Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Large Pelagic Fishing Survey
| Published date | 25 March 2024 |
| Record Number | 2024-06203 |
| Citation | 89 FR 20636 |
| Court | National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration |
| Section | Notices |
Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 58 (Monday, March 25, 2024)
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 58 (Monday, March 25, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20636-20638]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-06203]
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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; Large Pelagic Fishing Survey
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 November 6, 2023 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: Large Pelagic Fishing Survey.
OMB Control Number: 0648-0380.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: Regular submission (extension of a current
information collection).
Number of Respondents: 16,147.
Average Hours per Response: 11 minutes for a telephone interview; 5
minutes for a dockside interview; 1\1/2\ minutes to respond to a
follow-up validation call for dockside interviews; 1 minute for a
biological sampling of catch.
[[Page 20637]]
Total Annual Burden Hours: 3,638.
Needs and Uses: This request is for extension of a currently
approved information collection. The National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS) is responsible for monitoring and managing United States (U.S.)
marine fisheries resources. Collection of information regarding fishing
for large pelagic species (tunas, billfishes, swordfish, and sharks) is
necessary to fulfill the following statutory requirements: Atlantic
Tunas Convention Act (16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.), the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), and
to meet administrative requirements of the National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS) Marine Recreational Fishery Policy implemented to comply
with Executive Order 12962 on Recreational Fisheries.
The Atlantic Tunas Convention Act at 16 U.S.C. 971d(c)(3)(I)
provides the Secretary of Commerce the authority to ``require any
commercial or recreational fisherman to obtain a permit from the
Secretary and report the quantity of catch of a regulated species''.
Section 303(a) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act specifies data and analyses
to be included in Fishery Management Plans (FMPs), as well as pertinent
data, which shall be submitted to the Secretary of Commerce under the
plan. Recommendation One of the NMFS Marine Recreational Fishery (MRF)
Policy focuses on developing ``a comprehensive data acquisition and
analysis system (participation, catch, effort and socio-economic data)
on a regular, continuing basis'' in support of the Executive Order
12962 requirement to assess the implementation and evaluate
achievements of the ``Recreational Fishery Resources Conservation
Plan.''
Because highly migratory species are only sought on a relatively
small proportion of the total marine recreational angler fishing trips
made, the fishing effort directed at such species, and the resulting
angler catches are generally not estimated very precisely or accurately
by general (all species) recreational surveys. Therefore, the Large
Pelagics Survey (LPS) was designed as a specialized survey that would
focus specifically on the recreational fishery directed at large
pelagic, also called highly migratory, species. This specialization has
allowed higher levels of sampling needed to provide more precise and
accurate estimates of pelagic fishing effort and catches of large
pelagic species.
The LPS consists of two complementary surveys: a directory frame
telephone survey of tuna and/or HMS permit holders to obtain fishing
effort information (Large Pelagic Telephone Survey or LPTS), and a
dockside survey which collects catch information and also estimates the
proportion of vessels fishing for large pelagics that are not on the
telephone frame (Large Pelagic Intercept Survey or LPIS). Results from
the two survey components are combined to estimate total landings of
Highly Migratory Species. In addition, we are requesting approval to
continue to implement the Large Pelagic Biological Survey (LPBS) to
collect supplemental weight and length measurements of landed fish
through independent dockside sampling, as well as LPIS Validation
telephone calls to validate LPIS data. Implementation of certain
components will depend on fiscal year funding and NMFS priorities.
NMFS, regional fishery management councils, interstate marine
fisheries commissions, and state fishery agencies use the data in
developing, implementing and monitoring fishery management programs.
This collection has been the key source of data used to monitor
recreational quotas for the harvest of bluefin tuna in the Mid-Atlantic
and southern New England regions. Catch distributions, harvested size
distributions, and other indices obtained in this data collection have
formed the basis of fishery management plans and used in stock
assessments for Atlantic highly migratory species such as tunas,
billfish, swordfish and sharks.
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is responsible for
monitoring and managing United States (U.S.) marine fisheries
resources. Collection of information regarding fishing for large
pelagic species (tunas, billfishes, swordfish, and sharks) is necessary
to fulfill the following statutory requirements: Atlantic Tunas
Convention Act (16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.), the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), and to meet
administrative requirements of the National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS) Marine Recreational Fishery Policy implemented to comply with
Executive Order 12962 on Recreational Fisheries.
The Atlantic Tunas Convention Act at 16 U.S.C. 971d(c)(3)(I)
provides the Secretary of Commerce the authority to ``require any
commercial or recreational fisherman to obtain a permit from the
Secretary and report the quantity of catch of a regulated species''.
Section 303(a) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act specifies data and analyses
to be included in Fishery Management Plans (FMPs), as well as pertinent
data, which shall be submitted to the Secretary of Commerce under the
plan. Recommendation One of the NMFS Marine Recreational Fishery (MRF)
Policy focuses on developing ``a comprehensive data acquisition and
analysis system (participation, catch, effort and socio-economic data)
on a regular, continuing basis'' in support of the Executive Order
12962 requirement to assess the implementation and evaluate
achievements of the ``Recreational Fishery Resources Conservation
Plan.''
Because highly migratory species are only sought on a relatively
small proportion of the total marine recreational angler fishing trips
made, the fishing effort directed at such species, and the resulting
angler catches are generally not estimated very precisely or accurately
by general (all species) recreational surveys. Therefore, the Large
Pelagics Survey (LPS) was designed as a specialized survey that would
focus specifically on the recreational fishery directed at large
pelagic, also called highly migratory, species. This specialization has
allowed higher levels of sampling needed to provide more precise and
accurate estimates of pelagic fishing effort and catches of large
pelagic species.
The LPS consists of two complementary surveys: a directory frame
telephone survey of tuna and/or HMS permit holders to obtain fishing
effort information (Large Pelagic Telephone Survey or LPTS), and a
dockside survey which collects catch information and also estimates the
proportion of vessels fishing for large pelagics that are not on the
telephone frame (Large Pelagic Intercept Survey or LPIS). Results from
the two survey components are combined to estimate total landings of
Highly Migratory Species. In addition, we are requesting approval to
continue to implement the Large Pelagic Biological Survey (LPBS) to
collect supplemental weight and length measurements of landed fish
through independent dockside sampling, as well as LPIS Validation
telephone calls to validate LPIS data. Implementation of certain
components will depend on fiscal year funding and NMFS priorities.
NMFS, regional fishery management councils, interstate marine
fisheries commissions, and state fishery agencies use the data in
developing, implementing and monitoring fishery management programs.
This collection has been the key source of data used to monitor
recreational quotas for the harvest of bluefin tuna in the Mid-Atlantic
and southern New England
[[Page 20638]]
regions. Catch distributions, harvested size distributions, and other
indices obtained in this data collection have formed the basis of
fishery management plans and used in stock assessments for Atlantic
highly migratory species such as tunas, billfish, swordfish and sharks.
Affected Public: Individuals or households; business or other for-
profit organizations.
Frequency: Annually, weekly or on occasion.
Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
Legal Authority: Atlantic Tunas Convention Act and the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
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 0648-0380.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2024-06203 Filed 3-22-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
