Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Alaska Pacific Halibut Fisheries: Subsistence, 13139-13140 [2020-04597]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 45 (Friday, March 6, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13139-13140]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-04597]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Alaska Pacific 
Halibut Fisheries: Subsistence

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

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 comment on proposed and/or continuing 
information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995.

DATES: To ensure consideration, written or on-line comments must be 
submitted on or before May 5, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Adrienne Thomas, PRA Officer, 
NOAA, 151 Patton Avenue, Room 159, Asheville, NC 28801 (or via the 
internet at [email protected]). All comments received are part of the 
public record. Comments will generally be posted without change. All 
Personally Identifiable Information (for example, name and address) 
voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do 
not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or 
protected information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should 
be directed to Gabrielle Aberle, National Marine Fisheries Service, 
P.O. Box

[[Page 13140]]

21668, Juneau, AK, 99802-1668. Telephone (907) 586-7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is requesting 
extension of a currently approved information collection for the Alaska 
Subsistence Halibut Program.
    The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) and NMFS manage 
fishing for Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) through 
regulations established under authority of the Northern Pacific Halibut 
Act of 1982 (Halibut Act). The IPHC promulgates regulations governing 
the Pacific halibut fishery under the Convention between the United 
States and Canada for the Preservation of the Halibut Fishery of the 
North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea, signed at Ottawa, Ontario, on March 
2, 1953, as amended by a Protocol Amending the Convention (signed at 
Washington, DC, on March 29, 1979). The Halibut Act also authorizes the 
North Pacific Fishery Management Council to develop halibut fishery 
regulations, including limited access regulations, in its geographic 
area of concern that would apply to nationals or vessels of the United 
States. Regulations governing the subsistence halibut fishery are at 50 
CFR 300.2, 300.4, and Subpart E, and in the annual management measures 
published in the Federal Register pursuant to 50 CFR 300.62.
    Subsistence halibut means halibut caught by a rural resident or a 
member of an Alaska Native tribe for direct personal or family 
consumption as food, sharing for personal or family consumption as 
food, or customary trade. The subsistence halibut program is intended 
to allow eligible persons to practice the long-term customary and 
traditional harvest of Pacific halibut for food in a non-commercial 
manner. This program provides NMFS the opportunity to learn more about 
the subsistence fishery and enhance estimates of subsistence removals 
for stock assessment purposes.
    Before fishing under subsistence halibut regulations, fishermen 
must obtain a Subsistence Halibut Registration Certificate (SHARC). 
Special permits for community harvest, ceremonial, and educational 
purposes are available to qualified Alaska communities and Alaska 
Native Tribes. NMFS designed the permits to work in conjunction with 
other halibut harvest assessment measures.
    This information collection contains the application for a SHARC; 
the application for a Community Harvest Permit, a Ceremonial Permit, or 
an Educational Permit; the harvest logs for community, ceremonial, and 
educational permits; an appeals process for denied permits; and gear 
marking requirements for subsistence fishery setline gear. Each of 
these instruments is designed to minimize the reporting burden on 
subsistence halibut fishermen while retrieving essential information.
    Information collected by the permit applications includes permit 
holder information or applicant information, and depending on the 
permit type, may include information on the educational program or a 
description of the cultural or ceremonial occasion the permit will be 
used for. NMFS uses this information to determine the eligibility of 
applicants to receive or renew permits.
    The permit coordinators submit the harvest logs for Community 
Harvest Permits, Ceremonial Permits, and Educational Permits. Harvest 
logs collect identification information and harvest information for the 
subsistence fishermen fishing under that permit.
    An appeals process is provided for an applicant who receives an 
adverse initial administrative determination related to their permit 
application.
    Subsistence setline gear buoys must be marked with identification 
information that consists of the subsistence fisherman's name and 
address and an ``S'' to indicate subsistence gear. The ability to link 
fishing gear to the vessel owner or operator is crucial to enforcement 
of regulations.

II. Method of Collection

    Information is collected primarily via mail. Harvest logs and SHARC 
applications also may be submitted by fax, and SHARC renewals may be 
submitted online through eFISH on the NMFS Alaska Region website. The 
application forms and harvest logs are available as fillable pdfs on 
the NMFS Alaska Region website. The fishing gear identification 
information is marked on buoys and is not submitted to NMFS.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0512.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Extension of a current information collection.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households; State, Local, or Tribal 
government.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 7,337.
    Estimated Time per Response: Permit applications, 10 minutes; 
Harvest logs, 30 minutes; Appeal for permit denial, 4 hours; Gear 
marking, 15 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,438.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $25,288.

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.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2020-04597 Filed 3-5-20; 8:45 am]
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