Justification for change

JUSTIFICATION FOR CHANGE

SOUTHEAST REGION IFQ PROGRAMS

OMB CONTROL NO. 0648-0551

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) manages three individual fishing quota (IFQ) programs in the Southeast Region under OMB Control Number 0648-0551: the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) red snapper IFQ program, the Gulf grouper/tilefish IFQ program and the South Atlantic wreckfish ITQ (individual transferable quota) program. The Gulf red snapper and the Gulf grouper/tilefish IFQ programs are managed under the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf Reef Fish FMP). The South Atlantic wreckfish ITQ program in managed under the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper FMP). Since 1992, for South Atlantic wreckfish, 2007 for Gulf red snapper, and 2010 for Gulf grouper and tilefish, NMFS has been collecting information to administer and operate these three IFQ programs, which are intended to address overcapitalization, prevent derby fishery conditions, and prevent overfishing of these resources. These collections address IFQ share certificate and allocation debits and transfers, as well as collection of landings information necessary to operate, administer, and review management of commercial red snapper, and grouper/tilefish in the Gulf and wreckfish in the South Atlantic.

This change request would modify the IFQ online account application for the Gulf red snapper and grouper/tilefish IFQ programs. The IFQ online account application would be revised to require IFQ account holders that are businesses to include their “doing business as” (DBA) names. The DBAs will provide the Southeast Regional Office with unique identifiers for tracking permit holders/IFQ account holders. The IFQ online account applications will also be revised to add email addresses which will give the Southeast Regional Office another means of communicating with the IFQ account holders. The Magnuson-Stevens Act, Regulatory Flexibility Act, and Executive Orders 12866 and 12131 require the determination of these facts.

These changes would not result in the estimated time per response changing, therefore, it would still take approximately 10 minutes to complete the IFQ online account application.

Thus, the respondent, response, burden and cost estimate, for OMB Control No. 0648-0551 would not change and remain at 1,650 respondents, 28,254 responses, 2,303 hours, and $980,524.