Gear-marking requirements assist
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in obtaining detailed
information about which fisheries or specific parts of fishing gear
are responsible for the incidental mortality and serious injury of
right, humpback, and fin whales. Generally, only a portion of gear
is recovered from an entangled whale and it is almost impossible to
link that portion of gear to a particular fishery. Therefore,
requiring fishermen to mark surface buoys and the buoy line
provides NMFS with an additional source of information, which could
then be used to determine the gear responsible for and the location
of the entanglement event. The following fisheries are affected by
this information collection: Northeast and Mid-Atlantic lobster
trap/pot fisheries; Atlantic blue crab trap/pot fisheries; Atlantic
mixed species trap/pot fisheries targeting crab (red, Jonah, and
rock), hagfish, finfish (black sea bass, scup, tautog, cod,
haddock, pollock, redfish, and white hake), conch/whelk, and
shrimp; Northeast anchored gillnet; Northeast drift gillnet;
Mid-Atlantic gillnet; Southeast Atlantic gillnet; and Southeastern
United States Atlantic shark gillnet. The final rule will affect
the number and size of markings. Only those fishing in waters
regulated by the ALWTRP will be required to gear mark. This is a
change from the first submission that required gear marking in
those areas and areas exempt from the ALWTRP requirements.
US Code:
16 USC
31 Name of Law: Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972
The proposed gear marking
scheme would maintain the current color combinations but increase
the size and frequency of the mark. The new mark must equal 12" in
length and buoy lines must be marked three times (top, middle,
bottom). Affected vessels would increase by 264. The annual
responses and burden for the preferred alternative, including
proposed closures and exemptions, would increase by 270,447, the
hours by 22,540 and the annual cost by $14,876.
$0
No
No
No
No
No
Uncollected
Kate Swails 978
282-8481
No
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.
Gear-Marking Requirements for Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan