Justification for Change

JUSTIFICATION FOR CHANGE
ATLANTIC HIGHLY MIGRATORY SPECIES PERMIT FAMILY OF FORMS
OMB CONTROL NO. 0648-0327

The burden and cost for renewal of Atlantic Tunas Longline Vessel Permits is no longer
applicable and will be removed from this collection, to be effective on December 31, 2009, if the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. 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.
The permit application for Atlantic tunas vessel permits (other than longline) will have all
information removed that relates to application for a longline vessel permits. The changes will
be available in final form at the end of the calendar year when annual updates to the permit
application are made.