Regional Application/VMS Registration Form and Fee and VMS maintenance costs

OMB Control Number: 0648-0218
Expires: 12/31/2010

INFORMATION COLLECTION UNDER THE
SOUTH PACIFIC TUNA ACT

This collection of information is required under regulations at 50 CFR 300, Subpart D.
These regulations are issued under authority of the South Pacific Tuna Act of 1988
(SPTA), which implements the Treaty on Fisheries Between the Governments of Certain
Pacific Island States and the Government of the United States of America (Treaty). Under
these regulations, operators of U.S. purse seine vessels seeking licenses under the Treaty
are required to submit completed license application forms (and optionally, expressions
of interest in such licenses) and FFA Vessel Register applications/VMS registration
forms (50 CFR 300.32). Operators of U.S. purse seine vessels licensed under the Treaty
are required to submit completed catch report forms and unloading logsheets (50 CFR
300.34).
Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average:(a) for
the optional expressions of interest in vessel licenses, 15 minutes per response for license
renewals and 120 minutes per response for initial licenses (with one optional response per
year); (b) for the license application forms, 60 minutes per response (with one response
per year); (c) for the FFA Regional Register applications/VMS registration forms, 45
minutes per response (with 1 response per year); (d) for the catch report forms, 60
minutes per response (with 5 responses per year); and (e) for the unloading logsheet, 30
minutes per response (with 6 responses per year). These estimates include time for
reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the
data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments
regarding this burden estimate or any other suggestions for reducing this burden to:
Regional Administrator, NMFS, Pacific Islands Regional Office, 1601 Kapiolani Blvd.,
Suite 1110, Honolulu, HI 96814-4700.
This information is collected by NMFS and transmitted to the Pacific Islands Forum
Fisheries Agency (FFA) pursuant to the Treaty and the SPTA. Confidentiality of the
information collected in the catch report forms and the unloading logsheets is maintained
by NMFS pursuant to section 973j of the SPTA, and is treated in accordance with NOAA
Administrative Order 216-100, Protection of Confidential Fisheries Statistics. However,
NOAA and NMFS have no direct control over the confidentiality policies and practices
of the FFA, so once the information is transmitted to the FFA, NMFS and NOAA cannot
provide any assurance of confidentiality.
Notwithstanding any other provisions of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor
shall any person be subjected to a penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of
information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that
collection of information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.
This collection of information has been approved by the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) under OMB Control No. 0648-0218.