Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits, 36323-36325 [2015-15522]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 121 / Wednesday, June 24, 2015 / Notices households; federal government; state, local or tribal Government. Frequency: On occasion. Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary. This information collection request may be viewed at reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce collections currently under review by OMB. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to OIRA_Submission@ omb.eop.gov or fax to (202) 395–5806. Dated: June 18, 2015. Sarah Brabson, NOAA PRA Clearance Officer. [FR Doc. 2015–15448 Filed 6–23–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–HR–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Title: Report of Whaling Operations. OMB Control Number: 0648–0311. Form Number(s): None. Type of Request: Regular (extension of a currently approved information collection). Number of Respondents: 158. Average Hours per Response: 30 minutes for reports on whales struck or on recovery of dead whales, including providing the information to the relevant Native American whaling organization; 5 minutes for the relevant Native American whaling organization to type in each report; and 5 hours for the relevant Native American whaling organization to consolidate and submit reports. Burden Hours: 45. Needs and Uses: This request is for extension of a current information collection. Native Americans may conduct certain aboriginal subsistence whaling in accordance with the provisions of the VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:43 Jun 23, 2015 Jkt 235001 International Whaling Commission (IWC). In order to respond to obligations under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, and the IWC, captains participating in these operations must submit certain information to the relevant Native American whaling organization about strikes on and catch of whales. Anyone retrieving a dead whale is also required to report. Captains must place a distinctive permanent identification mark on any harpoon, lance, or explosive dart used, and must also provide information on the mark and self-identification information. The relevant Native American whaling organization receives the reports, compiles them, and submits the information to NOAA. The information is used to monitor the hunt and to ensure that quotas are not exceeded. The information is also provided to the International Whaling Commission (IWC), which uses it to monitor compliance with its requirements. Affected Public: Individuals or households; state, local or tribal governments. Frequency: On occasion. Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory. This information collection request may be viewed at reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce collections currently under review by OMB. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to OIRA_Submission@ omb.eop.gov or fax to (202) 395–5806. Dated: June 18, 2015. Sarah Brabson, NOAA PRA Clearance Officer. BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648–XD986 Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and AGENCY: PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice; request for comments. The NMFS Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, has made a preliminary determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit application from the University of Rhode Island contains all of the required information and warrants further consideration. Regulations under the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act require publication of this notification to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment on Exempted Fishing Permit applications. SUMMARY: Comments must be received on or before July 9, 2015. DATES: You may submit written comments by any of the following methods: • Email: NMFS.GAR.EFP@noaa.gov. Include in the subject line ‘‘Comments on URI Bycatch Study EFP.’’ • Mail: John K. Bullard, Regional Administrator, NMFS, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope ‘‘Comments on URI Bycatch Study EFP.’’ ADDRESSES: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Allison Murphy, Fishery Policy Analyst, 978–281–9122. The University of Rhode Island (URI) submitted a complete application for an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) to conduct a 1-year lobster trap study that Federal regulations would otherwise restrict. The purpose of this study is to provide data on the effect of alternative escape vent designs on Jonah crab and lobster catch in an attempt to improve the retention of Jonah crabs while not increasing catch of sub-legal lobsters. This EFP proposes to test the modified vents over a wide range of Federal waters throughout Lobster Management Areas 2 and 3, covering statistical areas 515, 521, 526, 537, and 616 (see Figure 1). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: [FR Doc. 2015–15447 Filed 6–23–15; 8:45 am] 36323 BILLING CODE 3510–22–C E:\FR\FM\24JNN1.SGM 24JNN1 36324 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 121 / Wednesday, June 24, 2015 / Notices Site selection would be based on each vessel’s commercial fishing habits. URI is conducting this study to field test laboratory hypotheses that vents smaller than the minimum 53⁄4-inch (14.61-cm) regulatory size will allow for greater retention of Jonah crab without increasing lobster mortality. This is in response to the development of a draft VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:43 Jun 23, 2015 Jkt 235001 Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Jonah Crab that proposes a range of legal harvest width alternatives from no minimum size to 5.5 inches (13.97 cm). These proposed minimum sizes are smaller than the legal vent size length of 53⁄4 inches (14.61 cm) for Federal lobster gear. Funding for this lobster trap escape vent study is provided by a PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 2014 NOAA Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program grant. URI is requesting exemptions from the following regulations to allow commercial lobster vessels to set, haul, and retain on-board the experimental traps: E:\FR\FM\24JNN1.SGM 24JNN1 EN24JN15.002</GPH> tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Figure 1. Lobster Conservation Management Area and Statistical Areas Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 121 / Wednesday, June 24, 2015 / Notices • Trap limit requirements to allow each vessel to fish 15 traps more than each vessel’s allocation, • Gear specification requirements to allow for the use of smaller than required and closed escape vents, and • Trap tag requirements to allow for untagged traps. Each vessel will use five each of the three modified traps for sampling: Ventless; smaller vent length of 31⁄2 inches (8.89 cm); and smaller vent length of 39⁄16 inches (9.05 inches). The EFP would authorize participating vessels to deploy up to three modified traps within their normal trawl configuration, not to exceed a total deployment of 15 modified traps across all trawls, per vessel. Traps will be hauled during normal commercial fishing activity, at least bi-monthly over the course of six months, up to one year. Catch from modified traps will be held briefly on-board vessels to record measurements and sex of crabs and lobster, trap vent type, and soak time. After data are recorded, the applicant states that all catch from modified traps will be promptly discarded and no catch from modified traps would be retained for sale. All catch data would be collected by the vessel captain and crew. If approved, URI may request minor modifications and extensions to the EFP throughout the study. EFP modifications and extensions may be granted without further notice if they are deemed essential to facilitate completion of the proposed research and have minimal impacts that do not change the scope or impact of the initially approved EFP request. Any fishing activity conducted outside the scope of the exempted fishing activity would be prohibited. Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. Dated: June 19, 2015. Emily H. Menashes, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2015–15522 Filed 6–23–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES [Docket No.: ED–2015–ICCD–0081] Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; School Climate Surveys (SCLS) Benchmark Study 2016 Institute of Education Sciences/ National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Department of Education (ED). ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:43 Jun 23, 2015 Jkt 235001 In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is proposing a new information collection. DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before August 24, 2015. ADDRESSES: Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https:// www.regulations.gov by selecting Docket ID number ED–2015–ICCD–0081 or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. If the regulations.gov site is not available to the public for any reason, ED will temporarily accept comments at ICDocketMgr@ed.gov. Please note that comments submitted by fax or email and those submitted after the comment period will not be accepted; ED will ONLY accept comments during the comment period in this mailbox when the regulations.gov site is not available. Written requests for information or comments submitted by postal mail or delivery should be addressed to the Director of the Information Collection Clearance Division, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., LBJ, Mailstop L–OM–2–2E319, Room 2E105, Washington, DC 20202. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact Kashka, Kubzdela 202–502–7411. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Education (ED), in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the public’s reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department’s information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The Department of Education is especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the Department minimize the burden of this collection on the SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 9990 36325 respondents, including through the use of information technology. Please note that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records. Title of Collection: School Climate Surveys (SCLS) Benchmark Study 2016. OMB Control Number: 1850–NEW. Type of Review: A new information collection. Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals. Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 358,649. Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 190,665. Abstract: The School Climate Surveys (SCLS) are a suite of survey instruments being developed for schools, districts, and states by the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). This national effort extends current activities that measure school climate, including the state-level efforts of the Safe and Supportive Schools (S3) grantees, which were awarded funds in 2010 by the ED’s Office of Safe and Healthy Students (OSHS) to improve school climate. Through the SCLS, schools nationwide will have access to survey instruments and a survey platform that will allow for the collection and reporting of school climate data across stakeholders at the local level. The surveys can be used to produce school-, district-, and statelevel scores on various indicators of school climate from the perspectives of students, teachers, noninstructional school staff and principals, and parents and guardians. This request is to conduct a national SCLS benchmark study, collecting data from a nationally representative sample of schools across the United States, to create a national comparison point for users of SCLS. A nationally representative sample of 500 schools serving students in grades 5–12 will be sampled to participate in the national benchmark study in spring 2016. The data collected from the sampled schools will be used to produce national school climate scores on the various topics covered by SCLS, which will be released in the updated SCLS platform and provide a basis for comparison between data collected by schools and school systems and the national school climate. Dated: June 18, 2015. Stephanie Valentine, Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of the Chief Privacy Officer. Office of Management. [FR Doc. 2015–15438 Filed 6–23–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000–01–P E:\FR\FM\24JNN1.SGM 24JNN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 121 (Wednesday, June 24, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36323-36325]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-15522]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD986


Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act Provisions; 
General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted 
Fishing Permits

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

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The NMFS Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable 
Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, has made a preliminary 
determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit application from the 
University of Rhode Island contains all of the required information and 
warrants further consideration. Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Atlantic Coastal 
Fisheries Cooperative Management Act require publication of this 
notification to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment 
on Exempted Fishing Permit applications.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before July 9, 2015.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: NMFS.GAR.EFP@noaa.gov. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on URI Bycatch Study EFP.''
     Mail: John K. Bullard, Regional Administrator, NMFS, 
Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, 
Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Comments on 
URI Bycatch Study EFP.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Allison Murphy, Fishery Policy 
Analyst, 978-281-9122.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The University of Rhode Island (URI) 
submitted a complete application for an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) 
to conduct a 1-year lobster trap study that Federal regulations would 
otherwise restrict. The purpose of this study is to provide data on the 
effect of alternative escape vent designs on Jonah crab and lobster 
catch in an attempt to improve the retention of Jonah crabs while not 
increasing catch of sub-legal lobsters. This EFP proposes to test the 
modified vents over a wide range of Federal waters throughout Lobster 
Management Areas 2 and 3, covering statistical areas 515, 521, 526, 
537, and 616 (see Figure 1).
BILLING CODE 3510-22-C

[[Page 36324]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN24JN15.002

    Site selection would be based on each vessel's commercial fishing 
habits. URI is conducting this study to field test laboratory 
hypotheses that vents smaller than the minimum 5\3/4\-inch (14.61-cm) 
regulatory size will allow for greater retention of Jonah crab without 
increasing lobster mortality. This is in response to the development of 
a draft Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Jonah Crab that proposes 
a range of legal harvest width alternatives from no minimum size to 5.5 
inches (13.97 cm). These proposed minimum sizes are smaller than the 
legal vent size length of 5\3/4\ inches (14.61 cm) for Federal lobster 
gear. Funding for this lobster trap escape vent study is provided by a 
2014 NOAA Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program grant.
    URI is requesting exemptions from the following regulations to 
allow commercial lobster vessels to set, haul, and retain on-board the 
experimental traps:

[[Page 36325]]

     Trap limit requirements to allow each vessel to fish 15 
traps more than each vessel's allocation,
     Gear specification requirements to allow for the use of 
smaller than required and closed escape vents, and
     Trap tag requirements to allow for untagged traps.
    Each vessel will use five each of the three modified traps for 
sampling: Ventless; smaller vent length of 3\1/2\ inches (8.89 cm); and 
smaller vent length of 3\9/16\ inches (9.05 inches).
    The EFP would authorize participating vessels to deploy up to three 
modified traps within their normal trawl configuration, not to exceed a 
total deployment of 15 modified traps across all trawls, per vessel. 
Traps will be hauled during normal commercial fishing activity, at 
least bi-monthly over the course of six months, up to one year. Catch 
from modified traps will be held briefly on-board vessels to record 
measurements and sex of crabs and lobster, trap vent type, and soak 
time. After data are recorded, the applicant states that all catch from 
modified traps will be promptly discarded and no catch from modified 
traps would be retained for sale. All catch data would be collected by 
the vessel captain and crew.
    If approved, URI may request minor modifications and extensions to 
the EFP throughout the study. EFP modifications and extensions may be 
granted without further notice if they are deemed essential to 
facilitate completion of the proposed research and have minimal impacts 
that do not change the scope or impact of the initially approved EFP 
request. Any fishing activity conducted outside the scope of the 
exempted fishing activity would be prohibited.

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

    Dated: June 19, 2015.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-15522 Filed 6-23-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P

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