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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 8 / Wednesday, January 13, 2021 / Notices

and assessment webinars, and a Review
Workshop. See SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION.
The SEDAR 68 Assessment
Webinar II will be held February 12,
2021, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Eastern
Time.

DATES:

The meeting will be held
via webinar. The webinar is open to
members of the public. Those interested
in participating should contact Julie A.
Neer at SEDAR (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT) to request an
invitation providing webinar access
information. Please request webinar
invitations at least 24 hours in advance
of each webinar.
SEDAR address: 4055 Faber Place
Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston, SC
29405.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julie
A. Neer, SEDAR Coordinator; (843) 571–
4366; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf
of Mexico, South Atlantic, and
Caribbean Fishery Management
Councils, in conjunction with NOAA
Fisheries and the Atlantic and Gulf
States Marine Fisheries Commissions
have implemented the Southeast Data,
Assessment and Review (SEDAR)
process, a multi-step method for
determining the status of fish stocks in
the Southeast Region. SEDAR is a multistep process including: (1) Data
Workshop, (2) a series of assessment
webinars, and (3) A Review Workshop.
The product of the Data Workshop is a
report that compiles and evaluates
potential datasets and recommends
which datasets are appropriate for
assessment analyses. The assessment
webinars produce a report that describes
the fisheries, evaluates the status of the
stock, estimates biological benchmarks,
projects future population conditions,
and recommends research and
monitoring needs. The product of the
Review Workshop is an Assessment
Summary documenting panel opinions
regarding the strengths and weaknesses
of the stock assessment and input data.
Participants for SEDAR Workshops are
appointed by the Gulf of Mexico, South
Atlantic, and Caribbean Fishery
Management Councils and NOAA
Fisheries Southeast Regional Office,
HMS Management Division, and
Southeast Fisheries Science Center.
Participants include data collectors and
database managers; stock assessment
scientists, biologists, and researchers;
constituency representatives including
fishermen, environmentalists, and
NGO’s; International experts; and staff
of Councils, Commissions, and state and
federal agencies.
ADDRESSES:

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The items of discussion during the
Assessment Webinar are as follows:
1. Using datasets and initial
assessment analysis recommended from
the data webinars, panelists will employ
assessment models to evaluate stock
status, estimate population benchmarks
and management criteria, and project
future conditions.
2. Participants will recommend the
most appropriate methods and
configurations for determining stock
status and estimating population
parameters.
Although non-emergency issues not
contained in this agenda may come
before this group for discussion, those
issues may not be the subject of formal
action during this meeting. Action will
be restricted to those issues specifically
identified in this notice and any issues
arising after publication of this notice
that require emergency action under
section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act, provided the public has been
notified of the intent to take final action
to address the emergency.
Special Accommodations
The meeting is physically accessible
to people with disabilities. Requests for
sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aids should be directed to the
Council office (see ADDRESSES) at least 5
business days prior to each workshop.
Note: The times and sequence specified in
this agenda are subject to change.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: January 8, 2021.
Rey Israel Marquez,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021–00562 Filed 1–12–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Individual Fishing Quotas for
Pacific Halibut and Sablefish in the
Alaska Fisheries
National Oceanic &
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of information collection,
request for comment.
AGENCY:

The Department of
Commerce, in accordance with the

SUMMARY:

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Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA), invites the general public and
other Federal agencies to comment on
proposed, and continuing information
collections, which helps us assess the
impact of our information collection
requirements and minimize the public’s
reporting burden. The purpose of this
notice is to allow for 60 days of public
comment preceding submission of the
collection to OMB.
DATES: To ensure consideration,
comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received
on or before March 15, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are
invited to submit written comments to
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer,
at [email protected]. Please
reference OMB Control Number 0648–
0272 in the subject line of your
comments. Do not submit Confidential
Business Information or otherwise
sensitive or protected information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection
activities should be directed to Gabrielle
Aberle, 907–586–7228.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS), Alaska Regional Office, is
requesting renewal of a currently
approved information collection that
contains requirements for the Pacific
Halibut and Sablefish Individual
Fishing Quota Program (IFQ Program).
The International Pacific Halibut
Commission (IPHC) and NMFS Alaska
Region manage fishing for Pacific
halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis)
through regulations established under
the authority of the Northern Pacific
Halibut Act of 1982, 16 U.S.C. 773c
(Halibut Act). The IPHC promulgates
regulations governing the halibut fishery
under the Convention between the
United States and Canada for the
Preservation of the Halibut Fishery of
the Northern Pacific Ocean and Bering
Sea (Convention). Regulations pursuant
to the Convention are set forth at 50 CFR
300 subpart E.
The North Pacific Fishery
Management Council, under the
authority of the Halibut Act (with
respect to Pacific halibut) and the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation
and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et
seq.; Magnuson-Stevens Act) (with
respect to sablefish), manages the IFQ
Program. NMFS Alaska Region
administers the IFQ Program.
Regulations implementing the IFQ
Program are set forth at 50 CFR part 679.

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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 8 / Wednesday, January 13, 2021 / Notices
The IFQ Program provides a limited
access system for Pacific halibut in
Convention waters in and off Alaska
and sablefish fisheries in waters of the
Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska.
The IFQ Program provides coastal
Alaska communities a source of
revenue, while maintaining the social
and economic character of the fixed-gear
sablefish and halibut fisheries. The IFQ
Program provides economic stability for
these fisheries while reducing many of
the conservation and management
problems commonly associated with
open-access fisheries. The IFQ Program
includes several provisions, such as
ownership caps and vessel use caps that
protect small producers, part-time
participants, and entry-level
participants that otherwise could be
adversely affected by excessive
consolidation.
Participation in the IFQ Program is
limited to persons that hold quota share
(QS), although there are several very
limited provisions for ‘‘leasing’’ of
annual IFQ. QS is a transferable permit
that was initially issued to persons who
owned or leased vessels that made legal
commercial fixed-gear landings of
Pacific halibut or sablefish in the waters
off Alaska from 1988 through 1990.
Currently, QS may only be obtained
through transfer.
Annually, NMFS issues eligible QS
holders an IFQ fishing permit that
authorizes participation in the IFQ
fisheries. Those to whom IFQ permits
are issued may harvest their annual
allocation at any time during the eight
plus-month IFQ halibut and sablefish
seasons.
More information on the IFQ Program
is provided on the NMFS Alaska Region
website at https://
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/alaska/
sustainable-fisheries/pacific-halibutand-sablefish-individual-fishing-quotaifq-program.
Some of the collection instruments in
this information collection are used by
participants in the Western Alaska
Community Development Quota (CDQ)
Program. The purpose of the CDQ
Program is to provide eligible western
Alaska villages with the opportunity to
participate and invest in fisheries in the
Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands
Management Area (BSAI); to support
economic development in western
Alaska; to alleviate poverty and provide
economic and social benefits for
residents of western Alaska; and to
achieve sustainable and diversified local
economies in western Alaska. In fitting
with these goals, NMFS allocates a
portion of the annual catch limits for a
variety of commercially valuable marine
species in the BSAI to the CDQ Program.

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Pacific halibut is one of these species.
More information on the CDQ Program
is provided on the NMFS Alaska Region
website at https://
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/alaska/
sustainable-fisheries/communitydevelopment-quota-cdq-program.
Information collection requirements for
the CDQ Program are approved under
OMB Control Number 0648–0269.
This information collection is
required to manage commercial halibut
and sablefish fishing under the
Magnuson-Stevens Act, the Halibut Act,
and under 50 CFR parts 300 and 679.
This information collection contains
the forms used by participants in the
IFQ Program to apply for, renew, or
replace permits; transfer or lease IFQ
and QS; determine compliance with IFQ
program requirements; and designate a
beneficiary for a QS holder. Two of the
permit applications are also used by
participants in the CDQ Program. This
information collection also contains
annual reports and other collections
submitted by telephone or other
methods and that do not have forms.
The type of information collected
includes information on the applicants,
transferors, transferees, permits, IFQ or
QS types and owners, beneficiaries,
vessels, business operations, medical
declarations, landings, gear types,
products, and harvests and harvest
areas.
This information is used to identify
and authorize participants in the halibut
and sablefish fisheries, to track and
transfer quota share, to limit transfers to
authorized participants, and to monitor
quota share balances and harvest in
these fisheries.
II. Method of Collection
The information is collected primarily
by mail, delivery, fax, email, or
telephone. Registered buyers may use
eFISH to renew or amend their
registered buyer permit. eFISH is the
NMFS Alaska Region online Fisheries
Information System. The forms and
applications are available as fillable
pdfs on the NMFS Alaska Region
website at https://
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/permit/alaskaifq-halibut-sablefish-and-cdq-halibutprogram-fishery-applications-andreporting.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0648–0272.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Review: Regular submission
(extension of a current information
collection).
Affected Public: Individuals or
households; Business or other for-profit

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2645

organizations; Not-for-profit
institutions.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
2,559.
Estimated Time per Response:
Application for IFQ/CDQ Hired Master
Permit, 1 hour; Application for IFQ/
CDQ Registered Buyer Permit, 30
minutes; Application for Replacement
of Certificates or Permits, 30 minutes;
Application for Eligibility to Receive
QS/IFQ by Transfer, 2 hours; QS Holder:
Identification of Ownership Interest, 2
hours; Application for Transfer of QS, 2
hours; Application for Transfer of QS/
IFQ by Self Sweep Up, 2 hours;
Application for Medical Transfer of IFQ,
1.5 hours; Application for Temporary
Transfer of Halibut/Sablefish IFQ, 2
hours; Annual Report for CDQ IFQ
Transfers, 40 hours; QS/IFQ Beneficiary
Designation Form, 30 minutes; Appeals,
4 hours; IFQ Administrative Waiver, 6
minutes; Prior Notice of Landing, 15
minutes; IFQ Departure Report, 15
minutes; Transshipment Authorization,
12 minutes; Dockside sales, 6 minutes;
Application for a Non-profit
Corporation to be Designated as a
Recreational Quota Entity, 200 hours;
Application for Transfer of Quota Share
To or From a Recreational Quota Entity,
2 hours; Recreational Quota Entity
Annual Report, 40 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 4,588 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to
Public: $21,471.
Respondent’s Obligation: Required to
Obtain or Retain Benefits; Mandatory.
Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act, 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.; Northern
Pacific Halibut Act of 1982, 16 U.S.C.
773c.
IV. Request for Comments
We are soliciting public comments to
permit the Department/Bureau to: (a)
Evaluate whether the proposed
information collection is necessary for
the proper functions of the Department,
including whether the information will
have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the
accuracy of our estimate of the time and
cost burden for this proposed collection,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (c)
Evaluate ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and (d) Minimize the
reporting burden on those who are to
respond, including the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology.
Comments that you submit in
response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include or
summarize each comment in our request

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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 8 / Wednesday, January 13, 2021 / Notices

to OMB to approve this ICR. Before
including your address, phone number,
email address, or other personal
identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that
your entire comment—including your
personal identifying information—may
be made publicly available at any time.
While you may ask us in your comment
to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of
the Chief Information Officer, Commerce
Department.
[FR Doc. 2021–00553 Filed 1–12–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Alaska Chinook Salmon
Economic Data Reports (EDR)
National Oceanic &
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of information collection,
request for comment.
AGENCY:

The Department of
Commerce, in accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA), invites the general public and
other Federal agencies to comment on
proposed, and continuing information
collections, which helps us assess the
impact of our information collection
requirements and minimize the public’s
reporting burden. The purpose of this
notice is to allow for 60 days of public
comment preceding submission of the
collection to OMB.
DATES: To ensure consideration,
comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received
on or before March 15, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are
invited to submit written comments to
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer,
at [email protected]. Please
reference OMB Control Number 0648–
0633 in the subject line of your
comments. Do not submit Confidential
Business Information or otherwise
sensitive or protected information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection
activities should be directed to Scott
SUMMARY:

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Miller, 907–586–7416, scott.miller@
noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract
The National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS), Alaska Regional Office, is
requesting renewal of the currently
approved information collection for the
Chinook Salmon Economic Data Report
Program.
National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS) manages the Bering Sea pollock
fishery under the American Fisheries
Act (AFA) (16 U.S.C. 1851). AFA fishing
vessels harvest pollock in the Bering Sea
pollock fishery using pelagic (midwater)
trawl gear, which consists of large nets
towed through the water by the vessel.
At times, Chinook salmon and pollock
occur in the same locations in the
Bering Sea; consequently, Chinook
salmon are incidentally caught in the
nets as pollock is harvested. This
incidental catch is called bycatch and is
also called prohibited species catch
(PSC).
The Chinook Salmon Economic Data
Report (Chinook Salmon EDR) Program
provides NMFS and the North Pacific
Fishery Management Council (Council)
with data to evaluate the effectiveness of
Chinook salmon bycatch management
measures for the Bering Sea pollock
fishery that were implemented under
Amendment 91 to the Fishery
Management Plan for Groundfish of the
Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands
Management Area (75 FR 53026, August
30, 2010). The Chinook Salmon EDR
Program provides information to the
analysts and the Council and is
intended to evaluate the effectiveness of
the Chinook Salmon Incentive Plan
Agreement (IPA) (see OMB Control No.
0648–0401). The Chinook Salmon EDR
Program is intended to evaluate where,
when, and how pollock fishing and
salmon bycatch occur and to provide
data to study and verify conclusions
drawn by industry in the IPA annual
reports.
The Chinook Salmon EDR Program is
managed primarily by the Alaska
Fisheries Science Center, with support
from NMFS Alaska Region, and is
administered in collaboration with
Pacific States Marine Fisheries
Commission (Pacific States). The EDR is
a mandatory reporting requirement
under 50 CFR 679.65 for all entities
participating in the AFA BSAI pollock
trawl fishery, including vessel masters
and businesses that own or lease one or
more AFA-permitted vessels active in
fishing or processing BSAI pollock,
Western Alaska Community
Development Quota (CDQ) groups

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receiving allocations of BSAI pollock,
and representatives of sector entities
receiving allocations of Chinook salmon
PSC from NMFS.
The Chinook Salmon EDR Program
consists of three separate forms:
• Chinook PSC Allocation In-season
Compensated Transfer Report—Collects
transfer and monetary compensation
information for Chinook salmon PSC
allocations.
• Vessel Fuel Survey—Collects fuel
consumption and average fuel costs.
• Vessel Master Survey—Collects
vessel master impressions of fishing
experiences during the year and of
Chinook salmon PSC avoidance efforts.
The Chinook Salmon EDR Program
also includes a means for NMFS to
verify the data submitted in the
Compensated Transfer Report. These
collections are unchanged since the
previous renewal in 2018.
II. Method of Collection
The Compensated Transfer Report,
Vessel Fuel Survey, and Vessel Master
Survey are completed and submitted
using the economic data reporting web
application on the Pacific States Marine
Fisheries Commission website at
https://www.psmfc.org//chinookedr/. In
2019, NMFS discontinued automated
auditing of EDR Program reporting.
Audits will now only be conducted in
cases of suspected gross noncompliance.
Future audits will be conducted by a
designated auditor and an audit report
will be provided to NMFS
electronically.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0648–0633.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Review: Regular submission
(extension of a current information
collection).
Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
117.
Estimated Time per Response:
Compensated Transfer Report: 40 hours;
Vessel Fuel Survey: 4 hours; Vessel
Master Survey: 4 hours; CTR
Verification Audit: 4 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 728 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to
Public: $0.
Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory.
Legal Authority: American Fisheries
Act (16 U.S.C. 1851); Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.).
IV. Request for Comments
We are soliciting public comments to
permit the Department/Bureau to: (a)

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