60-Day FRN

Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 94 / Tuesday, May 14, 2024 / 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; Fishery Capacity Reduction
Program/Buyback Requests
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 July 15, 2024.
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–
0376 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 Moni
Banerjee, Chief, Financial Services
Division, NOAA National Marine
Fisheries Service, (301) 427–8716 or
moni.banerjee@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

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SUMMARY:

I. Abstract
This request is for extension of a
currently approved information
collection. The Sustainable Fisheries
Act (SFA) amended the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act (MSA) to provide for
voluntary reduction of excess fishing
capacity through fishing capacity
reduction (buyback) programs. Excess
fishing capacity decreases fisheries
earnings, complicates fishery
management, and imperils fishery
conservation. The statutory objective of
a program is ‘‘to obtain the maximum

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sustained reduction in fishing capacity
at the least cost and in a minimum
period of time.’’ Buybacks pay
fishermen either to: (1) Surrender their
fishing permits; or (2) both surrender
their permits and either scrap their
fishing vessels or restrict vessel title to
prevent fishing. Buybacks can involve
either a Federal or State fishery.
Buybacks can be funded via a long-term
loan from the Federal government to the
fishery (industry-funded buybacks), to
be repaid by the industry by postbuyback landing fees, or funded from
appropriations (non-industry funded) or
other non-loan sources of funds.
Programs involving industry-financed
loans are authorized by section 1111 of
title XI of the Merchant Marine Act,
1936.
NOAA National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS) established programs to
reduce excess fishing capacity by paying
fishermen to surrender their vessels/
permits. The information collected by
NMFS involves the submission of
buyback requests by industry,
submission of bids, referenda of fishery
participants and reporting of collection
of fees to repay buyback loans. For
buybacks involving State-managed
fisheries, the State may be involved in
developing the buyback plan and
complying with other information
requirements. NMFS requests
information from participating buyback
participants to track repayments of the
loans as well as ensure accurate
management and monitoring of the
loans. The fees for recordkeeping and
reporting requirements at 50 CFR parts
600.1013 through 600.1017 form the
basis for the collection of information.
II. Method of Collection
Paper reports or electronic reports are
required from buyback participants.
Methods of submittal include mailing of
paper reports, electronic submission via
the internet.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0648–0376.
Form Number: None.
Type of Review: Regular submission.
[Extension of a current information
collection.]
Affected Public: Individuals or
households; business or other for-profit
organizations.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
200.
Estimated Time per Response:
Implementation plan, 6,634 hours;
referenda votes, bids, seller/buyer
reports and annual fee collection
reports, 4 hours each; completion of fish
ticket, 10 minutes; monthly fee
collection report, 2 hours; advising

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holder/owner of conflict with accepted
bidders’ representations, 1 hour;
potentially 270 hours-state approval/
review of plans.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 15,838.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to
Public: $1,596 in recordkeeping/filing
costs.
Respondent’s Obligation: Required to
Obtain or Retain Benefits.
Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Reauthorization Act.
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 Under Secretary for Economic Affairs,
Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2024–10530 Filed 5–13–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

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