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522

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 3 / Wednesday, January 6, 2021 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
Review and Approval; Comment
Request; An Observer Program for AtSea Processing Vessels in the Pacific
Coast Groundfish Fishery
National Oceanic &
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of information collection,
request for comment.
AGENCY:

The Department of
Commerce, in accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA), invites the general public and
other Federal agencies to comment on
proposed, and continuing information
collections, which helps us assess the
impact of our information collection
requirements and minimize the public’s
reporting burden. The purpose of this
notice is to allow for 60 days of public
comment preceding submission of the
collection to OMB.
DATES: To ensure consideration,
comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received
on or before March 8, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are
invited to submit written comments to
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer,
at Adrienne.thomas@noaa.gov. Please
reference OMB Control Number 0648–
0500 in the subject line of your
comments. Do not submit Confidential
Business Information or otherwise
sensitive or protected information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection
activities should be directed to Matt
Dunlap, Fishery Policy Analyst, West
Coast Regional Office, 7600 Sand Point
Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115, (206) 526–
6119, or matthew.dunlap@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

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SUMMARY:

I. Abstract
In 2011, the National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS) mandated observer
requirements for the West Coast
groundfish trawl catch shares program.
For all fishery sectors, observers must be
obtained through third-party observer
provider companies operating under
permits issued by NMFS. The
regulations at §§ 660.140(h), 660.150(j),
and 660.160(g), specify observer
coverage requirements for trawl vessels
and define the responsibilities for
observer providers, including reporting

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requirements. Regulations at
§ 660.140(i) specify requirements for
catch monitor coverage for first
receivers. Data collected by observers
are used by NMFS to estimate total
landed catch and discards, monitor the
attainment of annual groundfish
allocations, estimate catch rates of
prohibited species, and as a component
in stock assessments. These data are
necessary to comply with the
Magnuson-Stevens Act requirements to
prevent overfishing. In addition,
observer data is used to assess fishing
related mortality of protected and
endangered species.
II. Method of Collection
This collection utilizes both
electronic and paper forms, depending
on the specific item. Methods of
submittal include email of electronic
forms, and mail and facsimile
transmission of paper forms.
Additionally, this collection utilizes
interviews for some information
collection and phone calls for
transmission of other information.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0648–0500.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Review: Regular submission
(extension of a current information
collection).
Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
268 (5 providers (supplying a total of 75
observers or catch monitors) and 263
fishing vessels).
Estimated Time per Response: For
providers: 15 minutes for observer
training/briefing/debriefing registration,
notification of observer physical
examination, observer status reports,
other reports on observer harassment,
safety concerns, or performance
problems, catch monitor status reports,
and other catch monitor reports on
harassment, prohibited actions, illness
or injury, or performance problems; 5
minutes for observer safety checklist
submission to NMFS, observer provider
contracts, observer information
materials, catch monitor provider
contracts, and catch monitor
informational materials; 10 minutes for
certificate of insurance; 7 minutes for
catch monitor training/briefing
registration, notification of catch
monitor physical examination, and
catch monitor debriefing registration.
For vessels: 10 minutes for fishing
departure reports and cease-fishing
reports.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 525 (305 for providers and 220
for fishing vessels.

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Estimated Total Annual Cost to
Public: $0 in capital costs as it is
assumed that each of the 5 observer/
catch monitor providers will maintain a
computer system with email capacity
for general business purposes and that
each vessel owner/operator has access
to a telephone for toll-free calls.
Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory.
Legal Authority: The regulations at
§§ 660.140(h), 660.150(j), and
660.160(g), specify observer coverage
requirements for trawl vessels and
define the responsibilities for observer
providers, including reporting
requirements. Regulations at
§ 660.140(i) specify requirements for
catch monitor coverage for first
receivers.
IV. Request for Comments
We are soliciting public comments to
permit the Department/Bureau to: (a)
Evaluate whether the proposed
information collection is necessary for
the proper functions of the Department,
including whether the information will
have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the
accuracy of our estimate of the time and
cost burden for this proposed collection,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (c)
Evaluate ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and (d) Minimize the
reporting burden on those who are to
respond, including the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology.
Comments that you submit in
response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include or
summarize each comment in our request
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before
including your address, phone number,
email address, or other personal
identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that
your entire comment—including your
personal identifying information—may
be made publicly available at any time.
While you may ask us in your comment
to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of
the Chief Information Officer, Commerce
Department.
[FR Doc. 2020–29269 Filed 1–5–21; 8:45 am]
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