60-day FRN

Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 171 / Tuesday, September 6, 2022 / Notices
Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act as reauthorized in 2007 (16 U.S.C.
1801 et. seq.)
This information collection request
may be viewed at www.reginfo.gov.
Follow the instructions to view the
Department of Commerce collections
currently under review by OMB.
Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be
submitted within 30 days of the
publication of this notice on the
following website www.reginfo.gov/
public/do/PRAMain. Find this
particular information collection by
selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day
Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or
by using the search function and
entering either the title of the collection
or the OMB Control Number 0648–0769.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of
the Chief Information Officer, Commerce
Department.
[FR Doc. 2022–19205 Filed 9–2–22; 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; South Pacific Tuna Act
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 November 7, 2022.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are
invited to submit written comments to
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer,
at [email protected]. Please
reference OMB Control Number 0648–

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0218 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 Emily
Reynolds, Fishery Policy Analyst,
NOAA Fisheries, 1845 Wasp Blvd.,
Building 176, Honolulu, HI 96818; (808)
725–5039 or [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
This request is for extension, with no
changes, to a currently approved
information collection. The National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) collects vessel
license, vessel registration, catch, and
unloading information from operators of
U.S. purse seine vessels fishing under
the provisions of the Treaty on Fisheries
between the Governments of Certain
Pacific Island States and the
Government of the United States of
America (Treaty). The Treaty provides
access for U.S. purse seine vessels to
fish in the exclusive economic zones
(EEZs) of Pacific Island Parties to the
Treaty (PIPs). The PIPs include
Australia, Cook Islands, Federated
States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati,
Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand,
Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa,
Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and
Vanuatu. This collection of information
is required to meet U.S. obligations
under the Treaty.
The South Pacific Tuna Act of 1988
(16 U.S.C. 973–973r) and U.S.
implementing regulations (50 CFR part
300, subpart D) authorize the collection
of information from U.S. purse seine
vessels fishing in the EEZs of PIPs under
the Treaty. Vessel operators must
submit annual vessel license and
registration (including registration of
vessel monitoring system (VMS) units)
applications and periodic written
reports of catch and unloading of fish
from licensed vessels. They are also
required to ensure the continued
operation of VMS units on board
licensed vessels, which is expected to
require periodic maintenance of the
units. The information collected is
submitted to the Pacific Islands Forum
Fisheries Agency (FFA) through the U.S.
government, NOAA’s National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS). The license
and registration application information
is used by the FFA to determine the
operational capability and financial
responsibility of a vessel operator
interested in fishing under the Treaty.
Information obtained from vessel catch

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and unloading reports is used by the
FFA to assess fishing effort and fishery
resources in the region and to track the
amount of fish caught within each PIP’s
EEZ. Maintenance of VMS units is
needed to ensure the continuous
operation of the VMS units, which, as
part of the VMS administered by the
FFA, are used as an enforcement tool. If
the information is not collected, the U.S.
government will not meet its obligations
under the Treaty, and the lack of fishing
information will result in poor
management of the fishery resources.
II. Method of Collection
All information will be submitted in
hard copy via mail or through electronic
reporting.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0648–0218.
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:
21.
Estimated Time per Response: License
application, 1 hour; VMS registration
application, 45 minutes; catch report, 1
hour; unloading logsheet, 30 minutes,
expression of interest, 2 hours and
renewal, 15 minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 207.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to
Public: $76,706 in recordkeeping/
reporting costs.
Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory.
Legal Authority: 16 U.S.C. 973–973r.
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
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before
including your address, phone number,

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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 171 / Tuesday, September 6, 2022 / Notices

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. 2022–19201 Filed 9–2–22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XC246]

Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of
Mexico, and South Atlantic; Exempted
Fishing Permits
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of receipt of an
application for exempted fishing permit;
request for comments.
AGENCY:

NMFS announces the receipt
of an application for an exempted
fishing permit (EFP) from Dr. David
Portnoy, Texas A&M University, Corpus
Christi. If granted, the EFP would allow
a limited harvest of speckled hind in
South Atlantic Federal waters by select
commercial fishermen. The samples
collected would be used to assess the
speckled hind population structure,
genetic diversity, and life history in the
South Atlantic.
DATES: Written comments must be
received on or before September 21,
2022.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on the application, identified by
‘‘NOAA–NMFS–2022–0084’’ by any of
the following methods:
• Electronic Submission: Submit all
electronic public comments via the
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and enter
‘‘NOAA–NMFS–2022–0084’’ in the
Search box. Click on the ‘‘Comment’’
icon, complete the required fields, and
enter or attach your comments.
• Mail: Submit written comments to
Frank Helies, Southeast Regional Office,
NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, St.
Petersburg, FL 33701.

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Instructions: Comments sent by any
other method, to any other address or
individual, or received after the end of
the comment period, may not be
considered by NMFS. All comments
received are a part of the public record
and will generally be posted for public
viewing on www.regulations.gov
without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address, etc.),
confidential business information, or
otherwise sensitive information
submitted voluntarily by the sender will
be publicly accessible. NMFS will
accept anonymous comments (enter
‘‘N/A’’ in the required fields if you wish
to remain anonymous).
Electronic copies of the EFP
application may be obtained from the
Southeast Regional Office website at
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/
southeast/about-us/south-atlanticspeckled-hind-exempted-fishing-permitapplication/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Frank Helies, 727–824–5305; email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EFP is
requested under the authority of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
(Magnuson-Stevens Act; 16 U.S.C 1801
et seq.), and regulations at 50 CFR
600.745(b) concerning exempted
fishing.
Currently, Federal regulations at 50
CFR 622.181 (b)(3) prohibit the harvest
and possession of speckled hind in or
from South Atlantic Federal waters.
Speckled hind are sedentary, long-lived,
deep-water groupers. There are no
known data regarding the stock
structure of speckled hind in South
Atlantic waters and little is known
about their biology; consequently, there
are not enough data to accurately
determine whether the species is
undergoing overfishing or are
overfished.
Dr. Portnoy was awarded a Marine
Fisheries Initiative grant to assess the
population structure, genetic diversity,
and life history of speckled hind in the
U.S. South Atlantic. Beginning in 2018,
Dr. Portnoy acquired some of his
project’s needed speckled hind samples
from fishery independent surveys
conducted by NMFS and the South
Carolina Department of Natural
Resources. However, as a result of low
encounter rates with the species since
2018, and reduced fishery independent
survey effort in 2020, additional
samples were needed to obtain a
sufficient number of project samples.
Dr. Portnoy previously requested, and
was granted, an EFP from NMFS on
March 22, 2021, to retain up to 40

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speckled hind per calendar year (up to
80 total for the EFP) (86 FR 11503,
February 25, 2021). That EFP expired on
August 31, 2022. To date, only 11 of the
80 projected samples have been
obtained in the South Atlantic, and only
2 from the previously issued EFP.
However, the applicant has continued to
add fishermen to the previous EFP to
increase opportunities for speckled hind
sample collection.
If granted, the EFP would be valid
through August 31, 2024, and would
allow a limited harvest of up to 40
speckled hind per calendar year (up to
80 total for the duration of the EFP) in
the Federal waters of the South Atlantic.
The EFP would exempt select
commercial fishermen from Federal
regulations prohibiting the harvest and
possession of speckled hind in Federal
waters of the South Atlantic at 50 CFR
622.181(b)(3). Because speckled hind
would be harvested incidentally during
routine commercial fishing trips, NMFS
does not expect that any additional
environmental impacts would occur
through the issuance of the EFP.
Dr. Portnoy proposes to collect
speckled hind from select commercial
fishermen who occasionally encounter
speckled hind in South Atlantic Federal
waters during routine commercial
fishing operations. Currently, six
commercial fishermen have volunteered
to participate in the EFP while using
hook-and-line gear fishing in South
Atlantic Federal waters in depths
ranging from 70 ft (21 m) to 600 ft (183
m), and one fisherman has volunteered
while using black sea bass pots in
depths ranging from 60 ft (18 m) to 110
ft (34 m). Speckled hind would only be
collected using either gear type during
the course of regular fishing operations.
The selected commercial fisherman
would comply with all other Federal
fishing regulations such as fishing
seasons, area closures, and commercial
trip limits. If the fishermen encounter a
speckled hind, a fin clip would be taken
from the harvested speckled hind and
shipped to the Marine Genomics
Laboratory at Texas A&M University,
Corpus Christi, Texas. The sampled fin
clip would be used for genetic studies.
All sampled speckled hind carcasses
would be shipped to the NMFS
Southeast Fisheries Science Center for
otolith extraction to determine age and
growth parameters. The results of the
EFP are expected to contribute to
improved understanding of speckled
hind population structure, genetic
diversity, and life history in the U.S.
South Atlantic. The EFP results could
help support future scientific and
management decisions for the speckled
hind stock in the South Atlantic.

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