Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Alaska Region Amendment 80 Permits and Reports, 10757 [2010-4951]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 45 (Tuesday, March 9, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Page 10757]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-4951]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Alaska Region 
Amendment 80 Permits and Reports

AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), DOC.

ACTION: Notice.

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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 May 10, 2010.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Diana Hynek, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6625, 14th 
and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet 
at dHynek@doc.gov).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should 
be directed to Patsy A. Bearden, at (907) 586-7008 or 
patsy.bearden@noaa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    Amendment 80 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the 
Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI FMP), primarily 
allocates BSAI non-pollock trawl groundfish fisheries among fishing 
sectors and facilitates the formation of harvesting cooperatives in the 
head-and-gut trawl catcher/processor sector. Sector allocations and 
associated cooperatives allow participants to focus less on harvest 
rate maximization and more on optimizing their harvest. This, in turn, 
allows a reduction in unwanted incidental catch, improved retention, 
improved utilization, and improved economic health of the head-and-gut 
trawl catcher/processor sector. Amendment 80 established a limited 
access privilege program for the non-American Fisheries Act (non-AFA) 
trawl catcher/processor sector.
    The Amendment 80 permits and reports collection provides 
participants with a management system that allows for improved 
efficiency by providing an environment in which, revenues can be 
increased and operating costs can be reduced. Depending on the 
magnitude of these potential efficiency gains and the costs of bycatch 
reduction, increases in efficiency could be used to cover the costs of 
bycatch reduction measures or provide additional benefits to 
participants.
    Licenses and vessels used to qualify for the Amendment 80 Program 
(either to be included in the non-AFA trawl catcher/processor sector or 
to be used in Amendment 80 cooperative formation) are restricted from 
being used outside of the Amendment 80 sector, except that any eligible 
vessel authorized to fish pollock under the AFA would still be 
authorized to fish under this statute.
    The fishery participants that join a cooperative receive an 
exclusive harvest privilege not subject to harvest by other vessel 
operators; may consolidate fishing operations on a specific vessel or 
subset of vessels, thereby reducing monitoring and enforcement and 
other operational costs; and harvest fish in a more economically 
efficient and less wasteful manner.

II. Method of Collection

    Respondents have a choice of either electronic or paper forms. 
Methods of submittal include e-mail of electronic forms, and mail and 
facsimile transmission of paper forms.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0565.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations; 
Individuals or households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 44.
    Estimated Time per Response: Application for Amendment 80 
cooperative and cooperative quota permit, application for Amendment 80 
quota share, application for Amendment 80 limited access fishery, 
application to transfer Amendment 80 quota share and application to 
transfer Amendment 80 cooperative quota, 2 hours; Amendment 80 
cooperative catch report, 30 minutes; annual Amendment 80 cooperative 
report and appeals, 4 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 896.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $2,732 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.

    Dated: March 4, 2010.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2010-4951 Filed 3-8-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P