Pacific Islands Pelagic Fisheries; American Samoa Longline Limited Entry Program, 69621-69622 [2023-22295]
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 193 / Friday, October 6, 2023 / Notices
on one of NOAA Ocean Exploration’s
expeditions.
The first forms described above will
include minor revisions, and the fifth
form is a new addition. The Sailing
Contact Information form will be
revised to include updated
informational attachments (e.g., links to
updated COVID guidance, medical
clearance, underwater cultural heritage
protocols) and updated expedition
names and dates for a given calendar
year. The Okeanos Explorer
Participation Assessment will be revised
to replace some technical/scientific
questions with questions that relate to
communication, leadership, and
workplace climate. The EX
Collaboration Tools form will be revised
to include updated informational
attachments (e.g., underwater cultural
heritage protocols) and updated
expedition names and dates for a
calendar year. The Citizen Scientist
form will be updated for expedition
names and dates for a calendar year.
Affected Public: Targeted towards the
greater ocean exploration community;
Individuals or households; business or
other for-profit organizations; not-forprofit institutions; Federal government.
Frequency: EX Collaboration Tools
Feedback: annually; all other forms are
on occasion.
Respondent’s Obligation: Sailing
Contact Information: Required to obtain
or retain benefits; all other forms are
voluntary.
Legal Authority: Public Law 111–11
[Section XII Ocean Exploration].
This information collection request
may be viewed at www.reginfo.gov.
Follow the instructions to view the
Department of Commerce collections
currently under review by OMB.
Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be
submitted within 30 days of the
publication of this notice on the
following website www.reginfo.gov/
public/do/PRAMain. Find this
particular information collection by
selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day
Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or
by using the search function and
entering either the title of the collection
or the OMB Control Number 0648–0748.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of
the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs,
Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2023–22320 Filed 10–5–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–KD–P
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17:00 Oct 05, 2023
Jkt 262001
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XD371]
Pacific Islands Pelagic Fisheries;
American Samoa Longline Limited
Entry Program
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; availability of permits.
AGENCY:
NMFS announces that 25
American Samoa pelagic longline
limited entry permits in 2 permit size
classes are available for 2023. NMFS is
accepting applications for these
available permits.
DATES: NMFS must receive complete
permit applications including payment
by February 5, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Download a blank
application from the NOAA Fisheries
website: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/
permit/american-samoa-longlinelimited-entry-permit. Submit your
application and pay the processing fee
electronically per instructions at https://
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pacific-islands/
commercial-fishing/apply-pacificislands-fishing-permit.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Walter Ikehara, NMFS Pacific Islands
Regional Office (PIRO), Sustainable
Fisheries, tel 808–725–5175 or email
PIRO-permits@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Federal
regulations at 50 CFR 665.816 allow
NMFS to re-issue permits for the
American Samoa pelagic longline
limited entry program if the number of
permits falls below the maximum
allowed. At least 25 permits are
available for issuance in the following
permit size classes, as follows:
• 17 in Small (vessels up to 50 feet or
15.24 meters in overall length); and
• 8 in Large (vessels overall length 50
feet or 15.24 meters and longer).
Please note that the number of
available permits may change before the
application period closes. Applicants
must specify the permit size class (one
only) for which they are applying on the
application form.
If there are more applications than
available permits in a particular size
class, the Regional Administrator shall
issue permits to persons according to
the following priority standard:
(i) Priority accrues to the person with
the earliest documented participation in
the pelagic longline fishery in the
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) around
SUMMARY:
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69621
American Samoa from smallest to
largest vessel; and
(ii) In the event of a tie in the priority
ranking between two or more
applicants, the applicant whose second
documented participation in the pelagic
longline fishery in the EEZ around
American Samoa is first in time will be
ranked first in priority. If there is still
a tie between two or more applicants,
the Regional Administrator will select
the successful applicant by an impartial
lottery.
NMFS will only consider complete
applications, which must include the
completed and signed application form,
copy of current United States Coast
Guard Certificate of Documentation or
state or territory vessel registration,
evidence of documented participation
in the fishery if needed for
prioritization, and non-refundable
payment of the application processing
fee. Incomplete applications may be
abandoned 30 days after receipt if
deficiencies are not addressed.
Documented participation means
participation proved by, but not
necessarily limited to, a properly
submitted NMFS or American Samoa
logbook, an American Samoa creel
survey record, a delivery or payment
record from an American Samoa-based
cannery, retailer or wholesaler, an
American Samoa tax record, an
individual wage record, ownership title,
vessel registration, or other official
documents showing:
(i) Ownership of a vessel that was
used to fish in the EEZ around
American Samoa; or
(ii) Evidence of work on a fishing trip
during which longline gear was used to
harvest western Pacific pelagic
management unit species in the EEZ
around American Samoa. If the
applicant does not possess the necessary
documentation of evidence of work on
a fishing trip based on records available
only from NMFS or the Government of
American Samoa (e.g., creel survey
record or logbook), the applicant may
issue a request to PIRO to obtain such
records from the appropriate agencies, if
available. The applicant should provide
sufficient information on the fishing trip
to allow PIRO to retrieve the records.
If an applicant requests NMFS, in
writing, to use NMFS longline logbook
data as evidence of documented
participation, the applicant must specify
the qualifying vessel, official number,
and month and year of the logbook
records. NMFS will not conduct an
unlimited search for records.
NMFS must receive applications by
February 5, 2024 to be considered for a
permit (see ADDRESSES). NMFS will not
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69622
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 193 / Friday, October 6, 2023 / Notices
accept applications received after that
date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: October 3, 2023.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023–22295 Filed 10–5–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Electronic Monitoring
Systems for Atlantic Highly Migratory
Species
The Department of Commerce will
submit the following information
collection request to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
review and clearance in accordance
with the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995, on or after the date of publication
of this notice. We invite 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. Public
comments were previously requested
via the Federal Register on October 19,
2022, during a 60-day comment period.
This notice allows for an additional 30
days for public comments.
Agency: National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
Title: Electronic Monitoring Systems
for Atlantic Highly Migratory Species.
OMB Control Number: 0648–0372.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: Regular.
Number of Respondents: 132.
Average Hours per Response: 4 hours
for initial VMS installation; 5 minutes
per VMS initial activation checklist; 2
minutes per hail-out/hail-in declaration;
6 hours for initial electronic monitoring
installation; 1 hour for camera boom
installation; 5 minutes for pelagic
longline and greenstick bluefin tuna
catch records; 1 minute for dockside
review of bluefin tuna catch records; 1
hour for electronic monitoring data
retrieval.
Burden Hours: 2,697.
Needs and Uses: Vessel monitoring
systems (VMS) and other electronic
monitoring systems collect important
information on fishing effort, catch, and
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:00 Oct 05, 2023
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the geographic location of fishing effort
and catch for certain sectors of the
Atlantic HMS fleet. Data collected
through these systems are used in both
domestic and international fisheries
management, including for law
enforcement, stock assessments, and
quota management purposes. Atlantic
HMS vessels required to use VMS are
pelagic longline, bottom longline
(directed shark permit holders in North
Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia),
and gillnet (directed shark permit
holders consistent with the
requirements of the Atlantic large whale
take reduction plan requirements at 50
CFR 229.39.(h)) vessels. In addition to
VMS, pelagic longline vessels are also
required to have electronic monitoring
systems to monitor catch and account
for bluefin tuna interactions, and, when
appropriate, monitoring the harvest of
shortfin mako sharks.
NMFS Office of Law Enforcement
monitors fleet adherence to gear- and
time-area restrictions with VMS
position location data. Gear restricted
areas and time-area closures are
important. Atlantic HMS management
tools that have been implemented to
reduce bycatch of juvenile swordfish,
sea turtles, and bluefin tuna, among
other species. Electronic monitoring
data from the pelagic longline fleet are
used by NMFS to accurately monitor
bluefin tuna catch by the pelagic
longline fleet, to ensure compliance
with Individual Bluefin Quota (IBQ)
limits and requirements, and to ensure
that the Longline category bluefin tuna
quota is not over-harvested.
Additionally, electronic monitoring is
used to verify disposition of retained
shortfin mako sharks, when retention is
allowed, consistent with binding
international agreements. VMS
reporting of bluefin tuna catch is used
to monitor IBQ allocations in real-time.
Atlantic HMS fisheries are managed
under the dual authority of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
(MSA) and the Atlantic Tunas
Conservation Act (ATCA). Under the
MSA, management measures must be
consistent with the National Standards,
and fisheries must be managed to
maintain optimum yield, rebuild
overfished fisheries, and prevent
overfishing. Under ATCA, the Secretary
of Commerce shall promulgate
regulations, as necessary and
appropriate, to implement measures
adopted by the International
Commission for the Conservation of
Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).
Affected Public: Businesses or other
for-profit organizations (vessel owners).
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Frequency: VMS reports at the start
and end of each trip; VMS set reports at
the end of each day of fishing; EM data
retrieval after every other trip, unless
the hard drive is full after the first trip.
Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory.
Legal Authority: Under the provisions
of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act (16
U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), the National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS) is responsible
for management of the Nation’s marine
fisheries. NMFS must also promulgate
regulations, as necessary and
appropriate, to carry out obligations the
United States (U.S.) undertakes
internationally regarding tuna
management through the Atlantic Tunas
Convention Act (ATCA, 16 U.S.C. 971 et
seq.).
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
submitted within 30 days of the
publication of this notice on the
following website www.reginfo.gov/
public/do/PRAMain. Find this
particular information collection by
selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day
Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or
by using the search function and
entering either the title of the collection
or the OMB Control Number 0648–0372.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of
the Under Secretary of Economic Affairs,
Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2023–22323 Filed 10–5–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
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; NOAA Marine Fisheries
Advisory Committee Survey on Marine
Mammal Deterrents
The Department of Commerce will
submit the following information
collection request to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
review and clearance in accordance
with the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995, on or after the date of publication
of this notice. We invite the general
public and other Federal agencies to
comment on proposed, and continuing
E:\FR\FM\06OCN1.SGM
06OCN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 193 (Friday, October 6, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69621-69622]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-22295]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XD371]
Pacific Islands Pelagic Fisheries; American Samoa Longline
Limited Entry Program
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; availability of permits.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS announces that 25 American Samoa pelagic longline limited
entry permits in 2 permit size classes are available for 2023. NMFS is
accepting applications for these available permits.
DATES: NMFS must receive complete permit applications including payment
by February 5, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Download a blank application from the NOAA Fisheries
website: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/permit/american-samoa-longline-limited-entry-permit. Submit your application and pay the processing
fee electronically per instructions at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pacific-islands/commercial-fishing/apply-pacific-islands-fishing-permit.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Walter Ikehara, NMFS Pacific Islands
Regional Office (PIRO), Sustainable Fisheries, tel 808-725-5175 or
email [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Federal regulations at 50 CFR 665.816 allow
NMFS to re-issue permits for the American Samoa pelagic longline
limited entry program if the number of permits falls below the maximum
allowed. At least 25 permits are available for issuance in the
following permit size classes, as follows:
17 in Small (vessels up to 50 feet or 15.24 meters in
overall length); and
8 in Large (vessels overall length 50 feet or 15.24 meters
and longer).
Please note that the number of available permits may change before
the application period closes. Applicants must specify the permit size
class (one only) for which they are applying on the application form.
If there are more applications than available permits in a
particular size class, the Regional Administrator shall issue permits
to persons according to the following priority standard:
(i) Priority accrues to the person with the earliest documented
participation in the pelagic longline fishery in the Exclusive Economic
Zone (EEZ) around American Samoa from smallest to largest vessel; and
(ii) In the event of a tie in the priority ranking between two or
more applicants, the applicant whose second documented participation in
the pelagic longline fishery in the EEZ around American Samoa is first
in time will be ranked first in priority. If there is still a tie
between two or more applicants, the Regional Administrator will select
the successful applicant by an impartial lottery.
NMFS will only consider complete applications, which must include
the completed and signed application form, copy of current United
States Coast Guard Certificate of Documentation or state or territory
vessel registration, evidence of documented participation in the
fishery if needed for prioritization, and non-refundable payment of the
application processing fee. Incomplete applications may be abandoned 30
days after receipt if deficiencies are not addressed.
Documented participation means participation proved by, but not
necessarily limited to, a properly submitted NMFS or American Samoa
logbook, an American Samoa creel survey record, a delivery or payment
record from an American Samoa-based cannery, retailer or wholesaler, an
American Samoa tax record, an individual wage record, ownership title,
vessel registration, or other official documents showing:
(i) Ownership of a vessel that was used to fish in the EEZ around
American Samoa; or
(ii) Evidence of work on a fishing trip during which longline gear
was used to harvest western Pacific pelagic management unit species in
the EEZ around American Samoa. If the applicant does not possess the
necessary documentation of evidence of work on a fishing trip based on
records available only from NMFS or the Government of American Samoa
(e.g., creel survey record or logbook), the applicant may issue a
request to PIRO to obtain such records from the appropriate agencies,
if available. The applicant should provide sufficient information on
the fishing trip to allow PIRO to retrieve the records.
If an applicant requests NMFS, in writing, to use NMFS longline
logbook data as evidence of documented participation, the applicant
must specify the qualifying vessel, official number, and month and year
of the logbook records. NMFS will not conduct an unlimited search for
records.
NMFS must receive applications by February 5, 2024 to be considered
for a permit (see ADDRESSES). NMFS will not
[[Page 69622]]
accept applications received after that date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: October 3, 2023.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-22295 Filed 10-5-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
