The North Pacific Fisheries Management
Council (Council) passed a motion in February 2014 requesting that
each sector in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area
(BSAI) groundfish fisheries voluntarily provide a report to the
Council on progress for implementing measures in their cooperative
and inter-cooperative agreements to minimize the incidental catch
of Pacific halibut. These progress reports are to be provided to
the Council at its June 2014 meeting. Current regulations do not
require BSAI sector participants to report measures to the Council
or the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in their
cooperative and/or inter-cooperative agreements to minimize Pacific
halibut incidental catch. Therefore, the Council requested that
sector participants provide the Council with this information
voluntarily. Receiving this information from groundfish sector
participants will enable the Council to make informed decisions
about the most effective regulatory management measures to reduce
Pacific halibut incidental catch. During its June 2014 meeting, the
Council requested voluntary, non-regulatory reports from these same
five groundfish fishing sectors on actions taken to reduce halibut
mortalities in the BSAI from the use of halibut Prohibited Species
Catch (PSC), as well as discards in the directed halibut fishery.
Each of the sectors is to report to the Council at the February
2015 Council meeting. Current regulations do not require BSAI
sector participants to report measures to the Council or the
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in their cooperative
and/or inter-cooperative agreements to minimize Pacific halibut
incidental catch. Therefore, the Council requested that sector
participants provide the Council with this information voluntarily.
Receiving this information from groundfish sector participants will
enable the Council to make informed decisions about the most
effective regulatory management measures to reduce Pacific halibut
incidental catch
US Code:
16 USC 1801 et seq. Name of Law: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
The currently requested report
is estimated to take 40 hours per cooperative, thus there is a
program change, adding 170 hours.
$0
No
No
No
No
No
Uncollected
Patsy Bearden 907
586-7008
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.