Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Electronic Dealer Reporting Requirements, 37750-37761 [2011-16208]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 124 (Tuesday, June 28, 2011)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 37750-37761]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-16208]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 635

[Docket No. 110208116-1315-01]
RIN 0648-BA75


Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Electronic Dealer Reporting 
Requirements

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Proposed rule; request for comments; notice of public hearings.

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SUMMARY: This proposed rule would require that Federal Atlantic 
swordfish, shark, and tunas dealers report commercially harvested 
Atlantic sharks, swordfish, and bigeye, albacore, yellowfin, and 
skipjack (BAYS) tunas to NMFS through an electronic reporting system. 
At this time, Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) dealers would not 
be required to report bluefin tuna through this electronic reporting 
system, as a separate reporting system is currently in place for this 
species. This rulemaking also proposes that a dealer would only be 
authorized to receive commercially harvested Atlantic sharks, 
swordfish, and BAYS tunas if the dealer's previous reports have been 
submitted by the dealer and received by NMFS in a timely manner. Any 
delinquent reports would need to be submitted by the dealer and 
received by NMFS before a dealer could receive commercially harvested 
Atlantic sharks, swordfish, and BAYS tunas from a Federally permitted 
U.S. vessel. Finally, this rulemaking proposes that all first receivers 
of commercially harvested Atlantic sharks, swordfish, and BAYS tunas by 
Federally permitted U.S. vessels must obtain a corresponding Federal 
Atlantic swordfish, shark, and/or tunas dealer permit. First receivers 
must report the associated catch to NMFS through the electronic 
reporting system. These measures are necessary to ensure timely and 
accurate reporting, which is critical for quota monitoring and 
management of these species.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before August 12, 2011. 
NMFS will hold eight public hearings on this proposed rule in July 
2011. For specific dates and times, see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
section of this document.

ADDRESSES: The public hearings will be held in Massachusetts, New York, 
New Jersey, North Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana. For specific 
locations see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.
    You may submit comments, identified by ``0648-BA75,'' by any one of 
the following methods:
     Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov. Please do not submit electronic comments via e-
mail, as doing so is likely to delay the timely review and 
consideration of submitted comments.
     Fax: 301-713-1917, Attn: Karyl Brewster-Geisz.
     Mail: National Marine Fisheries Service, c/o HMS 
Management Division, SF/1, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 
20910. Please mark the outside of the envelope ``Comments on Proposed 
Rule for Electronic Dealer Reporting.''
     Instructions: All comments received are part of the public 
record and generally will be posted to Portal https://www.regulations.gov without change. All Personal Identifying 
Information (for example, name, address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by 
the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit Confidential 
Business Information or otherwise sensitive information.
    NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required 
fields if you wish to remain anonymous). Attachments to electronic 
comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or 
Adobe PDF file formats only.
    Written comments regarding the burden-hour estimates or other 
aspects of the collection-of-information requirements contained in this 
proposed rule may be submitted to Delisse Ortiz with the Atlantic 
Highly Migratory Species Management Division and by e-mail to OIRA_Submission@omb.eop.gov or fax to 202-395-7285.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jackie Wilson at 240-338-3936, or 
Karyl Brewster-Geisz or Delisse Ortiz at 301-713-2347.
    Copies of this proposed rule and related documents, including a 
Regulatory Impact Review (RIR) and Initial Regulatory Flexibility 
Analysis (IRFA), for this action are available online at the HMS 
Management Division Web site: https://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Atlantic HMS are managed under the dual authority of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), 16 U.S.C. 1801 
et seq., and the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (ATCA), 16 U.S.C. 971 et 
seq. Under the MSA, NMFS must ensure consistency with the National 
Standards and manage fisheries to maintain optimum yield, rebuild 
overfished fisheries, and prevent overfishing. Under the ATCA, the 
Secretary of Commerce is required to promulgate regulations, as may be 
necessary and appropriate, to implement the recommendations adopted by 
the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas 
(ICCAT). The authority to issue regulations under MSA and ATCA has been 
delegated from the Secretary to the Assistant Administrator for 
Fisheries, NOAA (AA). The implementing regulations for Atlantic HMS are 
at 50 CFR part 635.

Atlantic HMS Dealer Reporting

    On December 13, 1991 (56 FR 65007), and October 18, 1994 (59 FR 
52453), NMFS published in the Federal Register final regulations, 
effective December 10, 1991, and January 1, 1995, respectively, 
requiring dealers who receive swordfish and sharks to obtain an annual 
Federal dealer permit and report to NMFS every two weeks. These reports 
were either ``positive'' reports, where dealers reported the amount and 
species bought from fishermen, or ``negative'' reports, where dealers 
indicated no transactions for the reporting period. Swordfish and shark 
dealers reported voluntarily to NMFS until a rulemaking on August 31, 
1990 (55 FR 35643), which required swordfish dealers to report monthly 
to NMFS as of October 1, 1990. Dealers were first required to report 
sharks to NMFS on a bi-weekly basis according to the October 18, 1994, 
rule.
    On August 15, 2001 (66 FR 42801), NMFS required dealers to submit 
bi-weekly reports of BAYS tunas to NMFS. Prior to this rule, which 
became effective on September 14, 2001, NMFS required dealers to report 
BAYS only

[[Page 37751]]

when received together with sharks and swordfish pursuant to the 1999 
Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Tunas, Swordfish, and Sharks. 
Otherwise, dealers voluntarily reported BAYS to NMFS.
    To date, such reporting by Federally-permitted dealers has depended 
on the location of the dealer. For dealers located south of Virginia, 
reports have been submitted in a paper format to the Southeast 
Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC). These dealers have been required to 
provide dressed weight, price per pound, and vessel information 
compiled over a two-week reporting period. If no purchases of HMS 
products are made during a reporting period, the dealer is required to 
submit a ``negative'' report to NMFS indicating that no purchases were 
made. Dealer reports are scanned, and data are entered into the Pelagic 
Dealer Compliance (PDC) database housed within the SEFSC. As of July 
24, 2008 (June 24, 2008, 73 FR 35778; corrected on July 15, 2008, 73 FR 
40658), Federal Atlantic HMS dealers have been required to submit 
reports of Atlantic tunas, swordfish, and/or sharks received from the 
1st through the 15th of each month, and have them received by NMFS not 
later than the 25th of that month. Reports of Atlantic tunas, 
swordfish, and/or sharks received on the 16th through the last day of 
each month must be received by NMFS not later than the 10th of the 
following month. As a result, assuming timely reporting by dealers, 
there currently is a delay of 10 to 25 days before the Federal HMS 
dealer data are available in the PDC database.
    For dealers located north of North Carolina, prior to 2004, Federal 
HMS dealer reports were collected either directly from dealers through 
Federal field agents during dockside interviews or through a state's 
trip ticket program, contingent upon the data collection method of the 
state. In May 2004, the Northeast Regional Office (NERO) of NMFS 
launched the Standard Atlantic Fisheries Information System (SAFIS) for 
Federally-permitted seafood dealers. SAFIS is an online application 
that allows seafood dealers in the Northeast region to enter landings 
statistics. The partners of the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics 
Program (ACCSP) created SAFIS to meet the increasing need for real-time 
commercial landings data. On May 1, 2004, NERO required dealers issued 
a Federal dealer permit by NERO to submit all their landings data for 
each trip through SAFIS. Any dealer that has been issued a permit for a 
NERO-managed species/species complex (e.g., scallop, bluefish, 
multispecies, etc.) is required to report all their purchases 
electronically through SAFIS. This includes dealers in states that are 
physically located in the Southeast region. The only exceptions are 
those dealers that possess only Atlantic tunas dealer permits or 
American Lobster dealer permits. SAFIS is available to those tuna 
dealers who also hold a NERO-managed species/species complex dealer 
permit. Atlantic bluefin tuna, in all cases, are reported to NMFS 
through separate reporting mechanisms. Additionally, a swordfish or 
shark dealer that is located in the Northeast, and does not have a 
dealer permit issued by NERO (swordfish and shark dealer permits are 
issued by SERO while tuna dealer permits are issued by NERO), continues 
to follow the reporting mechanisms that were in place before 2004.
    These separate reporting mechanisms in the Southeast and Northeast 
regions have led to duplicative data submissions in both the Northeast 
and Southeast systems as well as delays in the receipt of landing data 
received through dealer reports. As the commercial harvest of HMS is 
monitored through data received from dealer reports, timely receipt of 
dealer data is critical for quota monitoring and management of these 
species. Thus, in this proposed rule, NMFS would require Federal 
Atlantic HMS dealers to report commercially-harvested Atlantic sharks, 
swordfish, and BAYS tunas to NMFS through one centralized HMS 
electronic reporting system which utilizes existing state and Federal 
electronic reporting programs in the different regions for dealer data 
entry. The HMS electronic reporting system would be housed in the 
existing state and Federal electronic reporting programs (e.g., SAFIS 
and Bluefin Data LLC) to allow dealers to report all landings in one 
place and to reduce the reporting burden on dealers. In addition, this 
HMS electronic reporting system would allow dealers to submit Atlantic 
sharks, swordfish, and BAYS tunas data on a closer to real-time basis 
and in a more streamlined fashion that would reduce duplicative data 
submissions from different regions.

Late Dealer Reports

    In addition to duplicative reporting, there have also been issues 
of late reporting by Federal Atlantic HMS dealers. This non-compliance 
has particularly been an issue for a small number of the Atlantic shark 
dealers. Over time, this pattern of late reporting has resulted in NMFS 
having to contact dealers regarding late reports via phone calls and 
certified correspondence regarding their late reports, and, in some 
cases, necessitated visits by local port agents and/or agents with the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Law 
Enforcement. These efforts to follow up on late dealer reports 
negatively affect timely quota monitoring and drain scarce staff 
resources. To ensure more timely reporting by all Atlantic HMS dealers, 
this rulemaking is proposing that a Federal Atlantic HMS dealer would 
only be authorized to receive commercially-harvested Atlantic 
swordfish, sharks, and BAYS tunas if the dealer has submitted all 
required reports to NMFS. Any delinquent reports would need to be 
submitted by the dealer and received by NMFS before a Federal Atlantic 
HMS dealer could receive commercially-harvested Atlantic swordfish, 
sharks, and BAYS tunas from a Federally-permitted U.S. vessel. Although 
submission of delinquent reports would allow a dealer to receive 
commercially-harvested Atlantic swordfish, sharks, and BAYS tunas from 
a Federally-permitted U.S. vessel, late reporting is still a violation 
of the regulations. The electronic dealer reporting system would track 
the timing and submissions of Federal Atlantic HMS dealer reports and 
automatically notify dealers and NMFS (the HMS Management Division and 
NMFS Office of Law Enforcement) via e-mail if reports are delinquent.

First Receiver

    Per 50 CFR 635.4(g), any person that receives, purchases, trades 
for, or barters for Atlantic HMS for a commercial purpose from a 
Federally-permitted U.S. vessel must possess a valid Atlantic HMS 
dealer permit. As mentioned above, Federal Atlantic HMS dealers are 
required to report any Atlantic tunas, swordfish, and/or sharks that 
they receive from Federally-permitted U.S. vessels to NMFS on a bi-
weekly basis (50 CFR 635.5(b)). Per Sec.  635.4(g)(2), the first 
receiver of Atlantic shark product harvested by a Federally-permitted 
U.S. vessel must obtain a Federal Atlantic shark dealer permit, and s/
he, or a suitable proxy, must have a current valid Atlantic shark 
identification workshop certificate per 50 CFR 635.8. For reasons 
articulated in detail below, the proposed rule would require any person 
who first receives and processes sharks (e.g., offloading them from the 
vessels and packing them on ice and in containers for shipment) to 
obtain a Federal Atlantic HMS dealer permit and to provide species-
specific information via dealer reports to NMFS.
    In practice, Federal Atlantic shark dealers who purchase Atlantic 
sharks from Federally-permitted U.S. vessels are not always the first 
receiver of

[[Page 37752]]

sharks. For instance, independent contractors may pack up shark product 
from a vessel and transport the product to a dealer location; however, 
these individuals are currently not required to report to NMFS. In 
addition, in some instances, Federally-permitted dealers with access to 
a fishing dock may pack product for shipment for a small fee and pass 
product to other Federally-permitted dealers without access to a dock, 
who in turn report to NMFS. Subsequently, it is difficult for a dealer 
to reliably report species-specific information to NMFS based upon 
product that has already been packed for shipment. This practice also 
occurs in the swordfish and tunas fisheries but, due to the fact that 
there are fewer species and price differences between those species are 
greater, species-specific reporting is more easily achieved. However, 
in all these cases, if the dealer is not the first receiver, the dealer 
often does not have the vessel-specific information that NMFS requires 
in order to properly and accurately manage HMS fisheries. Thus, in 
order to ensure accurate fish condition (e.g., fins naturally attached 
to sharks), species-specific and vessel-specific reporting of Atlantic 
swordfish, sharks, and BAYS tunas, NMFS is proposing to require Federal 
Atlantic swordfish, shark, and tunas dealer permits for all first 
receivers of Atlantic sharks, swordfish, and BAYS tunas. This 
requirement would include those that transport Atlantic swordfish, 
shark, and BAYS tuna product. First receivers would be required to 
report all Atlantic sharks, swordfish, and BAYS tunas offloaded from 
Federally-permitted U.S. fishing vessels to NMFS through the electronic 
reporting system.
    While NMFS is proposing the above approach for this action, NMFS is 
also considering alternate scenarios regarding who should obtain a 
Federal HMS dealer permit in order to ensure accurate species-specific 
reporting. One such scenario would keep the current definition of 
``first receiver'' and apply it to all entities that first receive 
Atlantic swordfish and BAYS tunas, meaning that all first receivers of 
Atlantic swordfish and BAYS tunas would need to obtain the appropriate 
Federal HMS dealer permit(s) unless they first receive Atlantic 
swordfish and BAYS tunas solely for the purpose of transport. NMFS has 
not preferred this in the proposed action because, as mentioned above, 
it is difficult for any Federal Atlantic shark dealer to reliably 
report species-specific information to NMFS based upon product that has 
already been packed for shipment.
    The second scenario would be to modify the definition for first 
receiver as proposed and require first receivers as well as entities 
that purchase product from U.S. fishing vessels (i.e., entities who are 
currently required to obtain a dealer permit) to obtain the appropriate 
Federal HMS dealer permits. In some cases this would result in 
duplicative reporting by both the first receiver and the Federally-
permitted HMS dealer. However, it would ensure that the person(s) who 
first receives the product from a U.S. fishing vessel and packs the 
product would also report to NMFS. Below NMFS asks for specific 
feedback on these alternate scenarios and the proposed approach.
    In summary, this rulemaking proposes that all commercially-
harvested Atlantic swordfish, sharks, and BAYS tunas from a Federally-
permitted U.S. fishing vessel be offloaded to a Federal Atlantic HMS 
dealer. All Federal Atlantic sharks, swordfish, and BAYS tunas dealers 
would be required to report commercially-harvested Atlantic swordfish, 
sharks, and BAYS tunas in a timely manner to NMFS through an electronic 
dealer reporting system, and Atlantic HMS dealers would only be able to 
receive commercially-harvested Atlantic swordfish, sharks, and BAYS 
tunas if the dealer has submitted timely reports to NMFS. This action 
is required for more timely, efficient, and accurate dealer reporting 
and subsequent quota monitoring of Atlantic swordfish, sharks, and BAYS 
tunas. Economic analyses are provided in the draft RIR and IRFA and are 
not repeated here in their entirety. A copy of the draft RIR and IRFA 
is available from NMFS (see ADDRESSES).

Electronic Dealer Reporting System for Atlantic HMS Dealers

    The harvest of sharks, tunas, and swordfish tabulated from Federal 
Atlantic HMS dealer reports are used to monitor commercial quotas and 
fishing seasons for these species. However, as outlined above, the 
current regulations and infrastructure of the Atlantic HMS quota-
monitoring systems do not deliver data in a sufficiently timely and 
efficient manner to allow effective management and monitoring of small 
Atlantic HMS quotas and short seasons. For more effective management 
and monitoring of Atlantic HMS quotas, NMFS is in need of a more 
streamlined system where dealers can submit Atlantic HMS data in real 
time and include additional information regarding Atlantic HMS catch. 
The system must also be flexible enough to quickly adapt to any future 
changes in regulations in the Atlantic HMS fisheries.
    NMFS is currently developing an electronic dealer reporting system 
consisting of a Web site-based data entry portal embedded within SAFIS 
to preclude Northeast dealers from having to report through an 
additional reporting system. To avoid creating multiple dealer 
reporting systems in the Southeast, NMFS would also implement the HMS 
dealer reporting requirements within the new electronic dealer 
reporting system being implemented in the Southeast. The electronic 
reporting requirements would be effective on February 1, 2012, in order 
to allow constituents additional time to learn about the new reporting 
system.
    When the HMS electronic reporting system is implemented in 2012, 
Atlantic HMS dealers would be required to electronically report any 
shark, swordfish, or BAYS tunas offloaded from a Federally-permitted 
U.S. fishing vessel to a Federal Atlantic HMS dealer or to any 
extensions of a Federal Atlantic HMS dealer's place of business (e.g., 
trucks or other conveyances). This proposed rule would not apply to 
Atlantic bluefin tuna reporting, and Atlantic bluefin tuna dealers 
would continue to follow the current reporting requirements for 
commercially-harvested Atlantic bluefin tuna.
    To better facilitate timely quota monitoring, NMFS is also 
proposing to increase the frequency of both positive and negative 
dealer reporting for Atlantic sharks, swordfish, and BAYS tunas. The 
reporting frequency would be flexible and could be adjusted depending 
on the available quota, length of fishing season, and species/species 
complexes, when certain triggers are met by the different fisheries, as 
described below. As proposed, NMFS would establish a weekly base 
reporting frequency. Under the proposed rule, for swordfish, an 
increase in reporting from a weekly to daily basis would occur when 80 
percent of the directed fishery's quota is attained. For BAYS tunas, 
bigeye, yellowfin, and skipjack fisheries are currently not managed 
under quotas, and the United States has not attained the U.S. allocated 
albacore tuna quota, which is currently not codified. If such quotas 
are codified in the future, NMFS proposes to increase the required 
dealer reporting from a weekly to daily basis when 80 percent of the 
respective quotas are attained. Additionally, because shark quotas are 
the smallest of all HMS quotas, NMFS is proposing to require Federal 
Atlantic shark dealers to report sharks within 24 hours while the 
fishing seasons for non-sandbar large

[[Page 37753]]

coastal sharks (LCS), blacknose sharks, and non-blacknose small coastal 
sharks (SCS) are open. The quotas for these shark complexes/species are 
the smallest of all the shark quotas, and their associated fishing 
seasons have been the shortest in the past. When the fishing seasons 
for these shark species/complexes are all closed, Federal Atlantic 
shark dealers would be required to report sharks on a weekly basis 
unless otherwise notified. In addition, individual Atlantic shark 
fisheries currently close when the respective quotas reach 80 percent 
(with the exception of the blacknose shark and non-blacknose shark 
fisheries, where both fisheries close when either quota reaches 80 
percent). NMFS would consider changing this percentage in a future 
rulemaking, as appropriate, based on the timeliness of electronic 
reporting by dealers through this new electronic reporting system.
    As proposed, NMFS would announce any change in reporting frequency 
for HMS species by filing an adjustment of the reporting frequency with 
the Office of the Federal Register for publication. In no case would 
such an adjustment be effective less than 3 calendar days after the 
date of filing with the Office of the Federal Register. The public 
would also be informed simultaneously via the HMS Web site and e-mail 
notice listserve as well as through e-mail notifications to Federal HMS 
dealers via e-mail to an e-mail address provided to NMFS by dealers 
(and individual employees of dealers reporting in the electronic 
reporting system). NMFS anticipates that this flexibility to adjust the 
reporting frequency would be most critical for sharks due to small 
shark quotas.

Late Dealer Reports

    In addition, because Federal Atlantic HMS dealer reports for some 
fisheries and some specific dealers are often late, which ultimately 
affects timely quota monitoring and usually requires staff resources to 
pursue resolutions, this rulemaking is proposing procedures to ensure 
that Federal Atlantic HMS dealers submit timely reports to NMFS. NMFS 
is proposing that Federal Atlantic HMS dealers would only be authorized 
to receive commercially-harvested Atlantic swordfish, sharks and BAYS 
tunas if the Federal Atlantic HMS dealer has submitted all required 
reports to NMFS. Accordingly, NMFS would require all delinquent reports 
to be submitted by dealers and received by NMFS before a dealer could 
receive commercially-harvested Atlantic swordfish, sharks, and BAYS 
tunas. Timely submission of reports to NMFS would allow dealers to be 
eligible to purchase commercially-harvested Atlantic swordfish, sharks, 
and BAYS tunas without interruption. The electronic dealer reporting 
system would track the timing and submissions of Federal Atlantic HMS 
dealer reports and automatically notify dealers (and individual 
employees of dealers reporting in the electronic reporting system) and 
NMFS (the HMS Management Division and NMFS Office of Law Enforcement) 
via e-mail if reports are delinquent. Federal Atlantic HMS dealers who 
fail to submit reports to NMFS in a timely manner would be in violation 
and subject to enforcement action, as would those who are offloading, 
receiving, and/or purchasing HMS product without having submitted all 
required reports to NMFS.

First Receiver

    Finally, in order to ensure accurate species- and vessel-specific 
reporting, this rulemaking proposes that all first receivers of 
commercially-harvested Atlantic swordfish, sharks, and BAYS tunas by 
Federally-permitted U.S. vessels must obtain a Federal Atlantic HMS 
dealer permit. Under existing regulations, in order to obtain a Federal 
Atlantic shark dealer permit, the first receiver of shark products, or 
suitable proxy, is required to have a current and valid Atlantic shark 
identification workshop certificate per 50 CFR 635.8(b). Existing 
regulations also require that dealers, not the first receivers of 
Atlantic swordfish and BAYS tunas, report to NMFS on a bi-weekly basis. 
In the proposed action, first receivers of Atlantic sharks, swordfish, 
and BAYS tunas, including those that transport products to dealers, 
would be responsible for electronic reporting of all Atlantic sharks, 
swordfish, and BAYS tunas product first received from U.S. fishing 
vessels. NMFS is also considering alternate scenarios regarding who 
should obtain a Federal HMS dealer permit in order to ensure accurate 
species-specific reporting, as described above.

Request for Comments

    NMFS is requesting comments on any of the proposed actions in the 
proposed rule, RIR and IRFA. NMFS is also requesting comments on 
specific items related to the proposed action to clarify certain 
sections of the regulatory text or to help in analyzing potential 
impacts of the proposed actions. Specifically, NMFS requests comments 
on:
    (1) Changes in who must obtain a Federal HMS dealer permit. NMFS is 
seeking information on the number of entities that would be affected by 
the proposed changes to the first receiver definition and the 
requirement that all first receivers of Atlantic swordfish, sharks, and 
BAYS tunas must obtain a Federal HMS dealer permit. Specifically, how 
common is the practice that a transporter, currently exempted under the 
regulations from having to obtain a dealer permit, is the first 
receiver of Atlantic swordfish, sharks, and BAYS tunas? Would the other 
first receiver alternatives described above be preferable (i.e., who 
should have to obtain a Federal HMS dealer permit)?
    (2) The amount of time proposed to provide notice of changes in the 
required reporting frequency. NMFS is proposing to change the required 
reporting frequency based on the available quota, length of fishing 
season, and species/species complexes, when certain triggers are met by 
the different fisheries. NMFS has proposed that Federal HMS dealers 
would be notified of changes to the required reporting frequency via e-
mail to an e-mail address provided to NMFS by dealers. In addition, 
NMFS would announce any change to the required reporting frequency for 
HMS species by filing an adjustment of the reporting frequency with the 
Office of the Federal Register for publication. In no case would such 
an adjustment be effective less than 3 calendar days after the date of 
filing with the Office of the Federal Register. Is that an adequate 
amount of time for dealers to receive notice? Would a longer timeframe 
(e.g., five days from date of filing, similar to the notice given for 
closures in the Atlantic shark fisheries) be more appropriate?
    Comments on this proposed rule may be submitted online via https://www.regulations.gov, by mail, or by fax (see DATES and ADDRESSES). 
Comments may also be submitted at a public hearing (see Public Hearings 
and Special Accommodations below). NMFS solicits comments on this 
proposed rule by August 12, 2011.

Public Hearings and Special Accommodations

    NMFS will hold eight public hearings as listed in the table below 
for fishery participants and other members of the public regarding this 
proposed rule. These hearings will be physically accessible to people 
with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Jackie Wilson at (240) 338-3936 or 
Delisse Ortiz at (301) 713-2347 at least 7 days prior to the hearing 
date. The public is reminded that NMFS expects participants at the 
public hearings to conduct themselves

[[Page 37754]]

appropriately. At the beginning of each public hearing, a 
representative of NMFS will explain the ground rules (e.g., alcohol is 
prohibited from the hearing room; attendees will be called to give 
their comments in the order in which they registered to speak; each 
attendee will have an equal amount of time to speak; and attendees 
should not interrupt one another). The NMFS representative will attempt 
to structure the meeting so that all attending members of the public 
will be able to comment, if they so choose, regardless of the 
controversial nature of the subject(s). Attendees are expected to 
respect the ground rules, and, if they do not, they will be asked to 
leave the hearing.

                                Table 1--Locations and Dates for Public Hearings
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Location                         Date                        Time                    Address
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Manteo, NC.......................  July 11, 2011.............  5-7 p.m...................  Manteo Town Hall, 407
                                                                                            Budleigh St.,
                                                                                            Manteo, NC 27954.
Kenner, LA.......................  July 13, 2011.............  2-5 p.m...................  Hilton New Orleans
                                                                                            Airport, 901 Airline
                                                                                            Drive, Kenner, LA
                                                                                            70062.
Panama City, FL..................  July 18, 2011.............  5-7 p.m...................  Bay County Public
                                                                                            Library, 898 West
                                                                                            11th Street, Panama
                                                                                            City, FL 32401.
Orlando, FL......................  July 19, 2011.............  5:30-7:30 p.m.............  Jean Rhein Central
                                                                                            Branch Library, 215
                                                                                            N. Oxford Road,
                                                                                            Casselberry, FL
                                                                                            32707.
Miami, FL........................  July 20, 2011.............  2:30-4:30 p.m.............  Miami-Dade Public
                                                                                            Library, 101 West
                                                                                            Flagler Street,
                                                                                            Miami, FL 33130.
Peabody, MA......................  July 26, 2011.............  1-3 p.m...................  Peabody Institute-
                                                                                            West Branch, 603
                                                                                            Lowell Street,
                                                                                            Peabody, MA 01960.
Bronx, NY........................  July 27, 2011.............  5:30-7:30 p.m.............  Parkchester Library,
                                                                                            1985 Westchester
                                                                                            Avenue (at Pugsley
                                                                                            Ave.), Bronx, NY
                                                                                            10462.
Atlantic City, NJ................  July 28, 2011.............  3:30-6:30 p.m.............  Atlantic County
                                                                                            Library System,
                                                                                            Brigantine Branch,
                                                                                            201 15th St. South,
                                                                                            Brigantine, NJ
                                                                                            08203.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Classification

    The NMFS Assistant Administrator has determined that this proposed 
action is consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Act, 2006 Consolidated 
Atlantic HMS Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and its amendments, ATCA, 
and other applicable law, subject to further consideration after public 
comment.
    This proposed rule would modify a collection-of-information 
requirement associated with dealer reporting for Atlantic HMS dealers 
subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) which has been approved by 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under control number 0648-
0040. The proposed modifications are subject to review and approval by 
OMB under the PRA. This requirement has been submitted to OMB for 
approval. The public reporting burden associated with Atlantic HMS 
dealers having to report Atlantic swordfish, sharks, and BAYS tunas to 
NMFS electronically (15 minutes per positive report and 5 minutes per 
negative report) depends on the species/species complex, which 
fisheries are open, available quota, and amount of time left in the 
fishing season. NMFS would establish a weekly base reporting frequency 
and would have the flexibility to increase the reporting frequency from 
weekly to daily for any HMS species if more frequent reporting is 
deemed necessary to monitor the available quota. NMFS does not expect 
to use this flexibility in the near future for BAYS tunas or swordfish, 
but may need to for sharks. Additionally, as shark quotas are the 
smallest of all HMS quotas, and their associated fishing seasons have 
been the shortest in the past, NMFS is proposing to require Federal 
Atlantic shark dealers to report sharks within 24 hours while the 
fishing seasons for non-sandbar LCS, blacknose sharks, and non-
blacknose SCS are open. When the fishing seasons for these shark 
species/complexes are all closed, Federal Atlantic shark dealers would 
be required to report sharks on a weekly basis.
    Public reporting burden for Atlantic swordfish and BAYS tunas would 
be one hour per month (15 minutes per report each week x 4 weeks) or 12 
hours per year. Based on the number of Atlantic swordfish and tunas 
dealer permits (that deal with BAYS tunas) in 2010 (or 711 total 
permits), this would result in an estimated total annual burden of 
8,532 hours.
    Atlantic shark dealers would spend approximately 7.5 hours/month 
reporting to NMFS (15 minutes per report each day x 30 days) while the 
non-sandbar LCS, blacknose sharks, and non-blacknose SCS fishing 
seasons were open, and approximately 1 hour per month when the fishing 
seasons for these fisheries were closed. In 2010, the non-sandbar LCS, 
blacknose, or non-blacknose SCS fisheries were open for 33 weeks. 
Similar season lengths in subsequent years would result in 57.75 hours 
of reporting by the Federal shark dealer to NMFS while these fisheries 
were open. However, the non-sandbar LCS, blacknose, or non-blacknose 
SCS fisheries were closed for 20 weeks during 2010, which would result 
in 5 hours of reporting by the Federal shark dealer to NMFS under 
similar fishing seasons. Based on the number of Atlantic shark dealer 
permits in 2010 (or 175 total permits), this rule change would result 
in an estimated total annual burden to all the affected entities of 
10,981.25 hours and assumes that dealers would report Atlantic sharks, 
swordfish, and/or BAYS tunas during each reporting period. Negative 
reports would require less of a reporting burden as negative reports 
are estimated to only take 5 minutes to complete and send to NMFS. 
Finally, all 886 permit holders affected by this proposed rule would be 
considered respondents.
    Public comment is sought regarding the estimated burden hours 
(i.e., 15 minutes per report) associated with electronic reporting for 
Atlantic HMS dealers. Send comments on this or any other aspects of the 
collection-of-information to Delisse Ortiz with the Highly Migratory 
Species Management Division, at the ADDRESSES above, and by e-mail to 
OIRA_Submission@omb.eop.gov or fax to (202) 395-7285. Comments 
submitted in response to this proposed modification to an existing 
information collection will be summarized and/or included in the 
request for OMB approval of this information collection and will also 
be included in the public record.
    Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, no person is 
required to respond to, and no person shall be subject to penalty for 
failure to comply with, a collection-of-information subject to the 
requirements of the PRA, unless that collection-of-information displays 
a currently valid OMB control number.
    This proposed rule has been determined to be not significant for 
purposes of Executive Order 12866.
    In addition, NMFS has determined that this proposed rule would not 
affect the coastal zone of any state, and a negative determination 
pursuant to 15 CFR 930.35 is not required, therefore, pursuant to 15 
CFR 930.33(a)(2), coordination with appropriate state

[[Page 37755]]

agencies under section 307 of the CZMA is not required.
    Ecological impacts, outside of those that have been previously 
analyzed for Atlantic shark dealer reporting requirements in Amendment 
2 to the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP and categorically excluded for 
Atlantic swordfish and BAYS tunas, are not expected as a result of this 
proposed rule. This action would not directly affect fishing effort, 
quotas, fishing gear, authorized species, interactions with threatened 
or endangered species, or other relevant parameters. This proposed rule 
is exempt from the requirement to prepare an Environmental Assessment 
in accordance with NAO 216-6 because it would not have significant, 
additional impacts on the human environment, or any environmental 
consequences that have not been previously analyzed or are 
categorically excluded in accordance with Sections 5.05b and Section 
6.03.c.3(i) of NOAA's Administrative Order (NAO) 216-6. However, social 
and economic impacts are expected as a result of this proposed action.
    An IRFA was prepared, as required by section 603 of the Regulatory 
Flexibility Act (RFA) (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.). The IRFA describes the 
economic impact this proposed rule, if adopted, would have on small 
entities. A description of the action, why it is being considered, and 
the legal basis for this action are contained at the beginning of this 
section in the preamble and in the SUMMARY section of the preamble. A 
summary of the analysis follows. A copy of this analysis is available 
from NMFS (see ADDRESSES).
    In compliance with Sec.  603(b)(1) of the RFA, the purpose of this 
proposed rulemaking is consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Act and the 
2006 Consolidated HMS FMP and its amendments, to consider changes to 
the current regulations and infrastructure of the Atlantic HMS quota-
monitoring system by requiring: all Federally-permitted Atlantic HMS 
dealers to report commercially-harvested Atlantic swordfish, sharks, 
and BAYS tunas to NMFS through an electronic dealer reporting system; 
delinquent reports be submitted by dealers and received by NMFS before 
a dealer could receive commercially-harvested Atlantic swordfish, 
sharks, and BAYS tunas; and all commercially harvested Atlantic 
swordfish, sharks, and BAYS tunas by Federally-permitted fishermen be 
offloaded to Federally-permitted HMS dealers, who must report the 
associated catch to NMFS. These actions are necessary to ensure timely 
and accurate reporting, which is critical for quota monitoring and 
management of these species.
    In compliance with Sec.  603(b)(2) of the RFA, the objectives of 
this proposed rulemaking are to achieve domestic management objectives 
under the MSA, and to implement the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP and its 
amendments. These objectives include the goals in the Consolidated HMS 
FMP to monitor and control all components of fishing mortality, both 
directed and incidental, so as to ensure the long-term sustainability 
of HMS stocks, and to provide the data necessary for assessing HMS fish 
stocks and managing HMS, including addressing inadequacies in current 
data collection and the ongoing collection of social and economic data 
in Atlantic HMS fisheries.
    Under Sec.  603(b)(3) of the RFA, Federal agencies are required to 
provide an estimate of the number of small entities to which the rule 
would apply. NMFS considers all HMS permit holders to be small entities 
because they either had average annual receipts less than $4.0 million 
for fish-harvesting, average annual receipts less than $6.5 million for 
charter/party boats, 100 or fewer employees for wholesale dealers, or 
500 or fewer employees for seafood processors. These are the Small 
Business Administration (SBA) size standards for defining a small 
versus large business entity in the fishing industry. NMFS estimates 
that this proposed rule would affect all Federal Atlantic HMS dealers 
who first receive Atlantic swordfish, sharks, and BAYS tunas from 
Federally-permitted commercial fishing vessels in the Atlantic Ocean, 
Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea. All of these are considered small 
entities. As of 2010, there were 886 Federal Atlantic HMS dealer permit 
holders, of which 175 had Atlantic shark, 330 were Atlantic swordfish, 
and 381 were Atlantic tunas (bigeye, albacore, yellowfin, and skipjack) 
dealer permits.
    This proposed rule would modify existing reporting, recordkeeping, 
or other compliance requirements (5 U.S.C. 603(b)(4)). If adopted, the 
rule would require Federal Atlantic HMS dealers to report commercially-
harvested Atlantic sharks, swordfish, and BAYS tunas to NMFS through an 
electronic reporting system; increase HMS dealer reporting frequency to 
NMFS, as needed (i.e., daily--weekly reporting); and require a 
corresponding Federal HMS dealer permit for all first receivers of 
Atlantic sharks, swordfish, and BAYs tunas offloaded from Federally-
permitted U.S. vessels. The HMS dealer permit would require the same 
application and fees (i.e., $50 to $75) that are currently required for 
an HMS dealer permit. The information collected through the electronic 
dealer system would include additional data fields, including vessel 
and location of catch information; however, many new fields would be 
auto-populated or selected from data fields in a drop down menu in the 
electronic system. In addition, under the proposed rule, a dealer would 
only be authorized to receive commercially-harvested HMS if the dealer 
had submitted all reports to NMFS within the required timeframe. 
Failure to report Atlantic sharks, swordfish, and BAYS tunas to NMFS 
within the required reporting frequency would result in dealers being 
ineligible to first receive Atlantic sharks, swordfish, and BAYS tunas. 
This proposed rule would not conflict, duplicate, or overlap with other 
relevant Federal rules (5 U.S.C. 603(b)(5)). Fishermen, dealers, and 
managers in these fisheries must comply with a number of international 
agreements, domestic laws, and other FMPs. These include, but are not 
limited to, the MSA, the ATCA, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the 
Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the 
Paperwork Reduction Act. NMFS does not believe that the new regulations 
proposed to be implemented would duplicate, overlap, or conflict with 
any relevant regulations, Federal or otherwise.
    One of the requirements of an IRFA is to describe any alternatives 
to the proposed rule which accomplish the stated objectives and which 
minimize any significant economic impacts. These impacts are discussed 
below. Additionally, the RFA (5 U.S.C. 603(c)(1)-(4)) lists four 
general categories of ``significant'' alternatives that would assist an 
agency in the development of significant alternatives. These categories 
of alternatives are:
    1. Establishment of differing compliance or reporting requirements 
or timetables that take into account the resources available to small 
entities;
    2. Clarification, consolidation, or simplification of compliance 
and reporting requirements under the rule for such small entities;
    3. Use of performance rather than design standards; and
    4. Exemptions from coverage of the rule for small entities.
    In order to meet the objectives of this proposed rule, consistent 
with the MSA, NMFS cannot exempt small entities or change the reporting 
requirements only for small entities because all of the participants in 
Atlantic HMS fisheries are considered small entities. All Federally-
permitted HMS dealers must

[[Page 37756]]

currently submit bi-weekly reports of all commercially-harvested HMS. 
Similarly, the application process for the dealer permit would be the 
same as the process that is required under the current regulations. The 
majority of the information required to report in the new reporting 
system would be the same as what is currently required. However, the 
proposed rule would require Federally-permitted dealers to report 
information about commercially-harvested Atlantic sharks, swordfish, 
and BAYS tunas to NMFS in an electronic format rather than paper on a 
more frequent basis than bi-weekly and for all first receivers of 
Atlantic sharks, swordfish, and BAYS tunas to have a dealer permit and 
report the associated catch to NMFS.
    NMFS considered and analyzed four alternatives to ensure more 
timely, efficient, and accurate dealer reporting and subsequent quota 
monitoring of Atlantic HMS. NMFS considered the following alternatives: 
Alternative A1--Status quo; Alternative A2--Establish new flexible 
reporting requirements for all Federally-permitted HMS dealers 
effective 30 days after publication of the final rule; Alternative A3--
Establish new flexible reporting requirements for all Federally-
permitted HMS dealers and delay implementation; and Alternative A4--
Establish new weekly reporting requirements for all Federally-permitted 
HMS dealers and delay implementation.
    Alternative A1, the No Action alternative, would maintain existing 
regulations specifying bi-weekly dealer reporting requirements from 
Federal Atlantic shark, tunas, and swordfish dealers. This alternative 
would not result in any additional impacts to small entities. Federal 
HMS dealers are currently required to report any Atlantic tunas, 
swordfish, and/or sharks that they receive from U.S. vessels to NMFS on 
a bi-weekly basis. Federal dealers submit their reports in paper format 
to NMFS by the 10th and 25th of each month and indicate the amount of 
product received over a two week period, including submission of a 
``negative'' report to NMFS indicating no purchases were made during a 
reporting period. The reports are mailed or faxed to the SEFSC for 
dealers located south of Virginia. Northeast Atlantic HMS dealers 
(Virginia through Maine) report HMS to the NEFSC through SAFIS or, to a 
lesser extent, through a manual system involving the NERO port offices 
with the exception of bluefin tuna, which is reported through other 
reporting mechanisms. Under the current regulations, a dealer permit 
may be revoked, suspended, or modified, and a permit application denied 
if recordkeeping and reporting requirements for HMS are not met. 
Current regulations also require any person that receives, purchases, 
trades for, or barters for Atlantic HMS from a U.S. vessel to possess a 
valid Atlantic HMS dealer permit. As mentioned above, Federal dealers 
are required to report any Atlantic tunas, swordfish, and/or sharks 
that they receive from U.S. vessels to NMFS on a bi-weekly basis. In 
the shark fishery, the first receiver of Atlantic shark product 
harvested by Federally-permitted fishermen must also obtain a Federal 
shark dealer permit and report the associated catch to NMFS. Under the 
current regulations, dealer reporting is estimated to require 
individual dealers to spend approximately 15 minutes to complete each 
report if HMS are purchased or received during the reporting period, 
and only about 5 minutes to complete a negative report if no HMS were 
purchased or received. Currently, bi-weekly reports to NMFS are sent in 
pre-paid NMFS envelopes. Therefore, on an annual basis, reporting HMS 
product has no associated mailing costs per dealer. The current dealer 
reporting mechanisms make it difficult to monitor small quotas, and in 
some cases, results in the fishery closing before the entire quota has 
been harvested, as is the case for Atlantic shark fisheries. Thus, 
receiving HMS dealer data on a more frequent basis would allow NMFS to 
better manage these fisheries, which could ultimately benefit 
fishermen.
    To obtain a dealer permit, NMFS charges an administrative fee of 
$50 for issuing a dealer permit for the first fishery and $12.50 for 
each additional fishery, for a total a cost of $75 per dealer for all 
HMS fisheries. NMFS also requires all Federal Atlantic shark dealer 
permit holders to complete an Atlantic shark identification workshop 
every three years. Although there is no associated cost to participate 
in the dealer workshop certification, participation in the workshop is 
a time burden of approximately 4 hours per workshop for each shark 
dealer.
    Alternative A2 proposes that all Federally-permitted Atlantic HMS 
dealers must report commercially-harvested Atlantic sharks, swordfish, 
and BAYS tunas to NMFS through an electronic reporting system, 
including submission of a ``negative'' report to NMFS indicating no 
purchases were made in a given reporting period. To better facilitate 
timely quota monitoring, NMFS is also proposing to increase the 
frequency of both positive and negative dealer reporting for Atlantic 
sharks, swordfish, and BAYS tunas. The reporting frequency would be 
flexible and could be adjusted depending on the available quota, length 
of fishing season, and species/species complexes, when certain triggers 
are met by the different fisheries, as described below. As proposed, 
NMFS would establish a weekly base reporting frequency. Under the 
proposed rule, for swordfish, an increase in reporting from a weekly to 
daily basis would occur when 80 percent of the directed fishery's quota 
is attained. For BAYS tunas, bigeye, yellowfin, and skipjack fisheries 
are not managed under quotas, and the United States has not attained 
the U.S. allocated albacore tuna quota, which is currently not 
codified. If such quotas are codified in the future, NMFS proposes to 
increase the required dealer reporting from a weekly to daily basis 
when 80 percent of the respective quotas are attained. Additionally, 
because shark quotas are the smallest of all HMS quotas, NMFS is 
proposing to require Federal Atlantic shark dealers to report sharks 
within 24 hours while the fishing seasons for non-sandbar LCS, 
blacknose sharks, and non-blacknose SCS are open. The quotas for these 
shark complexes/species are the smallest of all the shark quotas, and 
their associated fishing seasons have been the shortest in the past. 
When the fishing seasons for these shark species/complexes are all 
closed, Federal Atlantic shark dealers would be required to report 
sharks on a weekly basis unless otherwise notified.
    As proposed, NMFS would announce any change in reporting frequency 
for HMS species by filing an adjustment of the reporting frequency with 
the Office of the Federal Register for publication. In no case would 
such an adjustment be effective less than 3 calendar days after the 
date of filing with the Office of the Federal Register. The public 
would also be informed simultaneously via the HMS Web site and e-mail 
notice listserve as well as through e-mail notifications to Federal HMS 
dealers to an e-mail address provided to NMFS by dealers (and 
individual employees of dealers reporting in the electronic reporting 
system). NMFS anticipates that this flexibility to adjust the reporting 
frequency would be most critical for sharks due to small shark quotas.
    A dealer would be authorized to receive commercially-harvested 
Atlantic sharks, swordfish, and BAYS tunas only if the permitted dealer 
has submitted all required reports to NMFS. Under this alternative, 
NMFS would also require Federal HMS dealer permits for all first 
receivers of Atlantic sharks, swordfish, and BAYS tunas. The first 
receivers/

[[Page 37757]]

Federal dealers of Atlantic sharks, swordfish, and BAYS tunas would be 
required to report all HMS product harvested by U.S. fishing vessels to 
NMFS. Implementation of these regulations would be effective 30 days 
after the publication of the final rule.
    There may be minor social and economic impacts expected from this 
alternative as a result of HMS dealers having to purchase computer and 
Internet services in order to report the associated catch through NMFS' 
electronic dealer reporting system. According to the SBA, in 2010, 
approximately 94 percent of businesses have at least one computer. Of 
businesses with computers, 95 percent have Internet service. Thus, most 
dealers are assumed to already have a computer and Internet access as 
part of their regular business operations. The most inexpensive 
computer that would support the new system may have an average, one-
time cost of $615. Internet service rates may vary depending on a 
variety of factors. A recent report by the SBA Office of Advocacy 
(2010) indicated that businesses pay an average of $110 per month for 
Internet service, with most paying between $50 and $99 per month. 
Therefore, if a dealer needed to purchase a computer it would be a one-
time cost of $615. The average annual cost would be $600 for Internet 
services (assuming dealers would need the most basic Internet 
connection to support NMFS's electronic reporting system at a cost of 
$50 per month for Internet service; $50*12 months=$600/year). As such, 
during the first year, it would cost dealers $1,215 ($615 for computer 
+ $600 for Internet service) for a computer and Internet services, 
assuming the dealer does not already have a computer and Internet 
access as part of his/her regular business operations. After the first 
year, it would cost $600 a year for Internet service. Under this 
alternative, NMFS would also revise the current dealer reporting 
requirements as explained above. NMFS estimates that it would take 
dealers the same amount of time to fill out and submit an individual 
electronic report as it does for the current report in a paper format 
(i.e., 15 minutes per report).
    At this time, NMFS cannot determine the number of additional 
individuals that would need to obtain HMS dealer permits due to the 
first receiver requirement in this proposed action. However, NMFS is 
seeking specific public comment regarding the universe that would be 
affected by this action. NMFS did investigate the percent change in the 
number of Atlantic shark dealer permits from 2007 to 2008 as first 
receivers of Atlantic shark products were required to obtain a Federal 
shark dealer permit in 2008. Federal Atlantic shark dealer permit data 
indicate that there was a decrease in the number of permitted shark 
dealer facilities from 2007 to 2008. However, because several 
management measures were also implemented in 2008 (i.e., implementation 
of shark dealer workshops and the prohibition of sandbar sharks outside 
of a research fishery) that could have impacted the number of Atlantic 
shark dealers during this time, it is unclear if changes in the number 
of permitted shark dealers were the result of the first receiver 
requirement or other new regulations in the shark fishery. If 
individuals need to obtain an HMS dealer permit and were to purchase 
all three HMS dealer permits, it would cost $75 on an annual basis. If 
those dealers also have to purchase a computer, it would be a one-time 
cost of $615. The annual cost of maintaining Internet service would be 
$600 (as outlined above). As such, during the first year, if the dealer 
had to purchase permits, a computer, and Internet service, it would 
cost $1,290 ($75 for dealer permits + $1,215 for computer and 
Internet). After the first year, it would cost $675 for permits and 
Internet service. However, since most current HMS dealers have a 
computer and Internet service as part of their business practices, the 
cost associated with A2 would be the extra time required for reporting 
on a more frequent basis as explained above. Those entities currently 
exempt from having to obtain an HMS dealer permit under the transport 
only exemption may need to purchase dealer permits, a computer, and 
Internet service. Comment is sought on the number of such entities that 
would be impacted by this proposed action. Under alternative A2 the 
proposed regulations would be effective within 30 days after 
publication of the final rule.
    Alternative A3, the preferred alternative, proposes the same 
requirements as alternative A2; however, alternative A3 would delay 
implementation of the new regulations until February 2012. NMFS 
anticipates publishing the final rule for this action in November 2011. 
This delay would allow dealers an additional three months to learn 
about the new regulations, purchase a new computer and obtain Internet 
services, if necessary, and become familiar with the new electronic 
dealer reporting system before it is required for all HMS dealers in 
February 2012. Because the proposed action under alternative A3 would 
allow NMFS time to conduct outreach to HMS dealers regarding the new 
reporting system and its requirement, and it would allow HMS dealers 
additional time to learn about and prepare for the new electronic 
dealer reporting system, NMFS prefers this alternative at this time.
    Alternative A4 proposes the same requirements as alternative A3; 
however, alternative A4 would have weekly dealer reporting requirements 
for all Atlantic swordfish, shark, and BAYS tunas dealers. Atlantic 
shark dealers would report on a weekly basis regardless of which shark 
fishery was open to simplify reporting requirements across all HMS 
dealers and would reduce the reporting burden on shark dealers by 
requiring less frequent reporting. While this proposed alternative may 
simplify dealer reporting, it would not allow for real time data 
collection of shark landings when shark fisheries with the smallest 
quotas (i.e., non-sandbar LCS, blacknose sharks, and non-blacknose 
sharks) were open. This could jeopardize effective management and quota 
monitoring in the Atlantic shark fishery), which is critical given 
these fisheries typically have short seasons.
    This action does not contain regulatory provisions with federalism 
implications sufficient to warrant preparation of a Federalism 
Assessment under E.O. 13132.

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 635

    Fisheries, Fishing, Fishing vessels, Foreign relations, Imports, 
Penalties, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Treaties.

    Dated: June 22, 2011.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
    For reasons set out in the preamble, 50 CFR part 635 is proposed to 
be amended as follows:

PART 635--ATLANTIC HIGHLY MIGRATORY SPECIES

    1. The authority citation for part 635 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority:  16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.; 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    2. In Sec.  635.2, the definition for ``First receive'' is added in 
alphabetical order and ``First receiver'' is revised to read as 
follows:


Sec.  635.2  Definitions.

* * * * *
    First receive means to take immediate possession for commercial 
purposes of any fish or any part thereof by

[[Page 37758]]

acquiring, purchasing, trading or bartering for it as it is offloaded 
from a fishing vessel of the United States, as defined under Sec.  
600.10 of this chapter, whose owner or operator has been issued, or 
should have been issued, a valid permit under this part. For this 
definition, possession includes, but is not limited to, handling, 
receiving, transporting, disposing of, packing, or storing fish 
offloaded from a vessel.
    First receiver means any entity, person, or company that first 
receives fish, or any part thereof, as defined in this part.
* * * * *
    3. In Sec.  635.4, paragraphs (g)(1)(i) and (ii) are added and 
paragraph (g)(3) is revised to read as follows:


Sec.  635.4  Permit and fees.

* * * * *
    (g) * * *
    (1) * * *
    (i) A person that receives, purchases, trades for, or barters for 
Atlantic bluefin tuna from a fishing vessel of the United States, as 
defined under Sec.  600.10 of this chapter, must possess a valid 
Federal Atlantic tunas dealer permit.
    (ii) A first receiver, as defined in Sec.  635.2, of Atlantic 
bigeye, albacore, yellowfin, or skipjack tunas must possess a valid 
Federal Atlantic tunas dealer permit.
* * * * *
    (3) Swordfish. A first receiver, as defined in Sec.  635.2, of 
Atlantic swordfish must possess a valid Federal Atlantic swordfish 
dealer permit.
* * * * *
    4. In Sec.  635.5, paragraphs (b)(1)(i) through (iv) are revised 
and paragraph (b)(1)(v) is added to read as follows:


Sec.  635.5  Recordkeeping and reporting.

* * * * *
    (b) * * *
    (1) * * *
    (i) Dealers that have been issued or should have been issued a 
Federal Atlantic tunas, swordfish, and/or shark dealer permit under 
Sec.  635.4 must submit to NMFS all reports required under this section 
within the timeframe specified under paragraphs (b)(1)(ii) and 
(b)(1)(iii). Atlantic bigeye, albacore, yellowfin, or skipjack tunas, 
swordfish, and sharks commercially-harvested by a U.S. vessel can only 
be first received by dealers that have been issued or should have been 
issued an Atlantic tunas, swordfish, and/or sharks dealer permit under 
Sec.  635.4. All reports must be species-specific and must include the 
required information about all Atlantic bigeye, albacore, yellowfin, or 
skipjack tunas, swordfish, and sharks received by the dealer, including 
the required vessel information, regardless of where harvested or 
whether the harvesting vessel is permitted under Sec.  635.4. For 
sharks, each report must specify the total weight of the carcass(es) 
without the fins for each species, and the total fin weight by grade 
for all sharks combined. Dealers are also required to submit 
``negative'' reports, reports which indicate no receipt of Atla