This information collection consists
of a mandatory vessel permit program for commercial tuna, swordfish
and shark fisheries, recreational highly migratory species (HMS)
fisheries and charter//headboat HMS fisheries, and mandatory dealer
permits for purchase of HMS from vessels and for international
trade of several HMS. These permits provide the basis for catch
monitoring and collection of catch and effort statistics in these
fisheries as required under the Atlantic Tuna Conventions Act and
the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Such
information is essential for the United States to meet its
reporting obligations to the International Commission for the
Conservation of Atlantic Tuna. This change will remove the separate
application for longline tuna fishing, which is now taken care of
by a checkbox on the Southeast Region Federal EEZ permit
application, under OMB Control No. 0648-0205 (change approved by
OMB).
PL:
Pub.L. 94 - 265 303 Name of Law: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act as amended in 2006
US Code: 16
USC 971 Name of Law: Atlantic Tuna Conventions Act
The burden and cost for renewal
of Atlantic Tunas Longline Vessel Permits is no longer applicable
and will be removed from this collection, to be effective on
December 31, 2009, if the change has been approved by the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB). This change has been made to reflect a
shift in the administration of this permit from a contractor
employed by the Highly Migratory Species Management Division
(Aquilent) to the Southeast Region of the National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS). The Southeast Region administers the shark and
swordfish limited access permits as described in OMB Control No.
0648-0205, Southeast Region Permit Family of Forms. The Federal
Permit Application for Vessels Fishing in the EEZ has been changed
by the addition of a checkbox for those applicants desiring a tuna
longline permit. This application has been modified under a
separate change request, approved by OMB on 12/08/2009. There are
236 responses annually for renewing the Atlantic Tunas Longline
permit, at a burden of 6 minutes each, for a total burden of 23
hours and $6,606 ($28 fee plus submission costs). These responses,
burden and cost will be removed from this information collection,
but have not been added to OMB Control No. 0648-0205, because for
the EEZ form, multiple permit requests can be made by completion of
one form.
$0
No
No
Uncollected
Uncollected
No
Uncollected
Margo Schulz-Haugen 301
713-0234
No
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.