The National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS) requires persons with permitted fishing vessels to mark
their vessel and fishing gear with the official identification
number or another form of approved identification. A vessel's
official number, under most regulations, is required to be
displayed on the port and starboard sides of the deckhouse or hull,
and weather deck. The marking of fishing gear is also valuable in
actions concerning damage, loss, and civil proceedings. Fishing
gear marking requirements apply to coral aquacultured live rock,
golden crab traps, mackerel gillnet floats, spiny lobster traps,
buoy gear, and sea bass pots. These vessel and fishing gear
markings provide law enforcement personnel with a means to monitor
fishing, at-sea processing, and other related activities to
ascertain whether the vessel's observed activities and fishing gear
are in accordance with those authorized for that vessel. This
revision, per [RIN 0648-BD78], would modify the gear marking
requirements for sea bass pot gear in the South Atlantic. The
purpose of this proposed rule is to reduce the adverse
socioeconomic impacts from the current seasonal black sea bass pot
gear prohibition while continuing to protect Endangered Species Act
(ESA) listed whales in the South Atlantic.
US Code:
16 USC 1801 et seq. Name of Law: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act as amended in 2006
Program Change: The proposed
rule to implement Regulatory Amendment 16 would revise the gear
marking requirements for fishermen using pots to harvest black sea
bass in the South Atlantic, as explained under Question 1. If NMFS
implements the proposed rule for Regulatory Amendment 16, the total
responses would increase by 1,120, the total burden to the public
is estimated to increase by 112 hours, and costs would increase by
$2,880 annually.
$0
No
No
No
No
No
Uncollected
Adam Bailey 808
944-2248
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.