Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Greater Atlantic Region Logbook Family of Forms, 12708-12709 [2025-04448]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 52 (Wednesday, March 19, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12708-12709]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-04448]


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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; Greater Atlantic Region Logbook Family of Forms

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 19, 2025.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to 
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, at [email protected]. Please 
reference OMB Control Number 0648-0212 in the subject line of your 
comments. All comments received are part of the public record and will

[[Page 12709]]

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 Barry Clifford, Branch Chief--Data Processing and Quality, NOAA 
Fisheries--Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, (978)-281-9148, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    This is a request for the renewal of an approved information 
collection. The Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO), 
under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
(Magnuson-Stevens Act) and the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative 
Management Act (Atlantic Coastal Act) the New England Fishery 
Management Council (the Council) and the Atlantic States Marine 
Fisheries Commission (the Commission) are responsible for conservation 
and management of marine fishery resources off the east coast. NOAA's 
National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS) enacts complementary 
regulations to Council and Commission actions.
    The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires that conservation and management 
measures must prevent overfishing while achieving, on a continuing 
basis, the optimum yield from each fishery. These measures must be 
based on the best scientific information available. The Atlantic 
Coastal Act oversees coastal fishery resources that migrate, or are 
widely distributed, across the jurisdictional boundaries of two or more 
of the Atlantic States and Federal Government.
    The use of vessel logbooks are essential tools in the management of 
fishery resources. Section 303(a)(5) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act 
specifically identifies the kinds of data to be collected for fishery 
management plans (FMPs), and the GARFO obtains much of this data 
through the logbooks, a web application, and vessel monitoring system 
(VMS) (which is approved under the 0648-0212 information collection) 
data. Logbooks are also known as Vessel Trip Reports (VTRs).
    International, federal, state, and local fishery management 
authorities recognize the value of logbook data and use the data as a 
part of their management systems. Resulting data are used by 
economists, biologists, and managers to develop, monitor, and enforce 
controls on fishery harvests. Mandatory logbook reporting requirements 
are applied to all vessels permitted under the Atlantic mackerel, 
squid, butterfish, Atlantic sea scallop, Atlantic surf clam, ocean 
quahog, Northeast (NE) multispecies, monkfish, summer flounder, scup, 
black sea bass, Atlantic bluefish, spiny dogfish, Atlantic herring, 
tilefish, red crab, skate, and American lobster FMPs. If a vessel is 
permitted in more than one of these fisheries, only one report needs to 
be submitted to fulfill reporting requirements for all species.
    The information collected using logbooks will be used by several 
offices of NMFS, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Councils and Commission, and 
state fishery agencies. The information is used to develop, implement, 
and monitor fishery management strategies. Logbook data serve as inputs 
for a variety of uses, including biological analyses and stock 
assessments, regulatory impact analyses, quota allocation selections 
and monitoring, economic profitability profiles, trade and import 
tariff decisions, allocation of grant funds among states, and analysis 
of ecological interactions among species. Additionally, the data serve 
and important means to facilitate enforcement and mitigate the impacts 
of interactions between fixed fishing gear and endangered whales. NMFS 
would be unable to fulfill the majority of its scientific research and 
fishery management missions without these data.

II. Method of Collection

    Data is collected electronically using software applications 
submitted over the internet.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0212.
    Form Number(s): 88-30, 88-140.
    Type of Review: Regular Submission [extension of a current 
information collection].
    Affected Public: Individuals or households; business or other for-
profit organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 2,927.
    Estimated Time per Response: Vessel Trip Reports: VTRs are 
estimated at 4 minutes per response. Lobster VTRs estimated at 5 
minutes per response. Shellfish VTR estimated at 4 minutes per 
response. Fish Online web application estimated at 4 minutes per 
response.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 17,154 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: 0.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act and the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative 
Management Act.

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. 2025-04448 Filed 3-18-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P