Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Fishery Products Subject to Trade Restrictions Pursuant to Certification Under the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act, 12303-12304 [2025-04289]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 50 (Monday, March 17, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12303-12304]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-04289]


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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; Fishery Products Subject to Trade Restrictions Pursuant to 
Certification Under the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium 
Protection Act

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 May 16, 2025.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to 
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, at [email protected]. Please 
reference OMB Control Number 0648-0651 in the subject line of your 
comments. All comments received are part of the public record and will 
generally be posted on https://www.regulations.gov without change. 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 Bryan Keller, Foreign Affairs Specialist, National Marine Fisheries 
Service, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, 301-427-7725 
or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    This is a request for extension of an approved information 
collection for Fishery Products Subject to Trade Restrictions Pursuant 
to Certification Under the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium 
Protection Act (Moratorium

[[Page 12304]]

Protection Act) or the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).
    The National Marine Fisheries Service's (NMFS) Office of 
International Affairs, Trade, and Commerce requests extension of the 
information collection involving Certification of Admissibility for the 
importation of certain fish and fish products that are subject to 
requirements of the Moratorium Protection Act or the MMPA.
    The purpose of this information collection is to enable the 
continued flow of trade while adhering to existing statutory 
requirements. Pursuant to the Moratorium Protection Act, certain fish 
or fish products of a nation may be subject to import prohibitions. To 
facilitate enforcement, NMFS requires that other fish or fish products 
from that nation that are not subject to the import prohibitions must 
be accompanied by documentation of admissibility. A duly authorized 
official/agent of the applicant's Government must certify that the fish 
in the shipments being imported into the United States (U.S.) are of a 
species, or from fisheries, that are not subject to an import 
restriction. If a nation is identified under the Moratorium Protection 
Act and fails to receive a positive certification decision from the 
Secretary of Commerce, products from that nation may be subject to the 
import prohibitions and would subsequently need to be accompanied by 
the certificate of admissibility.
    Under the MMPA, import certification requirements apply in 
collection-of-information requirement (Control Number 0648-0732) cases 
where foreign fisheries do not meet U.S. standards for marine mammal 
bycatch mitigation. Final rule (RIN 0648-AY15) implemented a procedure 
for making comparability findings for nations that are eligible for 
exporting fish and fish products to the United States. The nations may 
receive a comparability finding to export fish and fish products by 
providing documentation that a nation's bycatch reduction regulatory 
program is comparable in effectiveness to that of the United States. 
Fish and fish products from a foreign fishery without a comparability 
finding are prohibited from entry into U.S. commerce. To facilitate 
enforcement, NMFS requires that other fish or fish products from that 
nation that are not subject to the import prohibitions must be 
accompanied by documentation of admissibility.
    Information collected under the Certification of Admissibility 
process is used by the United States Customs and Border Protection 
authorities to determine that inbound seafood shipments are not subject 
to trade restrictions. NMFS uses the information to ensure compliance 
with fish product trade restrictions and to assess compliance with 
international fishery management regulations.

II. Method of Collection

    The information is collected electronically at the time of entry 
filing in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) of U.S. Customs 
and Border Protection. The exporter completes information on the 
contents/origin of the fish products contained in the export shipment 
and obtains export government certification that the fish meet the U.S. 
admissibility criteria. Entry filers (importers or customs brokers) 
obtain the completed Certification of Admissibility from the exporter 
(attached to the shipment packaging or via email) and upload the image 
file of the document to ACE via the Document Image System. Customs and 
Border Protection will also accept paper submission at the port of 
entry.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0651.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission (extension of a current 
information collection).
    Affected Public: Business or other for profit organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 100 respondents annually filing 50 
responses each.
    Estimated Time per Response: 10 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 833.33 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to Obtain or Retain Benefits.
    Legal Authority: 50 CFR part 216; 50 CFR part 300, subpart N.

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 this information collection request. 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,
Departmental PRA Compliance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for 
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2025-04289 Filed 3-14-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P