Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; NMFS Implementation of International Trade Data System, 58065-58066 [2022-20622]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 184 (Friday, September 23, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58065-58066]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-20622]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; NMFS Implementation of International Trade Data System

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

ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information 
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information 
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The 
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment 
preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed 
information collection must be received on or before November 22, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to 
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, at [email protected]. Please 
reference OMB Control Number 0648-0732 in the subject line of your 
comments. Do not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise 
sensitive or protected information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed 
to Rachael Confair, Office of International Affairs, Trade, and 
Commerce, Supervisory International Trade Specialist, 1315 East West 
Highway, SSMC3 Room 5307, Silver Spring, MD 20910, 301-427-8361, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Office of 
International Affairs, Trade, and Commerce requests a regular 
submission for the extension of a current information collection. The 
Security and Accountability for Every Port Act of 2006 (SAFE Port Act, 
Pub. L. 109-347) requires all Federal agencies with a role in import 
admissibility decisions to collect information electronically through 
the International Trade Data System (ITDS). The Department of the 
Treasury has the U.S. Government lead on ITDS development and Federal 
agency integration. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) developed 
the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) as an internet-based system 
for the collection and dissemination of information for ITDS. The 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), through its e-government 
initiative, oversees Federal agency participation in ITDS, with a focus 
on reducing duplicate reporting across agencies and migrating paper-
based reporting systems to electronic information collection. Numerous 
Federal agencies are involved in the regulation of international trade 
and many of these agencies participate in the decision-making process 
related to import, export, and transportation. Agencies also use trade 
data to monitor and report trade activity. NMFS is a partner government 
agency in the ITDS project as it monitors the trade of certain fishery 
products. Electronic collection of seafood trade data through a single 
portal has resulted in an overall reduction of the public reporting 
burden and the agency's data collection costs, has improved the 
timeliness and accuracy of admissibility decisions, and has increased 
the effectiveness of applicable trade restrictive measures.
    NMFS is responsible for implementation of trade measures and 
monitoring programs for fishery products subject to the documentation 
requirements of Regional Fishery Management Organizations (RFMO) and/or 
domestic laws. RFMOs are international fisheries organizations, 
established by treaties, to promote international cooperation to 
achieve effective and responsible marine stewardship and ensure 
sustainable fisheries management. The United States is a signatory to 
many RFMO treaties, and Congress has passed legislation to carry out 
U.S. obligations under those treaties, including trade measures to 
support conservation. Trade measures and monitoring programs enable the 
United States to exclude products that do not meet the RFMO criteria 
for admissibility to U.S. markets.
    Pursuant to domestic statutory authorities and/or multilateral 
agreements, NMFS has implemented a number of monitoring programs to 
collect information from the seafood industry regarding the origin of 
certain fishery products. The purpose of these programs is to determine 
the admissibility of the products in accordance with the specific 
criteria of the trade measure or documentation requirements in effect. 
The three NMFS trade monitoring programs originally included in the OMB 
information collection approved under Control Number 0648-0732 are the 
Highly Migratory Species International Trade Program (HMS ITP) which 
regulates trade in specified commodities of tuna, swordfish, billfish, 
and shark fins; the Antarctic Marine Living Resources (AMLR) trade 
program which regulates trade in Antarctic and Patagonian toothfish and 
other fishery products caught in the area where the Convention on the 
Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) applies; and 
the Tuna Tracking and Verification Program (TTVP), which regulates 
trade in frozen and/or processed tuna

[[Page 58066]]

products (refer to 50 CFR 216.24(f)(2)(iii) for a complete list).
    Separately, NMFS initially received approval from OMB for the 
Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) under Control Number 0648-
0739. NMFS implemented SIMP under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). Section 307(1)(Q) of the 
MSA prohibits the importation of fish or fish products that have been 
harvested in violation of a foreign law or regulation, or in 
contravention of a binding conservation measure of an RFMO to which the 
United States is a contracting party. Under SIMP, information on the 
harvest event must be submitted in ACE as part of the entry filing for 
designated fish products to allow NMFS to determine that the fish or 
fish products were lawfully acquired and are therefore admissible into 
U.S. commerce. In 2019, NMFS included shrimp and abalone entries in 
SIMP, and received initial OMB approval for the additional reporting 
burden for shrimp and abalone entries under a separate Control Number 
(0648- 0776).
    In the 2020 collection renewal of 0648-0732, OMB granted the NMFS 
request to merge all the trade monitoring programs under one 
collection, which incorporated the reporting burdens associated with 
collections 0648-0739 and 0648-0776 within the scope of 0648-0732. 
Generally, these trade monitoring programs are similar and require 
anyone who intends to import, export, and/or re-export regulated 
species to: Obtain an International Fisheries Trade Permit (IFTP) from 
NMFS; obtain documentation on the flag-nation authorization for the 
harvest from the foreign exporter; and submit this information to NMFS. 
Depending on the commodity, specific information may also be required, 
such as the flag-state of the harvesting vessel, the ocean area of 
catch, the fishing gear used, the harvesting vessel name, and details 
and authorizations related to harvest, landing, transshipment, and 
export.

II. Method of Collection

    The initial requirement for U.S. entities trading in reportable 
commodities is to apply for an IFTP. To obtain an IFTP, U.S. importers, 
exporters, and re-exporters of seafood products covered under the TTVP, 
AMLR, HMS ITP, and SIMP programs would be required to electronically 
submit their application and fee for the IFTP via the National Permits 
System available online at: NOAA Fisheries Permits.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0732.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission (extension of a current 
information collection).
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations; 
Federal government.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,800 per year.
    Estimated Time per Response: International Trade Fisheries Permits, 
20 minutes; Dataset submission in ITDS/ACE, 18 minutes; Audit Response, 
30 minutes; Supply Chain Recordkeeping, 15 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 103,717 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $1,854,000.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to Obtain or Retain Benefits.
    Legal Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1385, 16 U.S.C. 1826(a), 16 U.S.C. 
971(a), 19 U.S.C. 1411

IV. Request for Comments

    We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau 
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is 
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether 
the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy 
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed 
collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden 
on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve the renewal. Before including your address, phone 
number, email address, or other personal identifying information in 
your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including 
your personal identifying information--may be made publicly available 
at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your 
personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2022-20622 Filed 9-22-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P