Under the provisions of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C.
1801 et seq.), NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is
responsible for management of the nation's marine fisheries.
Existing regulations require operators of tournaments involving
Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS), specifically Atlantic
swordfish, sharks, billfish, and tunas, to register four weeks in
advance of the tournament. Operators must provide contact
information and the tournament's date(s), location(s), and target
HMS. If selected by NMFS, operators are required to submit an HMS
tournament summary report within seven days after tournament
fishing has ended. Most of the catch data in the summary report is
routinely collected in the course of regular tournament operations.
NMFS uses the data to estimate the total annual catch of HMS and
the impact of tournament operations in relation to other types of
fishing activities. In addition, HMS tournament registration
provides a method for tournament operators to request educational
and regulatory outreach materials from NMFS.
PL:
Pub.L. 94 - 265 401 Name of Law: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act as amended in 2006
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.