0515 SS 052112rev

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

ALASKA INTERAGENCY ELECTRONIC REPORTING SYSTEM (IERS)

OMB CONTROL NO. 0648-0515

This document is a request for revision of an existing collection due to an associated proposed rule, RIN 0648-BB67.

BACKGROUND

The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act)

16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. authorizes the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to prepare and amend fishery management plans for any fishery in waters under its jurisdiction. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) manages the crab fisheries in the waters off the coast of Alaska under the Fishery Management Plan for Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Crab, and manages groundfish under: 1) the Fishery Management Plan for the Groundfish Fishery of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands and 2) the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska.

Regulations implementing the fishery management plans appear at 50 CFR parts 679 and 680.

Participation in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI) Pacific cod longline catcher/processor sector is limited to holders of License Limitation Program (LLP) licenses authorized under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2005. This sector receives a specific allocation of BSAI Pacific cod each year. A sector-specific allocation, in combination with a closed-class of license holders, created an opportunity for the owners of these LLP licenses to form a voluntary fishing cooperative. The Freezer Longline Conservation Cooperative was established in 2004. The cooperative represents owners of all 37 of the eligible LLP licenses and has created a de facto catch share program for this portion of the BSAI Pacific cod fishery.

The formation of a voluntary cooperative has resulted in a significant change in the duration of the Pacific cod fishery, has ended the race for fish, and has increased economic efficiency for the fleet. The benefits from this action include: allowing NMFS to enforce Pacific cod catch limits in the presence of a voluntary cooperative; giving freezer longline representatives greater confidence in the accuracy of NMFS Pacific cod catch estimates; and improving the efficacy of the cooperative’s catch share program. However, catch share programs create new demands for enhanced catch accounting, monitoring, and enforcement.

JUSTIFICATION

1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary.

eLandings and seaLandings are components of the Interagency Electronic Reporting System (IERS) which is a collaborative program run by NMFS Alaska Regional Office, Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), and the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC). The IERS provides the Alaska fishing industry with a consolidated electronic means of reporting production and landings of commercial fish and shellfish to multiple management agencies. Some of the benefits of the electronic reporting system include: improved data quality, automated processing of data, improved process for correcting or updating information, availability of more timely data for fishery managers, and reduction of duplicative reporting of similar information to multiple agencies.

This action would modify equipment and operational requirements for freezer longliners (catcher/processors). This action would affect the owners and operators of 33 longline catcher/processors with an LLP license endorsed for catcher/processor operations, Pacific cod, hook-and-line gear, and Bering Sea or Aleutian Islands areas (hereafter, eligible catcher/processors). This requirement will increase the speed and accuracy of data transmission to NMFS and will assist in accurate quota monitoring. This action would enhance monitoring and enforcement measures used to verify the harvest of Pacific cod by eligible catcher/processors that operate in the BSAI. These measures also must be assumed when this fleet is operating in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) or while the vessel is groundfish Western Alaska Community Development Quota (CDQ) fishing as that term is defined in 50 CFR 679.2.

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 operator of an eligible catcher/processor must record required information in a NMFS-approved catcher/processor longline and pot gear electronic logbook (eLog) instead of a paper catcher/processor longline or pot gear daily cumulative production logbook (DCPL) (see OMB Control No. 0648-0213) during the entire year for reporting catch and to report all Pacific cod catch for each set. These 33 catcher/processors are removed from the paper logbook collection, OMB Control No. 0648-0213, and added to this collection (Control No. 0648-0515).

The operators of eligible catcher/processors would be required to report all Pacific cod catch at the haul level, using an eLog, so that the data are readily available to NMFS in an electronic format. This requirement is necessary to collect data on the weight of Pacific cod at a finer resolution than the daily total currently required in eLandings production reports. The eLogs would be an additional component to eLandings, the program through which the operators of catcher/processors currently submit their daily production reports.

The operator of each of the eligible catcher/processors is required to electronically submit the eLog information as a file through eLandings; all of the 33 processors currently use eLandings. Thus it is known that all of the eligible catcher/processors have the hardware (computer and printer) and software with the required capabilities to use an eLog.

Using an eLog results in the following sequence:

♦ Register an operation in eLandings

♦ Login to eLandings

♦ Register a new eLog within eLandings

♦ Open current year eLog and make entries

a. eLandings processor registration [NO CHANGES]

Before using the IERS system to report landings, production, discard, and disposition data, the User must request authorization to use the system, reserve a unique User ID, and obtain a password by using the Internet to complete the eLandings Processor Registration. Once registered, the User is not required to register again unless ownership changes; new ownership requires a new Federal permit and ADF&G processor code. All of the eligible catcher/ processors have registered and currently use eLandings to submit production reports. Therefore, no additional charges occur with this project.

b. eLandings landing report [NO CHANGES]

Information collected on an eLandings landing report is needed to identify the participant, to monitor the deliveries to the facility as well as record discard and disposition of species, and for management of various fisheries. Because the 33 longline or pot gear participants are catcher/processors, they do not submit landing reports. Therefore, no additional charges occur with this project.

c. eLandings or Sealandings production report [NO CHANGES]

The eLandings production reports are required for groundfish and are additional to the eLandings landing reports. Information collected on an eLandings production report is necessary to identify the participant; to monitor the discards and disposition product; and to monitor the product leaving the facility. All of the eligible catcher/processors currently submit production reports through eLandings. Therefore, no additional charges occur with this project.

d. eLog registration [NEW]

The following information is entered by the User on a computer screen in response to prompts when using SeaLandings, the NMFS-provided software for vessels. Once registered, the User is not required to register again.

eLog registration (Sealandings)

Step One – Request a logbook

User login to seaLandings program

Go to Reporting …Transmit Reports… click on Transmit

A zip file will be created and stored in seaLandings program

Open email program, address it to [email protected], attach the transmission file, and send

User will receive a return receipt; save the zip file in c:drive, Transmission folder

Open seaLandings program and go to Reports--Process Return Receipt. Click on Process

Step two – Register logbook

Click on Logbook in the toolbar and get a drop-down menu

Select Register New Logbook and a dialog box will pop up

Enter the year

Choose the units for weight and depth (these will apply to your logbook for the entire year)

Weight unit options are pounds or metric tons

Depth unit options are fathoms or meters

Once selections are made, click OK

Step three – Transmit logbook registration

Go to Reporting--Transmit Reports. Click on Transmit

Open email program, address it to [email protected], attach the transmission file, and send

Once receipt is received, open seaLandings program and process it

Click on Logbook again. If you have Open Current Year Logbook as an option,

you have successfully registered your logbook

eLog Registration, Respondent
Number of respondents Total annual responses Frequency of response = 1 Total burden hours (8.25) Time per response = 15 minutes Total personnel cost ($25/hr x 8) Total miscellaneous cost	33 33 8 hr $200 0

eLog registration, Federal Government
Total annual responses Total burden hours Total personnel cost Total miscellaneous cost	0 0 0 0

e. Longline or pot gear catcher/processor electronic logbook (eLog) [NEW]

The operator of a catcher/processor subject to 50 CFR part 679.100(b) must use a NMFS-approved catcher/processor longline and pot gear eLog.

Navigating and doing data entry in the eLog is different than data entry for eLandings production or landing reports. A panel on the left side of the eLog screen, called the left-hand navigation pane, provides a way to get to the sections of the logbook to create voyages, hauls, add catch, and make edits. The left-hand navigation pane is hierarchical and if there is a + sign next to an item, the User can click on the + sign to see all of the contained items. To move around in the eLog, use the left-hand navigation pane. At the highest level of the hierarchy is the logbook. Within the logbook are voyages. Within voyages are days; and within days are hauls. Click on each of these levels in the eLog to obtain different options.

Voyages: click on a voyage, there are 3 options

Add or Edit voyages

Add your fishing gear information

Go active / inactive

Days: click on a particular day in a voyage, there are 3 options

Add hauls

View and print your logbook page

Add comments

Hauls: click on a particular haul within a day, there are 2 options

Edit hauls

Add or Edit catch information

eLog

Voyage Information

Operator Name

Crew Size

Start Date

Primary Observer Cruise #

Primary Observer Name

Secondary Observer Cruise #

Secondary Observer Name

Click Ok

Gear Code

After clicking Ok on the Voyage dialog box, the Gear Code Box will pop up

Enter gear code and click Ok

Anytime changing fishing gear, use the left hand navigation pane, click on the Enter Gear button to record

the gear change, and each of the logbook pages will reflect the change

Go Active

After clicking Ok on the Gear Code dialog box the Go Active Box will pop up.

Enter go active date (the day you begin fishing activity) and click Ok.

To change active / inactive status, use the left-hand navigation pane, click on the Voyage

Click on the Go Active button. Enter the date you are going into active status. Click Ok.

Editing Voyage Information or Adding a New Voyage

If need to correct a data entry error, you can edit a specific Voyage

To edit, click on logbook in the left-hand navigation pane, select the Voyage to edit, and

click on the Edit Voyage button

If anything in the Voyage changes, for example if the number of crew members changes, vessel operators

switch, or there is a change of observers, create a new Voyage.

To create a new Voyage, click on the left-hand navigation pane and click on the Voyage button

NOTE: Do not create a new Voyage when you offload and submit your landing report.

Go Inactive

The left-hand navigation pane will show active days within your voyage with green circles and

inactive days with black squares

If not engaged in fishing activity or are going to offload catch, document that by going Inactive

Click on the day you are going inactive and click on the Go Inactive button and enter the date

Comments - Text or Coded

To enter a comment, use the left-hand navigation pane and click on the day you want to add a comment

On the right side of the screen, click on the Comment button.

Enter a text Comment and click on Ok. If you need more room, just create another Comment on

the same day.

If you are moving due to salmon bycatch, click on the drop down menu located in the Comment dialog box.

Select Moved To Avoid Salmon and enter the time of the haul deploy in which you moved.

Comments will appear just below the logbook entries on the PDF page.

Entering Haul Data

To enter haul deploy information, use the left-hand navigation pane to choose the day to enter a haul

Click on the Add Haul button, and the haul Deploy Dialog Box will appear

The Haul Number will auto fill based on the previous haul information

Manually enter

Gear deploy time in military format with or without a colon. For example, 3:00 am can be entered as

0300 or 03:00, likewise 1:00 pm can be entered as 1300 or 13:00.

Target species.

Begin latitude & begin longitude.

seaLandings allows a variety of formats to enter the Latitude and Longitude. Below is a list of acceptable formats where dd for degrees, mm for minutes, ss for seconds, N or S (indicating North or South) E or W (indicating East or West), + for plus or minus. Leave a single space between degrees and minutes. And if you use N and W, they need to be capital letters.

Latitude	Longitude
dd mm ss N	ddd mm ss W
dd mm.m N	ddd mm.m W
N dd mm ss	W ddd mm ss
+dd mm ss	+ddd mm ss
N dd mm.m	W ddd mm.m
dd mm.m	+ddd mm.m
dd.dddd N	ddd.dddd W
N dd.dddd	W ddd.dddd
+dd.dddd	+ddd.dddd

Management Program Description

Enter the management program from the drop down list. Only enter a management program ID if you selected AFA, CDQ, or RPP as the management program; otherwise, leave this field blank.

AFA	Any AFA-listed vessel that targets pollock and uses pelagic trawl gear in the Bering Sea should mark AFA as the management program
A80	Vessels that participate in the Amendment 80 limited access or Amendment 80 cooperative fisheries should mark A80 as management program. A mothership that process fish from an Amendment 80 limited access vessel or an Amendment 80 coop should also mark A80 as management program. A mothership that processes fish from an open-access or CDQ vessel should mark OA or CDQ, respectively. If a vessel always fishes off an Amendment 80 quota, they should still mark A80 even when they fish in the Gulf of Alaska. An Amendment 80 vessel also should mark A80 whenever their bycatch comes off an Amendment 80 quota
RPP	Vessels that fish off a Rockfish Pilot Program quota should mark RPP. When their catch is not coming off a Rockfish Program quota, they should choose OA or another management program. Please do not mark RPP when fishing in the Bering Sea
SMPC	If a vessel fishes for cod in state waters, the crew should choose SMPC as management program, One exception is when their catch is coming off their CDQ quota, in which case they should mark CDQ as management program. SMPC should not be marked when a vessel is participating in the parallel fishery, even if that vessel is in state waters. SMPC should only be marked when Federal fisheries are closed
OA	When a vessel is fishing open access or in the parallel fishery, even if they are in state waters while participating in parallel fisheries. Parallel fishing is inside 3 miles under a Federal opening. A mothership that processes fish from an open-access vessel should mark OA

The values for AFA, CDQ management program IDs are listed in the table below.

Management Program	Management Program ID	Description
AFA	200	AFA Catcher/processors
AFA	300	AFA Motherships
CDQ	51	Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association
CDQ	52	Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation
CDQ	53	Central Bering Sea Fishermen's Association
CDQ	54	Coastal Villages Region Fund
CDQ	55	Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation
CDQ	56	Yukon Delta Fisheries Development Association

Haul Retrieval

In order to enter your Haul Retrieval information, go to the right hand navigation pane

and select the haul number that you want to add retrieval data to.

To the right is the Haul Deploy information. Locate and click on the Add Haul Retrieval button.

Enter the following information:

Gear retrieval time

End latitude & end longitude

Federal reporting area will auto fill based on lat/long coordinates but can be overridden as needed

Special area (COBLZ or RKCSA) will also auto fill based on lat/long coordinates

Average sea depth

Average gear depth

Hail weight

When completed entering retrieval data click Ok

Adding IR/IU Species & Salmon PSC

Click on the Add Catch button on the right side of the screen

The Catch dialog box will open. Add the following information:

Species Code of IR/IU catch (pacific cod and pollock)

Weight in metric tons

Disposition code (60 - sold for human consumption)

Record PSC and discard disposition

(86 for donated and 98 for discarded at sea) of all salmon species in each haul

Record salmon PSC in number of animals

If you do not enter your IR/IU harvest at the same time as your haul deploy and retrieval information you can get to the Catch window by using the navigation pane on the right side of the logbook screen.

Click on the date you want to add information to and you'll see a fish icon with Haul # next to it,

click on the Haul #

Locate the Add Catch button and click on it

Viewing and Printing Logbook pages

seaLandings creates and saves a PDF in C:\Program Files\seaLandings\reports of each logbook page to view and print. Print an individual day or a date range. Use Adobe Acrobat to view all the pages in the PDF file and be sure to print all pages. Use the left-hand navigation pane to select the day to view. Then click on the View PDF button

If you would like to print PDFs within a specific date range go to the right hand navigation pane

Select the Voyage that the hauls fall within

Locate the box that has the View PDFs for Date Range button and enter the dates you wish to print

Click on the View PDFs for Date Range button and click Save when asked

Saving the eLog

Unlike production reports and landing reports, you do not need to save your logbook because every time you click on an "Ok" button in the eLog, the program automatically saves your work.

Submitting the eLog

You submit your logbook file the same way that you transmit all other reports from seaLandings. Every time you transmit production or landing reports, your logbook will automatically be submitted in the transmission.

To submit the logbook

Go to Reporting...Transmit Reports. Click on the Transmit button to create a zip file and send

Open your email program, address it to [email protected], attach the transmission file, and send.

Once you receive the receipt, open your seaLandings program and process it

The cost to NMFS of software development was estimated to be between $30,000 and $100,000, and the cost to NMFS of distribution, installation, and training was assumed to be $2,800. Subsequent annual costs are assumed to be zero. NMFS estimates that the eLog requirement will cost each vessel about $200 for software acquisition and training.

Catcher/processor longline and pot gear eLog, Respondent

Total number of respondents Longline or pot gear = 33 Total annual responses (203 x 33) Average 200 active (fishing or processing) days Average 3 inactive days Total Burden Hours (4518.25) Time per active response (41 min) x 200 x 33 = 4510 Time per inactive response (5 min) x 3 x 33 = 8.25 Total personnel cost Cost to maintain eLog ($25 x 4518) Total miscellaneous cost Software acquisition and training ($200 x 33)

33 6,699 4,518 hr $112,950 $6,600

Catcher/processor longline and pot gear eLog, Federal Government
Total annual responses Total Burden Hours (558.25) Time per response (5 min x 6699) Total Personnel cost ($25 x 558) Total Initial Cost Software development (between $30,000 and $100,000) = $65,000 Distribution, installation, & training = $2,800 Total Miscellaneous Cost	6,699 558 hr $13,950 $67,800 0

It is anticipated that the information collected will be disseminated to the public or used to support publicly disseminated information. NMFS will retain control over the information and safeguard it from improper access, modification, and destruction, consistent with NOAA standards for confidentiality, privacy, and electronic information. See response to Question 10 of this Supporting Statement 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.

This collection is estimated to be 99% electronic. The eLandings registration, landings report, production report, and eLog are submitted by Internet data entry at http://elandings.alaska.gov. For catcher/processors and motherships that do not have Internet service, a SeaLandings software package is used to generate files for submitting via email when the ships return to shore.

4. Describe efforts to identify duplication.

None of the information collected as part of this information collection duplicates other collections.

5. If the collection of information involves small businesses or other small entities, describe the methods used to minimize burden.

Even though small numbers of directly regulated vessels and entities may be described as small with respect to their own gross revenues, when affiliations among entities are considered, there are no small entities in this fishery. The directly regulated vessels in this fleet have formed a fisheries cooperative that effectively allocates to each vessel a share of the Pacific cod total allowable catch (TAC) and of the available halibut prohibited species catch (PSC). These vessel-specific individual quotas are enforced under a private contract among the entities. Therefore, for the purpose of this analysis, the directly regulated entities are all affiliated, with all the entities that would otherwise be characterized as small, having affiliations with larger entities.

Thus, there are no directly regulated small entities under this action. Since there are no directly regulated small entities under this action, within the definition of small entities used in the Regulatory Flexibility Act, there are no economic impacts from this action on small entities.

6. Describe the consequences to the Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequently.

This action is necessary to improve recordkeeping and reporting efficiency for processors and to improve the quality of data obtained by NMFS, ADF&G, and IPHC for fishery management purposes. Advances in technology, public expectations, Congress’s GPEA mandate, and Administration policy all require that agencies of the United States government move expeditiously to adopt electronic processes. If this collection were not conducted, NMFS fishery data collection would not be able to obtain this objective.

7. Explain any special circumstances that require the collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with OMB guidelines.

No inconsistencies occur in this collection.

8. Provide information on 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.

NMFS Alaska Region will submit a proposed rule (RIN 0648-BB67) coincident with this submission, requesting comments from the public.

9. Explain any decisions to provide payments or gifts to respondents, other than remuneration of contractors or grantees.

No payment or gift is provided under this program

10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.

This information is mandatory and is required to manage commercial fishing efforts under 50 CFR part 680, under section 402(a) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act (16 U.S.C. 1801, et seq.) and under 16 U.S.C. 1862(j), North Pacific Fisheries Conservation. Responses to this information request are not confidential.

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.

This information collection does not involve information of a sensitive nature.

12. Provide an estimate in hours of the burden of the collection of information.

Estimated total respondents: 272, increased from 239. Estimated total responses: 52,796, increased from 46,064. Estimated total burden: 23,610 hr, increased from 19,084 hr. Estimated total personnel costs: $590,258, increased from $477,108.

13. Provide an estimate of the total annual cost burden to the respondents or record-keepers resulting from the collection (excluding the value of the burden hours in Question 12 above).

Estimated total miscellaneous costs: $11,212, increased from $4,612. The increase of $6,600 is a start-up cost, for software acquisition and training.

14. Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government.

Estimated total responses: 6,714, increased from 15. Estimated total burden: 562 hr, increased from 4 hr. Estimated total personnel costs: $14,050, increased from $100. Initial one-time costs $67,800.

15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments.

This is a program change. This action would enhance monitoring and enforcement measures used to verify the harvest of Pacific cod by eligible catcher/processors that operate in the BSAI.

NEW collections:

eLog Registration

Respondents, 33, increase from 0.

Responses: 33, increase from 0.

Hours, 8, increase from 0.

Catcher/processor longline and pot gear eLog

Respondents: 33, increase from 0.

Responses, 6,699, increase from 0.

Hours: 4,518, increase from 0.

Miscellaneous cost (start-up/capital): $6,600.

All other information collections remain the same.

16. For collections whose results will be published, outline the plans for tabulation and publication.

Not Applicable.

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.

Not Applicable.

18. Explain each exception to the certification statement.

Not applicable.

B. COLLECTIONS OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS

This collection does not employ statistical methods.

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