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 form "Close Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Account Request" that is approved under OMB Control No. 0648-0551. This requirement is being added to the regulations through a rulemaking (0648-BD36). This form allows IFQ shareholders and dealers in the Gulf IFQ programs to close an IFQ account. If IFQ account holders no longer commercially fish, no longer own any IFQ shares or allocation, no longer wish to participate as a dealer, or if an account holder is deceased, they may wish to close their IFQ account. When this form was approved by OMB in 2012, only one IFQ account holder was required to sign the form. This change request would revise this form to require ALL IFQ account holders on the IFQ account to sign the close account form. In order to close an IFQ account, IFQ holders must have transferred all shares and allocation to another IFQ account. Also, dealers must have paid all of their cost recovery fees to close an IFQ dealer account. This form can be found online on the Web site: http://ifq.sero.nmfs.noaa.gov. The completed form must be mailed to: NOAA Fisheries Service, Sustainable Fisheries Division, Attn: IFQ Program, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.

The response and burden estimates would not change. Although more signatures would be required on the close account form, the increase of burden time is not significant enough to change the net burden time for this information collection.

Thus, the respondent, response, burden and cost estimates, for OMB Control No. 0648-0551 would remain at 1,644 respondents, 28,246 responses, 2,339 hours, and $333,046.

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