Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Cooperative Game Fish Tagging Report, 33334 [2024-09168]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 83 (Monday, April 29, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Page 33334]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-09168]


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

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; Cooperative Game Fish Tagging Report

    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 January 16, 2024 during a 60-day comment period. 
This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
    Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Commerce.
    Title: Cooperative Game Fish Tagging Report.
    OMB Control Number: 0648-0247.
    Form Number(s): 88-162.
    Type of Request: Regular submission, extension of a current 
information collection.
    Number of Respondents: 500.
    Average Hours per Response: Two minutes to complete the fish tag 
card.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 167 hours.
    Needs and Uses: This request is for extension of a current 
information collection. The Cooperative Game Fish Tagging Program was 
initiated in 1971 as part of a comprehensive research program resulting 
from passage of Public Law 86-359, Study of Migratory Game Fish, and 
other legislative acts under which the National Marine Fisheries 
Service (NMFS) operates. The Cooperative Tagging Center attempts to 
determine the migration patterns of, and other biological information 
for, billfish, tunas, and swordfish. The Fish Tag Issue Report card is 
a necessary part of the tagging program. Fishermen volunteer to tag and 
release their catch. When requested, NMFS provides the volunteers with 
fish tags for their use when they release their fish. Usually a group 
of five tags is sent at one time, each attached to a Report card, which 
is pre-printed with the first and last tag numbers received, and has 
spaces for the respondent's name, address, date, and club affiliation 
(if applicable). He/she fills out the card with information when a fish 
is tagged and mails it to NMFS.
    Information on each species is used by NMFS to determine migratory 
patterns, distance traveled, stock boundaries, age, and growth. These 
data are necessary input for developing management criteria by regional 
fishery management councils, states, and NMFS. The tag report cards are 
necessary to provide tags to the volunteer angler, record when and 
where the fish was tagged, the species, its estimated length and 
weight, tag number, and information on the tagger for follow-ups if the 
tagged fish is recovered. Failure to obtain these data would make 
management decisions very difficult and would be contrary to the NMFS 
Marine Recreational Fishing policy objectives. Anglers are made aware 
of the tagging program through several forms of media: newspaper and 
magazine articles, through both The Billfish Foundation and the 
Southeast Fisheries Science Center websites, peer review papers, and by 
word of mouth.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Frequency: Occasionally.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: 16 U.S.C. 760e Name of Law: Study of Migratory 
Game Fish;
    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 0648-0247.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for 
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2024-09168 Filed 4-26-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P