Justification for change

JUSTIFICATION FOR CHANGE

OMB Control No. 0648-0013

Southeast Region Dealer and Interview Family of Forms

This request is for a change to the existing reporting requirements that are currently approved under OMB Control No. 0648-0013, Southeast Region Dealer and Interview Family of Forms, in association with final rule, RIN 0648-BF14, Framework Amendment 3 to the Fishery Management Plan for Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources in Federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Region, developed under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, 16 U.S.C. 1801.

The final rule modifies reporting requirements for federally permitted dealers, among other actions related to modifying management measures for commercial king mackerel fishermen using run-around gillnet gear in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf). Existing requirements for dealers first receiving Gulf king mackerel harvested commercially by gillnets involve submitting an electronic form daily to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) by 6 a.m. during the gillnet fishing season for purposes of monitoring the gillnet annual catch limit. However, because some vessels land their catch after midnight and may have long offloading times, some gillnet landings are not reported until the following day. Further, the electronic monitoring system involves processing and quality control time before the data can be utilized by NMFS fishery managers. This results in some landings information not reaching NMFS until nearly 2 days after the fish are harvested and landed.

The final rule changes the daily electronic reporting requirement to daily reporting by some other means determined by NMFS, such as using port agent reports or some more direct method of reporting to NMFS fishery managers (e.g., by telephone or email). NMFS will work with dealers to establish a landings reporting system that does not change the currently approved burden of 10 minutes per response to the dealers as well as minimizing the time for landings to reach NMFS fishery managers. NMFS will provide written notice to the king mackerel gillnet dealers of the requirements of the reporting system, and will post this information on the NMFS Southeast Regional Office Web site. Prior to the beginning of each subsequent commercial king mackerel gillnet season, NMFS will provide written notice to king mackerel gillnet dealers if the reporting method and deadline changes from the previous year, and will post this information on the NMFS Southeast Regional Office Web site. Dealers will also report gillnet-caught king mackerel in their regular weekly electronic report, when they report all species purchased, to ensure king mackerel landings are included in the Commercial Landings Monitoring database maintained by the Southeast Fisheries Science Center.

NMFS estimates that replacing the requirement for daily electronic reporting by dealers purchasing gillnet-caught king mackerel with an alternative form of daily reporting will not change the current reporting burden of 10 minutes per response for dealers. The replacement reporting requirement is similar to what has been done in previous years or it could be more efficient in monitoring the amount of landings without changing the burden compared with the current daily electronic reporting requirement. NMFS will work with the dealers in developing such a reporting system to ensure timely reporting of landings at no greater burden to the dealers.

NMFS did not receive any public comments related to the proposed rule or to the proposed change to the collection of information requirements (80 FR 60605, October 7, 2015).