0648-0564 Supporting Statement B

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

U.S. Department of Commerce

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration

Groundfish Trawl Catcher/Processor Economic Data Report (EDR)

OMB Control No. 0648-0564

B. Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods

1. Describe (including a numerical estimate) the potential respondent universe and any sampling or other respondent selection method to be used. Data on the number of entities (e.g., establishments, State and local government units, households, or persons) in the universe covered by the collection and in the corresponding sample are to be provided in tabular form for the universe as a whole and for each of the strata in the proposed sample. Indicate expected response rates for the collection as a whole. If the collection had been conducted previously, include the actual response rate achieved during the last collection.

Groundfish harvest includes both the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) and Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area; therefore groundfish activity from both areas is included. Each catcher/processor is required to have one Amendment 80 quota share (QS) permit and one License Limitation Program (LLP) license, or an LLP groundfish license. Owners of multiple licenses and associated vessels are required annually to submit one Annual Trawl Catcher/Processor Economic Data Report (EDR) for each licensed vessel. In 2020, 30 entities submitted an EDR for a 100% response rate.

Entity Type	Sample Size
30 catcher/processors in GOA	100%

2. Describe the procedures for the collection of information including:

   • Statistical methodology for stratification and sample selection,

   • Estimation procedure,

   • Degree of accuracy needed for the purpose described in the justification,

   • Unusual problems requiring specialized sampling procedures, and

   • Any use of periodic (less frequent than annual) data collection cycles to reduce burden.

This ICR uses an annual census of all 30 catcher/processors, as any other sampling methodology would produce too few observations to estimate representative levels of cost, earnings, and other outputs required for this collection. As the EDR is a mandatory collection, and valuable fishing privileges will be withheld if an EDR is not submitted, we anticipate a 100 percent response rate from QS holders. QS and LLP licenses that designate participation in the GOA trawl fisheries are issued to entities, rather than vessels, and specific provisions require that each participant is responsible for including data from any acquired vessel in this sector.

In 2018, a discussion paper reviewing the EDR Program information collections was prepared to inform the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council in its process to potentially revise the collections. The Council is presently reviewing the program with its Social Sciences Planning Team assigned the task. The discussion paper contains an extensive history of the development of the EDR Program as well as a literature review regarding data collection methods and data quality. That document is incorporated by reference here. (https://meetings.npfmc.org/CommentReview/DownloadFile?p=1f542e61-0dfc-465e-92eb-f7f00ab70edc.pdf&fileName=D5%20EDR%20Discussion%20Paper.pdf)

Given that a maximum of 30 catcher/processors will be participating in this fishery, it is not feasible to generate enough observations on any one of the variables without applying this collection annually. And, random sampling from this population is not a viable option for statistical reasons. Based upon the degrees of freedom and number of observations required for estimating the statistical relationship among the variables in this collection, data in the Annual Trawl Catcher/Processor EDR may be pooled to create a time-series of cross-sectional data in order to generate sufficient observations for economic and statistical analysis. Although the strata to be used in preparing analyses (either deterministic or statistical) of management actions for this fleet will depend on the specific questions of interest, vessels are commonly stratified by vessel length and the distribution and amount of catch by species.

3. Describe methods to maximize response rates and to deal with issues of non-response. The accuracy and reliability of information collected must be shown to be adequate for intended uses. For collections based on sampling, a special justification must be provided for any collection that will not yield "reliable" data that can be generalized to the universe studied.

Each of the owners and leaseholders in the catcher/processor sector is required to annually submit the EDR. Therefore, the response to mandatory data requirements should be very high. Those individuals who do not submit their EDR by the submission date will receive a follow-up phone call from Pacific States. If a solution cannot be reached at that point, their information will be referred to the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement. Therefore, we anticipate a response rate of 100 percent.

Enforcement of the GOA Trawl EDR Program with regard to non-compliance has been different from enforcement programs used to ensure that accurate landings are reported. The economic data are not being used for in-season management; persons submitting the data are given an opportunity to correct omissions and errors before any enforcement action is taken.

Giving the person submitting data a chance to correct problems is important because of the complexities associated with generating these data. Only if the agency and the person submitting the data cannot reach a solution will the enforcement agency be contacted. The intent of this program is to ensure that accurate data are collected without being overly burdensome on industry for unintended errors.

4. Describe any tests of procedures or methods to be undertaken. Testing is encouraged as an effective means of refining collections of information to minimize burden and improve utility. Tests must be approved if they call for answers to identical questions from 10 or more respondents. A proposed test or set of tests may be submitted for approval separately or in combination with the main collection of information.

Since the GOA Trawl EDR Program has been in place, informal testing has taken place by meeting with EDR submitters to discuss ways in which the forms used to request information could be improved. The accountants that perform the data quality audits, as well as Pacific States (who administer the data collection), also document ways in which the EDRs could be clarified, and this information is used to clarify instructions and variable definitions for this EDR. In addition, the Council’s Social Sciences Planning Team is presently reviewing all EDR collections to advise the Council on potential EDR revisions.

5. Provide the name and telephone number of individuals consulted on statistical aspects of the design and the name of the agency unit, contractor(s), grantee(s), or other person(s) who will actually collect and/or analyze the information for the agency.

Gabrielle Aberle [PRA package review]

Sustainable Fisheries PRA Coordinator

NOAA/NMFS Alaska Region

PH (907) 586-7356

Email Address: gabrielle.aberle@noaa.gov

Brian Garber-Yonts, Ph.D. [statistical design and analysis of data]

Research Economist

NOAA/NMFS, Alaska Fisheries Science Center PH: (206) 526-6301

Email Address: Brian.Garber-yonts@noaa.gov

Scott A. Miller. [Lead EDR regulatory analyst)

Industry Economist

NOAA/NMFS Alaska Region

PH (907) 523-8991

Email Address: scott.miller@noaa.gov

Geana Tyler [collection of data, verification of accuracy of data]

Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission

PH: (503) 595-3100

Email Address: gtyler@psmfc.org

Stephanie Warpinski [specialist on EDR regulations]

NOAA/NMFS, Alaska Region

PH: (907) 586-7234

Email Address: stephanie.warpinski@noaa.gov

Steve Whitney [administers Amendment 80 Program]

NOAA/NMFS, Alaska Region

PH: (907) 586-7269

Email Address: steve.whitney@noaa.gov

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