Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) are
required to be used in certain commercial fisheries off Alaska to
provide vessel location information to monitor compliance with
time, area, and gear closures and area-specific quota allocations.
VMS units automatically transmit the location of a vessel several
times per hour using a Global Positioning System satellite. A
communications service provider receives the transmission and
relays it to NOAA Fisheries Office for Enforcement. The VMS unit is
passive and automatic, requiring no reporting effort of the vessel
operator. This collection is revised due to the associated rule
(RIN 0648-BI65) for Amendment 118 to the Fishery Management Plan
for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI)
Management Area, which authorizes retention of legal-size halibut
in pot-and-line and longline pot gear used to fish for halibut or
sablefish in the BSAI. Under this action, all vessels fishing
sablefish or halibut with pot gear will be required to use
VMS.
US Code:
16
USC 773-773k Name of Law: Northern Pacific Halibut Act of
1982
PL:
Pub.L. 94 - 265 303 Name of Law: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
Amendment 118 also removes the
VMS check-in report and removes the sablefish call-in requirement
because these collections are no longer necessary. This revision
does not change the number of respondents, but does reduce the
number of responses for this collection overall.
$76,960
No
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
Uncollected
Scott Miller 907
586-7416
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.