The Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for
the Shrimp Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico was amended by Amendment
13 to include a mandatory electronic logbook program. Owners and
operators of permitted vessels, if selected by the National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS), are required to have an electronic
logbook (ELB) installed on their vessel. ELBs have improved bycatch
estimates in the shrimp fleet and they are a more precise tool to
estimate fishing effort than paper logbooks. The ELBs automatically
record vessel position information, which is then downloaded by
NMFS contract personnel every 2-3 months.
PL:
Pub.L. 94 - 265 303 Name of Law: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
Program Change: The number of
respondents will increase by 100 for this collection due to the
expansion of the ELB program. NMFS will purchase and install an
additional 100 ELB units in 2012. This will add 50 hours for
initial installation and 10 hours for the six periodic downloads
and removals for these added units. Adjustment: Burden is no longer
needed for initial installation of the logbooks for the current 500
ELB units. This removes 250 hours.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.