any special circumstances that require the collection to be conducted in a
manner inconsistent with the OMB guidelines.
No special circumstances exist that would require information collection to be conducted in a
manner inconsistent with OMB guidelines.
8. Provide information on the PRA Federal Register Notice that solicited public comments
on the information collection prior to this submission. Summarize the public comments
received in response to that notice and describe the actions taken by the agency in response
to those comments. Describe the efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain
their views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions
and recordkeeping, disclosure, or reporting format (if any), and on the data elements to be
recorded, disclosed, or reported.
The NMFS Alaska Region will submit a proposed rule, RIN 0648-AX53, coincident with this
submission, requesting comments from the public.
9. Explain any decisions to provide payments or gifts to respondents, other than
remuneration of contractors or grantees.
This Program does not provide payment or gift.
10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for
this assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.
This information is used to verify the identity of the applicant(s) and to accurately retrieve
confidential records related to Pacific halibut subsistence registrants. The birthdate is
confidential under the Privacy Act. A Privacy Act System of Records Notice, published on April
17, 2008 (73 FR 20914) became effective on June 11, 2008 (73 FR 33065). The Paperwork
Reduction Act Statement on each form gives assurance of confidentiality.
11. Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual
behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered
private.
Except for “date of birth”, this information collection does not involve information of a sensitive
nature. The date of birth is required to distinguish between same names:
♦ To ensure that benefits are awarded appropriately;
♦ To ensure that landings and other Program-related functions are credited and applied
appropriately in a manner that maintains confidentiality;
♦ To avoid inappropriate release of confidential data to the wrong person;
♦ To ensure that the records go to the same person through the use of this personal ID; and

10

♦ To enable NMFS to assign a unique identifier to database records avoiding duplication
and errors.
12. Provide an estimate in hours of the burden of the collection of information.
Total estimated annual respondents: 27,963, up from 15,983. Total estimated responses: 6,436,
down from 9,442. Total estimated annual burden hours: 1,2065, down from 1,816 hr. Total
estimated personnel cost: $25,163, down from $37,162.
13. Provide an estimate of the total annual cost burden to the respondents or recordkeepers resulting from the collection (excluding the value of the burden hours in Question
12 above).
Total estimated miscellaneous costs: $17,663, down from $26,795.
14. Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government.
Total estimated responses: 4,839, down from 6,805. Total estimated annual burden hours: 403,
down from 544 hr. Total estimated personnel cost: $10,075, down from $13,600.
15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments.
Program Change: This action changes the estimated number of eligible participants in the
Program due to the addition of new, eligible, rural residents.
Adjustment: This analysis changes the method to estimate responses based on actual data rather
than estimated total eligible persons. This information provides a percentage active based on the
known number of participants issued a SHARC in a year, and the known number of active
fishermen using a SHARC in a year.
Thus, although the respondent pool will increase, the actual responses, hours and costs will
decrease.
16. For collections whose results will be published, outline the plans for tabulation and
publication.
Information obtained through registration to issue SHARC is posted on the NMFS Alaska
Region at http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/ram/subsistence/halibut.htm#SHARC. The information
is posted in lists sorted by holder, by eligible tribe, and by eligible community. In addition,
NMFS posts a summary by date of SHARC issued to rural and tribal applicants. NMFS does not
plan any statistical sampling of the information.
17. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the
information collection, explain the reasons why display would be inappropriate.
NA.

11

18. Explain each exception to the certification statement.
NA.
B. COLLECTIONS OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS
This collection does not employ statistical methods.

12