Justification for change

JUSTIFICATION FOR CHANGE
ALASKA REGION LOGBOOK FAMILY OF FORMS
OMB CONTROL NO. 0648-0213

Minor adjustments associated with a final rule (RIN 0648-AX89) to: 1) modify the information
recorded by AFA and CDQ trawl catcher/processors for an electronic logbook (ELB) and to add
the prohibited species discard or disposition data for all salmon species, previously counted under
OMB Control No. 0648-0515.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS) is modifying the electronic logbook (ELB) (50 § 679.5(f)) for catcher/processors by
incorporating the Chinook Salmon Prohibited Species Catch (PSC) Program. Participants will use the
ELB instead of the catcher/processor trawl gear daily cumulative production logbook (DCPL) to record
groundfish and PSC information. NMFS has modified the software, eLandings (OMB 0648-0515) to
receive this ELB information through a special port (the information is still considered part of OMB
Control No. 0648-0213). All of the processors regulated by this action use eLandings for debiting annual
harvest and production amounts. Other catcher/processors may continue to use a combination of DCPL
and eLandings.
The final rule for Amendment 91 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and
Aleutian Islands Management Area (RIN 0648-AX89) requires operators of the American Fisheries Act
(AFA) and Community Development Quota (CDQ) trawl catcher/processors to use the ELB. In the ELB,
the operator must enter processor identification information and catch-by-haul information. This change
request is also to add the prohibited species discard or disposition data for all salmon species via the ELB,
information previously counted under OMB Control No. 0648-0515.
ELB data entry will be on the same computer required to submit eLandings data. The same
communications hardware and software currently used for eLandings is used for the ELBs.
Essentially, the ELBs would become an additional component to eLandings. NMFS does not expect this
change in format to increase the cost or burden of providing information (the salmon reporting is part of a
larger report, and consists of a few seconds each, with less than a hour of increased total burden). NMFS
expects that the ease of using the ELB will reduce the actual time of data entry, thus countering any
increase that may be caused by the additional information.