Justification for change

JUSTIFICATION FOR CHANGE

WEST COAST REGION U.S. PACIFIC HIGHLY MIGRATORY SPECIES

HOOK AND LINE LOGBOOK

OMB CONTROL NO. 0648-0223

This request is for a non-substantive change request and title change for OMB Control No. 0648-0223, changing the title from Pacific Albacore Logbook to U.S. Pacific Highly Migratory Species Hook and Line Logbook.

Under the Fishery Management Plan for U.S. West Coast Fisheries for Highly Migratory Species (HMS FMP) and 50 CFR 660.707-708, fishing vessels are required to obtain a permit and provide logbook information on daily fishing activity, including catch, effort, and position. The data and associated analyses help the Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) provide the needed management advice to the United States in its negotiations with foreign fishing nations exploiting highly migratory species (HMS). These data have been collected since the early 1960s and future collections will ensure a complete series of data for monitoring analysis purposes.

HMS permit holders are required to complete logbook forms within 24 hours after the completion of each fishing day. The original logbook form for each day must be signed and dated by the vessel operator and submitted to the SWFSC within 30 days of the end of each trip.

This request includes the following logbook changes:

• Remove FP form, as these data are available from other sources;

• Remove the following from the log form: RADIO CALL SIGN, AT SEA TRANSSHIPING, AVGWT (lbs), # JIG LINES, # BAIT POLES, # SKIFFS, SEA TEMP, and SEA CONDITIONS;

• Expand fields for recording LANDING RECEIPT NUMBERS;

• Update length-weight-age table to length-weight relationship table;

• Add year to fishing date;

• Replace ALBACORE CATCH with TARGET CATCH to accommodate targeting other HMS; and

• Move fields that collect gear information from the daily fishing lines to the trip header section. PRIMARY GEAR USED: TROLL, POLE & LINE, ROD & REEL.

These revisions reflect changes in SWFSC data collection needs and availability of data sources to reduce duplication of information collections.

There will be no change to burden or costs for this information collection as a result of these changes.