30-day FRN

Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 187 / Thursday, September 28, 2023 / Notices
Pinki Thakker, International Trade
Specialist, U.S. Commercial
Service—Kansas City, MO, U.S.
Department of Commerce,
[email protected], Tel: 816–
266–3853
Carey Arun, Principal Commercial
Officer, U.S. Commercial Service—
U.S. Consulate General, Chennai,
[email protected]
Mala Venkat, Senior Commercial
Specialist, U.S. Commercial
Service—U.S. Consulate General,
Chennai, [email protected]
Gemal Brangman,
Director, Trade Events Management Task
Force.
[FR Doc. 2023–21170 Filed 9–27–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DR–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XD406]

Marine Mammals; File No. 27424
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; receipt of application.
AGENCY:

Notice is hereby given that
Point Blue Conservation Science, 3820
Cypress Drive No. 11, Petaluma, CA
94954, (Responsible Party: Grant
Ballard, Ph.D.), has applied in due form
for a permit to conduct research on five
species of pinnipeds.
DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email
comments must be received on or before
October 30, 2023.
ADDRESSES: The application and related
documents are available for review by
selecting ‘‘Records Open for Public
Comment’’ from the ‘‘Features’’ box on
the Applications and Permits for
Protected Species (APPS) home page,
https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov, and then
selecting File No. 27424 from the list of
available applications. These documents
are also available upon written request
via email to NMFS.Pr1Comments@
noaa.gov.
Written comments on this application
should be submitted via email to
[email protected]. Please
include File No. 27424 in the subject
line of the email comment.
Those individuals requesting a public
hearing should submit a written request
via email to NMFS.Pr1Comments@
noaa.gov. The request should set forth
the specific reasons why a hearing on
this application would be appropriate.

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SUMMARY:

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Courtney Smith, Ph.D., or Shasta
McClenahan, Ph.D., (301) 427–8401.
The
subject permit is requested under the
authority of the Marine Mammal
Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16
U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), the regulations
governing the taking and importing of
marine mammals (50 CFR part 216), and
the Fur Seal Act of 1966, as amended
(16 U.S.C. 1151 et seq.).
The applicant requests a 5-year
scientific research permit to study and
monitor population trends, health, diet,
ecology, and physiology of pinnipeds in
the greater Gulf of the Farallones and
San Francisco Bay region of California.
Up to 210 northern elephant seals
(Mirounga angustirostris) and 500
northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus)
may be captured annually for marking,
morphometrics, and biological
sampling. An additional 1,355 elephant
seals may be marked and swabbed
without capture. Up to 1,500 harbor
seals (Phoca vitulina), 800 northern
elephant seals, 5,320 California sea lions
(Zalophus californianus), 155 Steller sea
lions (Eumetopias jubatus; Eastern
distinct population segment), and 1,500
northern fur seals may be taken or
unintentionally harassed annually
during ground or unmanned aircraft
system surveys, for counts, observation,
and scat collection. The applicant also
requests up to five unintentional
mortalities of northern elephant seals
over the duration of the permit, with no
more than two annually.
In compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), an initial
determination has been made that the
activity proposed is categorically
excluded from the requirement to
prepare an environmental assessment or
environmental impact statement.
Concurrent with the publication of
this notice in the Federal Register,
NMFS is forwarding copies of the
application to the Marine Mammal
Commission and its Committee of
Scientific Advisors.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Dated: September 22, 2023.
Amy Sloan,
Acting Division Chief, Permits and
Conservation Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023–21225 Filed 9–27–23; 8:45 am]
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66815

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; Electronic Logbook for the
Commercial Shrimp Fishery in the Gulf
of Mexico
The Department of Commerce will
submit the following information
collection request to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
review and clearance in accordance
with the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995, on or after the date of publication
of this notice. We invite 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. Public
comments were previously requested
via the Federal Register on June 9, 2023,
during a 60-day comment period. This
notice allows for an additional 30 days
for public comments.
Agency: National Oceanic &
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
Title: Electronic Logbook for the
Commercial Shrimp Fishery in the Gulf
of Mexico.
OMB Control Number: 0648–0543.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: Regular
submission—extension of a current
information collection.
Number of Respondents: 610.
Average Hours per Response: 2 hours.
Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,220.
Needs and Uses: This request is for
extension of a current information
collection. The Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) authorizes
the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management
Council (Council) to prepare and amend
fishery management plans for any
fishery in waters under its jurisdiction.
NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS) manages the
commercial shrimp fishery in Federal
waters of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf)
under the Fishery Management Plan for
the Shrimp Fishery of the Gulf. The
electronic logbook (ELB) regulations for
the Gulf shrimp fishery may be found at
50 CFR 622.51(a)(2). The ELB is a device
that records the position of the vessel
every ten minutes. The tracks of the
vessels can be examined to determine
when and where shrimp trawling is
occurring.

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66816

Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 187 / Thursday, September 28, 2023 / Notices

As of May 1, 2023, there are
approximately 1,319 valid or renewable
Federal permits to commercially harvest
shrimp from the exclusive economic
zone (EEZ) in the Gulf. Monitoring
shrimp vessels, operating together with
many other fishing vessels of differing
sizes, gears types used, and fishing
capabilities, is made even more
challenging by seasonal variability in
shrimp abundance and price, and the
broad geographic distribution of the
fleet. ELBs provide a precise means of
estimating the amount of shrimp fishing
effort. Using ELBs to estimate fishing
effort serves an important role to help
estimate bycatch in the Gulf shrimp
fleet.
Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations.
Frequency: Twice Annually (every 6
months).
Respondent’s Obligation: Required to
Obtain or Retain a Service or Benefit.
Legal Authority: Fishing Regulation
50 CFR 622.51(a)(2).
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 0648–0543.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of
the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs,
Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2023–21176 Filed 9–27–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
Review and Approval; Comment
Request; NMFS Alaska Region Vessel
Monitoring System (VMS) Program
National Oceanic &
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of information collection,
request for comment.
AGENCY:

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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 27, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are
invited to submit written comments to
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer,
at [email protected]. Please
reference OMB Control Number 0648–
0445 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, National Marine Fisheries
Service, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau AK
99802–1668, or 907–586–7356.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Alaska (GOA) and Bering Sea and
Aleutian Islands (BSAI) designed to
protect Steller sea lion or essential fish
habitat. The VMS requirements are
found at 50 CFR parts 679 and 680.
VMS is an essential component of
monitoring and management for
complicated, geographically widespread
fishing closures. Given the large size
and remoteness of the area in which
Alaska fisheries occur, and the limited
enforcement infrastructure available,
determining a vessel’s location depends
crucially on VMS reports. When a VMS
track is examined, information can be
inferred about whether a vessel is
actively fishing, the type of gear being
used, and the fisheries that are open.
NMFS uses information from VMS to
identify where vessels are operating, to
organize patrols so as to increase the
number of fishing vessels visually
examined, or to focus examination of
vessels of greatest concern, and as
evidence in prosecutions.

I. Abstract
The National Marine Fisheries
Services (NMFS), Alaska Regional
Office, is requesting extension of a
currently approved information
collection for the NMFS Alaska Region
Vessel Monitoring System (VMS)
Program. There are no proposed changes
to this information collection.
NMFS requires the owners and
operators of selected vessels
participating in federally managed
groundfish and crab fisheries off Alaska
to obtain, install, and maintain an
operational, NMFS-approved Vessel
Monitoring System (VMS). VMS units
automatically transmit the location of a
vessel several times per hour using a
Global Positioning System satellite. The
VMS unit is passive and automatic,
requiring no reporting effort by the
vessel operator. A communications
service provider receives the
transmission and relays it to NMFS
Office for Law Enforcement (OLE).
Tracking vessel location using VMS is
required to monitor compliance with
area-specific catch allocations, to
monitor compliance with requirements
to redeploy or remove fishing gear from
commercial fishing grounds, and to
monitor compliance with complicated
time and area closures in the Gulf of

III. Data

SUMMARY:

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II. Method of Collection
Automatic GPS position reporting
starts after VMS transceiver installation
and power activation on board the
vessel. The unit is pre-configured and
tested for NMFS VMS operations. The
VMS unit is passive and automatic,
requiring no reporting effort by the
vessel operator.
OMB Control Number: 0648–0445.
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
organizations.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
550.
Estimated Time per Response: VMS
installation, maintenance, and
troubleshooting, 12 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 2,476 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to
Public: $812,668.
Respondent’s Obligation: Required to
Obtain or Retain Benefits.
Legal Authority: 16 U.S.C.1801 et.
seq.; 16 U.S.C. 773–773k.
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,

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