0013 ss ren Part A rev 111407

SUPPORTING STATEMENT
SOUTHEAST REGION DEALER AND INTERVIEW FAMILY OF FORMS
OMB CONTROL NO.: 0648-0013

INTRODUCTION
This request for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) review is for renewal of the
existing reporting requirements that are currently approved under OMB Control No.: 0648-0013,
Southeast Region Dealer Family of Forms, which expires on October 31, 2007. This family of
forms includes the various reporting instruments and procedures that the National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS) Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) uses to collect landings
statistics and quota monitoring data from commercial seafood dealers and to conduct interviews
with fishermen for effort and fishing locations data.
Fishery statistics are collected by NMFS for a variety of reasons under several Federal statutes.
The overall purposes for the data collection activities under this family have not changed
significantly since the approval of this family of forms in 1995. It includes the same three
methodologies that were included in the 1998, 2001 and the 2004 submissions. These methods
include: (1) landings statistics, which include the general canvass statistics and the shrimp
landings statistics; (2) mandatory dealer reporting for monitoring Federal fishery quotas; and (3)
bioprofile data from the Trip Interview Program (TIP). The SEFSC employs several methods to
collect the data. The following is a brief description of these procedures.
For the general canvass statistics, the SEFSC does not collect these data directly from the
seafood dealers. The state fishery agencies in each of the states in the southeast region collect
landings statistics under their individual state authority. The state agencies share these data with
the SEFSC as part of formal cooperative agreements between the SEFSC and the states. These
cooperative arrangements serve to both reduce the overall cost of data collection and avoid the
possibility of duplicate effort.
Because more detailed information is required for the shrimp landings statistics than some states
provide in the general canvass data, SEFSC employees collect these data directly from seafood
dealers. The data that the SEFSC personnel collect are available from the sales receipts records
maintained by the dealers as part of the routine accounting practices that are part of their normal
business operations. The dealers are not asked nor required to keep any extra records, other than
the sales receipts, which are used by the SEFSC personnel to record the shrimp landings
statistics. Consequently, this data collection activity does not impose any reporting burden on the
dealers.
The shrimp fishing effort information is collected directly from shrimp fishermen by personal
interviews with them. The fishermen are not asked to complete a form; instead, SEFSC
employees ask them for the information and record the data on work sheets for data entry.
To collect the data required to monitor the fishery quotas, the SEFSC has developed simple, easy
to use forms that are to be completed by the dealers selected to report. Currently, there are 4
forms in use by the SEFSC to monitor the fishery quotas (Coastal fisheries, Mackerel dealers,
mackerel gill net fisherman, and Wreckfish).
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There are three other types of data included in OMB Control No.: 0648-0013 (rock shrimp dealer
data, golden crab dealer data, and coral dealer data), but the SEFSC does not actively collect
these data. As with the general canvass data, the state fishery agencies provide these data;
however, a minimal number of hours is identified in the unlikely event the states cannot provide
those data.
A.

JUSTIFICATION

1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary.
The data collected under the various programs included in OMB Control No.: 0648-0013
supports a wide variety of analytical and management functions performed by NMFS. These
data are collected to support the stewardship role delegated to NMFS under various Federal
regulations.
Under the Fish and Wildlife Act (FWA), modified by the Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970,
and enhanced by the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act (renamed in 1996 as
the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and amended in 2006), the
Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) has undertaken a set of objectives for the conservation and
management of marine fishery resources. Section 742(d) of the FWA requires the Secretary to
conduct continuing investigations, prepare and disseminate information, and make periodical
reports to the public, to the President and to Congress on the status of marine resources. The
Magnuson-Stevens Act requires that conservation and management measures in fishery
management plans (FMP) must prevent overfishing while achieving, on a continuing basis, the
optimum yield from each fishery. Such management measures must be based on the best
available scientific information. The use of dealer reporting of landings purchased throughout
the various regiments of the fishery is an essential ingredient in the management of fishery
resources. Section 303 (a) (5) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act specifically identifies the kinds of
data to be collected in support of FMPs. The following are specific regulations that authorize the
collection of data in this family of forms:
Legal Citation

Description

Appropriate Section

50 CFR Part 600

General Provisions for
Domestic Fisheries

600.705 Relation to other laws, 600.715
Recordkeeping and Reporting and 600.725
General Prohibitions.

50 CFR Part 622

Fisheries of the
Caribbean, Gulf &
South Atlantic

622.2 Definitions, 622.5 Recordkeeping and
Reporting.

The mandatory dealer reporting is necessary to provide the NMFS with timely information to
monitor the fishery quotas established in the respective fishery management plans. Without the
direct reporting by the selected dealers, NMFS managers would not be able to determine when
the quotas are reached and the fisheries need to be closed.
The bioprofile data (also referred to as the trip interview data) are necessary for size frequency
and age at length keys. These data and relationships are essential parts of the scientific stock
assessments prepared by NMFS scientists.
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2. Explain how, by whom, how frequently, and for what purpose the information will be
used. If the information collected will be disseminated to the public or used to support
information that will be disseminated to the public, then explain how the collection
complies with all applicable Information Quality Guidelines.
The information provided by the data collection activities in OMB Control No.: 0648-0013 is
used by several offices of NMFS, Fishery Management Council staffs, the U.S. Coast Guard, the
Corp of Engineers, and state fishery agencies to develop, implement, and monitor fishery
management regimes. NMFS, Fishery Management Councils, the Departments of State and
Commerce, OMB, the fishing industry, congressional staff, and the public use summarizations
and analyses of dealer data to answer questions about the nature of fisheries resources.
The primary use of the overall data collection, however, is to support the management of the
fisheries resources under Federal jurisdiction. The landings data are used to determine the overall
magnitude and trends in the fisheries. The Shrimp Interview and the TIP provide the most
important data for stock assessments that directly support NMFS’ stewardship responsibilities.
There are two parts to the TIP data collection activity: 1) port agents select fishing trips and
interview the captain or crew to collect information on the fishing trip, i.e., specific locations
where the fishing occurred, the type and quantities of gear, and the amount of time that the
various types of gear were fished: 2) port agents measure and weigh individual fish and collect
hard-part and tissue samples either directly from the boats when the catch is being unloaded or
from storage vats after the unloading has been completed. This size frequency and age data are
used directly by stock assessment biologists to perform virtual population analyses for stock
assessments. To assure that fishermen cooperate, Federal regulations require that fishermen
make their fish available to authorized Federal port agents and provide the gear, area and effort
information needed in conjunction with the size and weight data.
The SEFSC routinely performs four to six stock assessments per year (note, an assessment is
not necessarily needed for each species every year, consequently some assessments are
performed every 3 to 5 years). As an example, stock assessments for Gag Groupers, Red
Groupers, Black Groupers, and Vermilion Snappers were done during 2006.
The SEFSC conducts an annual vessel inventory that is used to provide a count of the vessels
(greater than 5 net tons) that are actively fishing in the southeast region. The data for this
inventory is extracted from trip ticket data for some of the states; however, for other states the
inventory is prepared by observation and data recorded from dealer records. There are only a
small number of situations where it is necessary for the agents to actually contact the vessel
owner/operator for specific information on the type or amount of gear used by the vessel.

3

Another major data collection activity in OMB Control No.: 0648-0013 is mandatory dealer
reporting that is used to monitor the quotas that are promulgated under various Federal fishery
management plans and amendments to those plans. The frequency of reporting is established in
accordance with the nature of the respective fishery. For several of the fisheries, fishing effort
and/or the biology of the fish require weekly submissions, but for other quotas, the frequency
with which the fish are landed only requires reporting every two weeks or monthly. The
following is a summary of the reporting frequencies for the four quota monitoring collections in
OMB Control No.: 0648-0013.
Coastal Fisheries Dealers Reporting:
The coastal fisheries quota monitoring form includes fisheries managed under the Gulf of
Mexico Reef Fish Fishery Management plan currently (5 species of deep water groupers, 8
species of shallow water groupers, greater Amberjack, gray triggerfish, and tilefish). This form
also includes fisheries managed under the South Atlantic Fishery Management plan currently
(Snowy grouper, greater Amberjack, Golden tilefish, Black Sea bass, Red porgy, and Vermilion
Snapper). Dealers are required to submit this form twice per month.
Mackerel Dealers Reporting (gear types other than gill net):
Because king and Spanish mackerel are migratory and school in large numbers at specific times
and areas, monitoring the landings for these species is only necessary for a limited time, i.e.,
during the open season. Thus, reporting by dealers may only be required for a couple of months
or from as many as six months depending on availability of fish and fishing effort. There are 3
forms used for these quotas. One form is used for dealers that handle the quotas for all gear
types other than gill net. Dealers are only required to submit this form monthly.
Mackerel Dealers Reporting (gill net):
Because of the efficiency of gill nets to catch fish, the quota for this fishery can be reached very
quickly. Thus, those dealers and vessels that are selected to submit these two forms must do so
weekly. Normally, the quota for this fishery is reached in a month or two and only 7 or 8 reports
are required during a year.
Wreckfish Dealer Reporting:
Dealers that purchase wreckfish are required to report the total weight of these species purchased
during a calendar month.
Miscellaneous Reporting:
Reporting requirements have been implemented for rock shrimp and golden crab dealers along
the Atlantic coast and coral dealers in Puerto Rico. These regulations were promulgated as a
safeguard in the event that the states failed to collect the necessary landings statistics. To date,
the NMFS has not had to use this authority.
Summaries of the quota monitoring data will be made available to the general public to inform
them of the ongoing status of the quota so fishermen can make the appropriate business decisions
4

regarding future fishing activities. NMFS/SEFSC will retain control over the information and
safeguard it from improper access, modification, and destruction, consistent with National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) standards for confidentiality, privacy, and
electronic information. See response to #10 for more information on confidentiality and privacy.
The information collection is designed to yield data that meet all applicable information quality
guidelines. Prior to dissemination, the information will be subjected to quality control measures
and a pre-dissemination review pursuant to Section 515 of Public Law 106-554.
3. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use
of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological techniques or other forms
of information technology.
Currently, electronic reporting is not available for all dealers. However, several of the states in
the southeast region are investigating possible methods for dealers to report electronically. A
few dealers are using state approved electronic reporting and for those dealers, the data are
provided to the SEFSC by the state and those dealers are not required to submit a separate quota
monitoring report to the Center. The quota monitoring reporting forms for OMB Control No.:
0648-0013 are available on the Internet as a “.pdf” file that can be completed and sent via
RapidFax or e-mail to the Center.
4. Describe efforts to identify duplication.
A requirement of the Magnuson Act Operational Guidelines is for each Fishery Management
Council to evaluate existing state and federal laws governing the fisheries in question, and
such findings are included in each FMP. Membership on each Fishery Management Council is
composed of state and federal officials responsible for resource management in their respective
states. These two circumstances identify other data collection activities that may be gathering
the same or similar information. In addition, each FMP undergoes an extensive public
comment period where potential applicants review the proposed rulemaking.
The NMFS has established cooperative statistics programs with the 8 coastal states in the
southeast region of the U.S. The State/Federal Cooperative Statistics Program is comprehensive
both geographically within the southeast region and with respect to the data that are collected.
The federal and state reporting requirements are coordinated through the Cooperative
Agreement. In addition, the location and responsibilities of the port agents are coordinated to
avoid any duplication of effort, and contact with fishermen at the docks. As a result of both the
Fishery Management Council process and the Cooperative Statistics Agreements, the
NMFS/SEFSC is confident that it is aware of all similar data collection activities and that all
duplications that can be avoided are avoided.
Quota monitoring is the only area where any duplication occurs and it is unavoidable for this
data requirement. As a result of the restrictive quotas, the NMFS/SEFSC has had to establish
data collection programs that provide landings data more timely than the state fishery agencies
can provide them. It takes the states from 2 to 3 months to process the landings data and provide
it to the SEFSC. Unfortunately, with this type of delay, many of the Federal quotas would be
filled before any data could be provided by the states. Consequently, the SEFSC has had to
implement a means of collecting landings data much more quickly.
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5. If the collection of information involves small businesses or other small entities, describe
the methods used to minimize burden.
Because almost all dealers and fishermen are considered small businesses, separate requirements
based on the size of the business have not been developed. Only the minimum data to meet
reporting objectives are required from the respondents. The data provided under OMB Control
No.: 0648-0013 are summaries compiled from existing accounting information maintained by
seafood dealers and processors in the normal course of their business operations. The dealers are
not required, nor asked, to maintain any records other than the sales receipts that records the
transactions between the dealer (purchaser) and the fishermen (seller). Thus, there is no
additional recordkeeping burden on dealers due to the reporting requirements covered in this
PRA.
6. Describe the consequences to the Federal program or policy activities if the collection is
not conducted or is conducted less frequently.
It is essential that these collection activities are continued. They provide the data necessary for
future stock assessments and the means of monitoring the fishery quotas that are currently
promulgated to control fishing effort. Thus, if these collection activities were not available, the
NMFS could not perform the stock assessments for the conservation and management of our
fishery resources. Furthermore, without the mandatory dealer reporting, the SEFSC could not
effectively monitor the quotas implemented by existing fishery management plans and therefore,
reduce fishing mortality.
With respect to frequency, the collection of size frequency data must be an ongoing process.
The dynamics of fishery biology, such as semi-annual spawning, seasonal migratory changes,
growth and mortality rates, require a collection frequency that can detect these changes over
time. In addition, weekly or monthly reporting frequencies, rather than quarterly or annual
submissions, must be used to monitor in-season quota management.
7. Explain any special circumstances that require the collection to be conducted in a
manner inconsistent with OMB guidelines.
No additional special circumstances beyond those described in the previous response are in
conflict with OMB Guidelines for Information Collections.
8. Provide a copy of the PRA Federal Register notice that solicited public comments on the
information collection prior to this submission. Summarize the public comments received
in response to that notice and describe the actions taken by the agency in response to those
comments. Describe the efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their
views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and
recordkeeping, disclosure, or reporting format (if any), and on the data elements to be
recorded, disclosed, or reported.
A Federal Register notice was published on 05/22/2007. No comments were received.
As described above, the NMFS is part of a cooperative program to collect fishery statistics. As
such, a Committee has been established to oversee the Program. This Committee meets at least
6

once a year to review and improve on the data collection procedures and activities conducted in
the southeast.
The following is a list of the state coordinators and Council staffs that are members of the
Southeast Cooperative Statistics Committee:
Dee Lupton
North Carolina Department of Marine Resources
P.O. Box 769
Morehead, NC 28557
(919) 726-7021
Nan Jenkins
South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Dept.
P.O. Box 12559
Charleston, SC 29412
(912) 264-0542
Julie Califf
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
1200 Glynn Avenue
Brunswick, GA 31523
(912) 264-0542
Joseph O’Hop
Florida Department of Environmental Protection Marine Research Laboratory
100 8th Avenue, S.E.
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
(813) 896-8626
Kerwin Cuervo A
Alabama Department of Marine Resources
P.O. Drawer 458
Gulf Shores, Al 36542
(205) 968-7576
Chris Denson
Mississippi Bureau of Marine Resources
P.O. Box 959
Long Beach, MS 39560
(601) 864-4602
Joseph Shepard
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
P.O. Box 15570
Baton Rouge, LA 70895
(504) 765-2371
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Page Campbell
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
4200 Smith School Road
Austin, TX 78744
(512) 389-4857
Wayne Swingle
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council Lincoln Center
Suite 881 5401 West Kennedy Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33609
(813) 228-2815
Gregg Waugh
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council
Southpark Building, Suite 306, 1 Southpark Circle
Charleston, SC 29407
(803)571-4366
9. Explain any decisions to provide payments or gifts to respondents, other than
remuneration of contractors or grantees.
No payment or other remuneration are provided.
10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for
assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.
All data collected under this family of forms are handled in accordance with NOAA
Administrative Order 216-100, Confidential Fisheries Statistics. Dealer reports are also
considered confidential under the Trade Secrets Act.
11. Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual
behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered
private.
No questions of a sensitive nature are asked.
12. Provide an estimate in hours of the burden of the collection of information.
The total burden on the public for this PRA is estimated to be 1,835 hours. The following is a
description of the estimated burden hours and costs of reporting for the individual reporting
activities. The number of respondents and the estimated time per response for the individual
data collection activities (forms) are summarized in Table 1.
General Canvass:
The reporting burden on seafood dealers for the landings (general canvass) statistics is zero. As
described in the Introduction, these data are reported to the fishery agency for each state and the
NMFS/SEFSC does not conduct this data collection activity. The respective state fishery
8

agencies perform the data processing and quality control on these data and provide them to the
SEFSC.
Shrimp Dealers:
The reporting burden for the dealers that handle shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico is also zero. For
the dealers located in some states in the southeast region, the landings statistics are collected by
NMFS/SEFSC port agents who visit the dealers and record the data. The dealers are not
required to record any additional information or maintain any additional information other than
the information that is available on the sales receipts that are maintained as part of the
company’s accounting. The port agents record the information from the sales receipts
maintained by the dealers. The dealers are only required to make the sales receipts available to
the port agents.
Shrimp Interviews:
The burden to the public for shrimp interviews conducted in the Gulf of Mexico is estimated to
be 538 hours. On average, about 3,229 interviews are conducted annually to collect fishing
effort and area of catch information. It takes approximately 10 minutes to ask these questions.
Thus, the total burden is 3,229 x 0.167 hrs/schedule = 538 hrs.
The decrease in the number of responses from the previous estimates is 271. The decrease in the
burden hours from previous estimates is 46. This is a result of a sampling procedure adjustment
in 2006, because participation in the shrimp fishery varies for a number of factors ranging from
fuel and market prices to regional and local weather patterns. The average of the past 5 years was
used to predict the annual burden estimate.
Trip Interview Program:
The reporting burden associated with interviews that are conducted to collect the fishing effort
and location for the TIP is similar to the procedures for shrimp interviews. Because of the
increasing effort to improve the stock assessments that the NMFS prepares, the numbers of TIP
interviews have been increasing over the past several years. It is estimated that approximately
4,400 interviews are (will be) conducted annually to collect the gear, area and effort information
for the TIP. The average time required to collect this effort information is 10 minutes. It should
be noted that interviews are conducted from both commercial and recreational fishing trips. Most
of the sampling effort for the TIP is directed at commercial fishing trips because of stock
assessment requirements (roughly 85%); however, recreationally caught fish are sampled to
provide length/weight information for aging analyzes. The total burden of this program is
estimated to be 733 hours, i.e., 4,400 x 10 minutes/interview = 733. For the TIP, the only burden
to the fishermen (public) is the time it takes to respond to the questions on gear, area and effort,
no separate reporting or recordkeeping is required.
The increase in the number of responses from the previous estimates is 199. The increase in the
burden hours from previous estimates is 22. This is a result of a sampling procedure adjustment
in 2006 because participation in the trip interview program varies slightly from year to year.

9

Coastal Fisheries Dealer Reporting:
In 2006, 158 dealers made bi-monthly reports used for the monitoring of coastal fisheries. These
dealers submitted 1,595 reports with landings data and 1,478 reports in which they reported no
purchases during 2006. The forms with landings information require an estimated 10 minutes to
complete and the reporting burden is about 266 hours (i.e., 1,595 reports x 10 minutes/report =
266 hours). For the no-production reports, the reporting time is estimated to be 3 minutes and
the total reporting burden is estimated to be 74 hours (i.e., 1,478 reports x 3 minutes/report = 74
hours). The total reporting burden is 340 hours for the combined 3,073 coastal fisheries quota
monitoring reports received in 2006.
The decrease in the number of respondents from the previous estimates is 82. The decrease in
the burden hours from previous estimates is 291. This is a result of a change in the program in
2006 in which a combined coastal fisheries quota monitoring form was developed: a
combination of three previous forms (Gulf of Mexico grouper - tilefish, Gulf of Mexico red
snapper, and the South Atlantic snapper-grouper complex) approved in Proposed Rules (PR)
Regulation Identifier Number (RIN) 0648-AT75.
Mackerel Reporting:
The total burden hours to monitor the king and Spanish mackerel quotas are estimated to be 160:
During the past several years, about 95 dealers have reported each year in the Gulf of Mexico.
Because the quotas are usually reached before the entire 12 month season is over, only about 7
monthly reports are actually submitted. The average time per report is less than 10 minutes per
report because many dealers do not always purchase mackerel and when no purchases are made
only a no-purchase report is required. The total burden hours is estimated to be 110 hours
annually (i.e., 95 dealers x 7 reports/dealer x 10 minutes per report).
In the South Atlantic during 2006, there were a total of 21 dealers submitting 252 monthly
reports. The average time per report is less than 10 minutes per report, resulting in an estimated
burden of 42 hours annually (i.e., 21 dealers x 12 reports/dealer x 10 minutes per report = 42).
In addition to the monthly mackerel reports for the western Gulf of Mexico and the south
Atlantic, weekly reporting had to be implemented for the southwest Florida area. A quota has
been established for the runaround gill net fishery in this area. Because this type of gear can
catch large quantities of fish with a single set, more frequent monitoring had to be implemented.
Two forms are used, one for vessels to report and one for dealer reporting. Only 7 dealers
reported the past year and they submitted 30 reports. There are between 12 to 15 vessels that use
gill nets, but not all of the vessels fish each year. Because of the nature of the fishery they only
submit 2 or 3 reports per year, and during 2003 (last year reliable data available, due to Gulf
Storms in subsequent years), only 12 reports were received. The reporting burden is estimated at
10 minutes per form. The total burden is estimated at 7 hours (i.e., 42 reports x 10 minutes/report
= 7 hrs.).
Total mackerel burden: 110 + 42 + 7 = 159.

10

The increase in the estimated number of responses from the previous estimates is 252. The
increase in the burden hours from previous estimate is 40.The increase in number of responses is
due to an increase in the number of dealers landing significant quantities of mackerel so that
more dealers had to be included in the survey.
Wreckfish Dealer Reporting:
A total of 40 dealers held wreckfish permits during 2006. There were 2 dealers that handled
wreckfish during 2006, and each of them submitted monthly reports. The estimated time required
for a dealer to complete a monthly report when fish were purchased is 10 minutes, and in 2006,
34 reports were received. The burden from these reports is 6 hours (34 reports x 10
minutes/report = 6). Dealers submitted 104 forms on which no purchases were reported. It is
estimated to take about 3 minutes to complete these forms and the burden is estimated at 5 hours:
104 reports x 3 minutes/report = 5 hours). The total burden is estimated at 11 hours (6 + 5).
The increase in the number of responses from the previous estimates is 54. The increase in the
burden hours from previous estimates is 2. This is a result of a sampling procedure adjustment in
2006 that can be attributed to more dealers being permitted to handle wreckfish.
Miscellaneous Reporting:
There are 4 miscellaneous reporting requirements that are included in this family of forms. The
rock shrimp and golden crab dealer reporting requirements are not utilized, but an estimated
burden of 15 hours is included in the event the state fishery agencies cannot provide the data (an
estimate of 60 dealers is used at 15 minutes per form which equals 15 hours per fishery).
Likewise, Federal regulations include reporting requirements for coral harvested in Puerto Rico.
The burden for this reporting is estimated to be 16 hours (64 submissions at 15 minutes per
report).
Vessel Inventory:
Lastly, hours are included for the annual vessel inventory that is conducted by the SEFSC. Only
a small percent of the commercial vessels need to be interviewed and this number, on average, is
about 100 vessels. It only takes about 5 minutes to collect the 3 pieces of information on the
vessels, for a total burden of 8 hours per year.
Regulations in 50 CFR 622.5(c)(3)(i) and (iii) require dealers, which include cars and trucks, to
maintain a record of the landings for at least one year. Since the submission in 1998, the State of
Alabama has implemented a state law that meets this requirement. All other states in the Gulf of
Mexico region already had such regulations. Consequently, there is no burden associated with
this Federal regulation because dealers comply with it under applicable state regulations.
13. Provide an estimate of the total annual cost burden to the respondents or
recordkeepers resulting from the collection (excluding the value of the burden hours
in #12 above).
There are no anticipated postage costs. Dealers are provided with addressed, postage-paid
envelopes that they can use to return the completed form. However, for the quota managed
11

fisheries -- Coastal fisheries, mackerel and wreckfish) -- the dealers are asked to fax their
reports. There are an estimated 4170 forms that are submitted by these dealers. Assuming an
average of $0.10 per call, the total cost to the dealers is about $417.
14. Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government.
The cost to the Federal government is largely salaries of the port agents that are employed to
transcribe the data onto the appropriate forms. Twenty-eight port agents are employed in the
southeast, 25 of them are employed full-time in the collection of general canvass and shrimp
statistics. The total salary cost of these employees is about $600,000. In addition, area
supervisors allocate about half of their time to supervising this data collection activity. This cost
is about $35,000. The remaining 3 port agents are employed full-time in TIP data collection at a
cost of $77,500. Printing and reproduction costs are about $3,000 per year, which includes the
cost of the postage-paid envelopes. The cost of data entry for the shrimp statistics and TIP data
are included in the salaries of the port agents because they enter the data they collect. The data
entry for the quota monitoring data is very small and is done by staff as part of their other duties.
These costs are probably not more than $1,000 to $2,000 per year of those staffs’ salaries. Total
government costs: $600,000 + $35,000 + $77,500 + $3,000 = $715,500.
15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments reported in Items 13 or
14 of the OMB 83-I.
There is a net decrease of 273 hours in the reporting burden for this PRA from the previous
burden of 2,108 hours. This decrease is largely due to change in program of the coastal
fisheries quota reporting form that resulted in 291 fewer burden hours. Additionally, 46 fewer
burden hours are needed with the new sampling procedure adjustment to the shrimp interview
program. The trip interview program, mackerel dealer quota program, and wreckfish dealer
quota program saw slight increases of 22, 40 and 2 burden hours, respectively, due to minor
adjustments in the estimated numbers of responses.
16. For collections whose results will be published, outline the plans for tabulation and
publication.
Results from the data collection using the forms in this PRA are not planned for publication.
17. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the
information collection, explain the reasons why display would be inappropriate.
The OMB number and expiration number are displayed on each of the forms.
18. Explain each exception to the certification statement identified in Item 19 of the
OMB 83-I.
There are no exceptions to Item 19 of the OMB 83-I.

12

Table 1. Estimated number of respondents and total burden hours for dealer/interview
family of forms.
Activity

#
Respondents

#
Responses

Time /
Response

Total
Burden

General Canvass
Shrimp Dealers**
Shrimp Interviews*
Trip Interview Program*
Coastal Fisheries Dealer *
Reporting
Coastal Fisheries Dealer
No-purchase Reporting
Mackerel Dealer
Reporting* (non- gill net),
Gulf of Mexico
Mackerel Dealer
Reporting* (non- gill net),
South Atlantic
Mackerel Dealer
Reporting* (gill net)
Mackerel Vessel
Reporting * (gill net)
Wreckfish Dealer
Reporting*
Wreckfish Dealer Nopurchase Reporting
Rock Shrimp**
Golden Grab Dealers**
Coral Dealers**
Vessel Operational
Units**

0
713
2,198 (est.)
2,895 (est.)
158***

0
0
3,229
4,400
1,595

0
0
10 minutes
10 minutes
10 minutes

0
0
538
733
266

158***

1,478

3 minutes

74

95

665

10 minutes

110

21

252

10 minutes

42

7

30

10 minutes

5

6

12

10 minutes

2

40***

34

10 minutes

6

40***

104

3 minutes

5

7,634 (est.)

60
60
64
100

15 minutes
15 minutes
15 minutes
5 minutes

15
15
16
8

13,767

12,083

Total

1,835

*Based on estimates from number of respondents and responses from 2006.
** Minimal number of estimate hours reserved as a safeguard in the event that the states failed to collect the
necessary landings statistics.
*** For both the Coastal Fisheries Dealers and Wreckfish Dealers, the same group of respondents is listed twice
(once for reporting and once for no-purchase reporting). Therefore, the respondent total listed is lower than the
actual column total.

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