60-Day FRN

Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 237 / Tuesday, December 12, 2023 / Notices
Dated: December 6, 2023.
Everett Wayne Baxter,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

C/P Co-op Program:
• 0.1 percent = ($29,364.40/
$33,367,530.60) × 100.
MS Co-op Program:

[FR Doc. 2023–27188 Filed 12–11–23; 8:45 am]

• 1.8 percent = ($280,187.19/
$15,425,857.68) × 100.
However, the calculated fee
percentage cannot exceed the statutory
limit of 3 percent. The IFQ Program fee
calculation (3.5 percent) exceeds this
limit, therefore, the 2024 fee percentage
for the IFQ Program is 3 percent. The
final 2024 fee percentages are 3.0
percent for the IFQ Program, 0.1 percent
for the C/P Co-op Program, and 1.8
percent for the MS Co-op Program.

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

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MS Average Pricing
MS pricing is the average price per
pound that the C/P Co-op Program will
use to determine the fee amount due for
that sector. The C/P sector value is
calculated by multiplying the retained
catch estimates (weight) of Pacific
whiting harvested by the vessel
registered to a C/P-endorsed limited
entry trawl permit by the MS pricing.
NMFS has calculated the 2024 MS
pricing to be used as a proxy by the CP
Co-op Program as: $0.11 per pound for
Pacific whiting.
Cost recovery fees are submitted to
NMFS by fish buyers via Pay.gov
(https://www.pay.gov). Fees are only
accepted in Pay.gov by credit/debit card
or bank transfers. Cash or checks cannot
be accepted. Fish buyers registered with
Pay.gov can login in the upper righthand corner of the screen. Fish buyers
not registered with Pay.gov can go to the
cost recovery forms directly from the
website below. The links to the Pay.gov
forms for each program (IFQ, MS, or
C/P) are listed below:
• IFQ: https://www.pay.gov/public/
form/start/58062865;
• MS: https://www.pay.gov/public/
form/start/58378422; and
• C/P: https://www.pay.gov/public/
form/start/58102817.
As stated in the preamble to the cost
recovery proposed and final rules, in the
spring of each year, NMFS will release
an annual report documenting the
details and data used for the fee
percentage calculations. Annual reports
are available at: https://
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/west-coast/
sustainable-fisheries/west-coastgroundfish-trawl-catch-shareprogram#cost-recovery.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.; 16
U.S.C.773 et seq.; 16 U.S.C. 7001 et seq.

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget for Review
and Approval; Comment Request;
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species
Scientific Research, Exempted Fishing,
and Exempted Activity Submissions
National Oceanic &
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.

AGENCY:

Notice of information collection,
request for comment.

ACTION:

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 the Office of Management
and Budget.

SUMMARY:

To ensure consideration,
comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received
on or before February 12, 2024.

DATES:

Interested persons are
invited to submit written comments to
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer,
at [email protected]. Please
reference OMB Control Number 0648–
0471 in the subject line of your
comments. Do not submit Confidential
Business Information or otherwise
sensitive or protected information.

ADDRESSES:

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection
activities should be directed to Cliff
Hutt, Fisheries Management Specialist,
National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS), Highly Migratory Species
(HMS) Management Division, 1315 EastWest Highway, SSMC3, Silver Spring,
MD 20910; 301–427–8503; or cliff.hutt@
noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

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I. Abstract
Atlantic highly migratory species
(HMS) fisheries are managed under the
2006 Consolidated HMS Fishery
Management Plan (FMP) and its
amendments, pursuant to the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
(Magnuson-Stevens Act; 16 U.S.C. 1801
et seq.) and consistent with the Atlantic
Tunas Convention Act (ATCA; 16 U.S.C.
971 et seq.). The implementing
regulations for HMS fisheries are found
at 50 CFR part 635.
Issuance of exempted fishing permits
(EFPs), scientific research permits
(SRPs), display permits, letters of
acknowledgment (LOAs), and shark
research fishery permits is necessary for
the collection of HMS for public display
and scientific research that requires
exemption from regulations (e.g.,
seasons, prohibited species, authorized
gear, minimum sizes) that otherwise
may prohibit such collection. Display
permits are issued for the collection of
HMS for the purpose of public display,
and a limited number of shark research
fishery permits are issued for the
collection of fishery-dependent data for
future stock assessments and
cooperative research with commercial
fishermen to meet the shark research
objectives of the Agency.
Regulations at 50 CFR 600.745 and 50
CFR 635.32 govern scientific research
activity, exempted fishing, and
exempted educational activities with
respect to HMS. Since the MagnusonStevens Act does not include scientific
research within the definition of
‘‘fishing,’’ scientific research is exempt
from this statute, and NMFS does not
issue EFPs for bona fide research
activities (e.g., research conducted from
a research vessel and not a commercial
or recreational fishing vessel) involving
species that are only regulated under the
Magnuson-Stevens Act (e.g., most
species of sharks) and not under ATCA.
NMFS requests copies of scientific
research plans for these activities and
indicates concurrence by issuing a LOA
to researchers to indicate that the
proposed activity meets the definition of
scientific research and is therefore
exempt from regulation.
Scientific research is not exempt from
regulation under ATCA. NMFS issues
SRPs for collection of species managed
under this statute (i.e., tunas, swordfish,
billfish, and some shark species), which
authorize researchers to collect HMS
from bona fide research vessels (e.g.,
NMFS or university research vessel).
NMFS will issue an EFP when research/
collection involving such species occurs

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86118

Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 237 / Tuesday, December 12, 2023 / Notices

from commercial or recreational fishing
platforms.
To regulate these fishing activities,
NMFS needs information to determine
the justification for granting an EFP,
LOA, SRP, display, or shark research
fishery permit. The application
requirements are detailed at 50 CFR
600.745(b)(2). Interim, annual, and nocatch/fishing reports must also be
submitted to the HMS Management
Division within NMFS (excluding
LOAs). The authority for NMFS
requiring this information is found at 50
CFR 635.32.
NMFS has updated the burden
estimates based on participation in the
HMS Management Division’s exempted
fishing program from 2021 through 2023
and the Shark Research Fishery from
2021 through 2023.
II. Method of Collection
Respondents can submit the required
information via email via electronic
forms (PDF or spreadsheet). NMFS is
currently developing an online
electronic reporting portal for the
submission of required EFP reports,
which will be available in 2024.

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III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0648–0471.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Review: Regular submission
(extension of a currently approved
collection).
Estimated Number of Respondents:
58.
Estimated Time per Response: 2 hours
for a scientific research plan; 40 minutes
for an application for an EFP, display
permit, SRP, LOA, or shark research
fishery permit; 1 hour for an interim
report; 40 minutes for an annual fishing
report; 15 minutes for an application for
an amendment; 5 minutes for
notification of departure phone calls to
NMFS Enforcement; 10 minutes for calls
to request and observer; and 2 minutes
for ‘‘no-catch’’ reports.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 224.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to
Public: None.
Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary
for applications and Mandatory for
reporting and notifications.
Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), and the
Atlantic Tunas Convention Act of 1975.
(16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.)
IV. Request for Comments
We are soliciting public comments to
permit the Department/NMFS to: (a)
Evaluate whether the proposed
information collection is necessary for

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the proper functions of the Department/
NMFS, 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,
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 Under Secretary for Economic Affairs,
Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2023–27248 Filed 12–11–23; 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; Pacific Islands Region Permit
Family of Forms
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

SUMMARY:

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comment preceding submission of the
collection to OMB.
DATES: To ensure consideration,
comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received
on or before February 12, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are
invited to submit written comments to
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer,
at [email protected]. Please
reference OMB Control Number 0648–
0490 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 Walter
Ikehara, Fishery Information Specialist,
National Marine Fisheries Service,
Pacific Islands Region, 1845 Wasp
Blvd., Bldg. 176, Honolulu, HI 96818,
(808) 725–5175, walter.ikehara@
noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
This request is for an extension of a
currently approved information
collection.
The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
established the Western Pacific Fishery
Management Council (Council), to
develop fishery ecosystem plans (FEP)
for fisheries in the United States (U.S.)
exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and high
seas of the Pacific Islands region. These
plans, if approved by the Secretary of
Commerce, are implemented in Federal
regulations by the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA)
National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS) and enforced by NOAA’s Office
of Law Enforcement (OLE) and the U.S.
Coast Guard (USCG), in cooperation
with state and territorial agencies. FEPs
regulate fishing to prevent overfishing
and to ensure the long-term productivity
and social and economic benefit of the
resources.
Regulations at 50 CFR 665, Subpart F,
require that a vessel used to fish with
longline gear for western Pacific pelagic
management unit species (PMUS), land
or transship longline caught PMUS, or
receive longline caught PMUS from a
longline vessel, within the Exclusive
Economic Zone (EEZ) or management
subarea around U.S. islands in the
central and western Pacific must be
registered to a valid Federal fishing
permit. The regulations also require that
a vessel used to fish with squid jig gear
for pelagic squid species listed in the
western Pacific PMUS within the EEZ or
management subareas around U.S.

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