Justification for change

JUSTIFCATION OF CHANGE
NORTHWEST REGION LOGBOOK FAMILY OF FORMS
OMB CONTROL NO.: 0648-0271
The Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act)
established regional fishery management councils, including the Pacific Fishery Management
Council (Council), to develop fishery management plans for fisheries in the United States (U.S.)
exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The fishery management plans are intended to regulate fishing
to ensure long-term productivity and achievement of optimum yield from the resources for the
benefit of the nation. These plans are implemented by Federal regulations which are enforced by
the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), in
cooperation with State agencies.
Currently, data collection through logbooks and reports is required in the Pacific whiting fishery
from processing vessels larger than 125 feet in length and from catcher vessels that deliver to
them. This information is necessary to monitor catch, effort, and production for fishery
management purposes. With the implementation of the Trawl Rationalization Program,
scheduled for January 1, 2011, four forms would no longer be required because of the use of
electronic logbooks and one form would have minor modifications.
This request is to make minor changes to the declaration reports under OMB Control No. 06480271. The requested change will remove the requirements for the following forms:
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Daily fishing and cumulative production logbook (for catcher vessels and catcherprocessors).
Daily report of fish received and cumulative production logbook (motherships)
Weekly production report (catcher-processors and motherships only)
Product transfer/offloading logbook

These forms are no longer needed because under the Trawl Rationalization program (the
information collection titled “Northwest Region Groundfish Trawl Fishery Monitoring and Catch
Accounting Program”, pending OMB approval), the information previously reported on these
forms will now be required to be reported electronically.
This change request will also make minor modifications to the requirements of the start/stop
notice. The start/stop notice would now be called a cease fishing report. Under current
practices, start/stop notifications are submitted by processing vessels in order to better track the
fishing effort of the processing fleet. Under Trawl Rationalization, the cease fishing reports
would be reported at the co-op level rather than at the vessel level. Therefore co-op managers or
in the case of an inter co-op agreement, where more than one cop-op has joined together to share
allocation, all the co-op managers under that agreement, would submit a cease fishing report
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when they intend not to fish a remaining allocation. This cease fishing report would enable
NMFS to reapportion any remaining allocation of non-whiting groundfish species to another
sector.
These changes are related to the pending final rule titled, Fisheries off West Coast States; Pacific
Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan; Amendments 20 and 21; Trawl Rationalization
Program; Program Components Final Rule (RIN 0648-AY68).
Removal of the four forms will reduce burden hours and costs:
• 3,600 fewer responses, with 60 responses remaining.
• 936 fewer hours, with 1 hour remaining.
• $1,575 less in recordkeeping/reporting costs, with $660 remaining.
The change from a start/stop notice to a cease fishing report is not expected to make significant
changes in burden or cost.

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