Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Southeast Region Dealer and Interview Family of Forms

AGENCY:

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES:

Written comments must be submitted on or before August 1, 2016.

ADDRESSES:

Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at JJessup@doc.gov).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information or copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should be directed to Dr. David Gloeckner, (305) 361-4257 or david.gloeckner@noaa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

This request is for revision of a current information collection.

Fishery quotas are established for many species in the fishery management plans developed by the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Fishery Management Council, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and The Caribbean Fishery Management Council. The Southeast Fisheries Science Center has been delegated the responsibility to monitor these quotas. To do so in a timely manner, seafood dealers that handle these species are required to report the purchases (landings) of these species. The frequency of these reporting requirements varies depending on the magnitude of the quota (e.g., lower quota usually require more frequent reporting) and the intensity of fishing effort. The most common reporting frequency is twice a month; however, some fishery quotas, (e.g., the mackerel gill net) necessitate weekly or by the trip reporting.

In addition, information collection included in this family of forms includes interview with fishermen to gather information on the fishing effort, location and type of gear used on individual trips. This data collection is conducted for a subsample of the fishing trips and vessel/trips in selected commercial fisheries in the Southeast region and commercial fisheries of the U.S. Caribbean. Fishing trips and individuals are selected at random to provide a viable statistical sample. These data are used for scientific analyses that support critical conservation and management decisions made by national and international fishery management organizations.

A revision to this collection is requested because the Caribbean Fishery Management Council has asked that commercial trip interviews be conducted for the fisheries of the Caribbean. In order to support this request, the SEFSC has developed a sampling procedure which will require additional commercial trip interview with fishers in the Caribbean. This data collection is authorized under 50 CFR part 622.5.

II. Method of Collection

Dealer reports may be emailed, faxed or mailed. Information from fisherman is obtained by face-to-face interviews.

III. Data

OMB Number: 0648-0013.

Form Number: None.

Type of Review: Regular submission (revision of a current information collection).

Affected Public: Business and other for-profit organizations.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 7,580.

Estimated Time per Response:

Dealer reporting for monitoring Federal fishery annual catch limits (ACLs): Coastal fisheries dealers reporting, 10 minutes; mackerel dealer reporting (non-gillnet), 10 minutes; mackerel dealer reporting (gillnet), 10 minutes; mackerel vessel reporting (gillnet), 10 minutes; wreckfish dealer reporting, 10 minutes.

Bioprofile data from Trip Interview programs (TIP): Shrimp Interviews,10 minutes; Fin Fish interviews, 10 minutes.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 3,404.

Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0 in recordkeeping/reporting costs.

IV. Request for Comments

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden (including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information collection; they also will become a matter of public record.