Justification for Non-Substantive Change

JUSTIFICATION FOR CHANGE

U.S. Department of Commerce

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration

Central Gulf of Alaska Rockfish Program: Permits and Reports

OMB Control No. 0648-0545

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) requests OMB merge the 0648-0826 temporary information collection into approved information collection 0648-0545, Central Gulf of Alaska Rockfish Program: Permits and Reports. Due to the concurrent timing of the rulemaking for 0648-BM69 and the renewal of information collection 0648-0545, Central Gulf of Alaska Rockfish Program: Permits and Reports, a temporary collection was created for the rule-related collection. This request seeks to merge the new temporary collection (0648-0826) with 0648-0545 now that all actions have been resolved.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) promulgated a rule (0648-BM69) to implement Amendment 113 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska. This rule revised regulations for the Application for Rockfish Cooperative Fishing Quota and the Rockfish Program vessel check in / check out report. The application requirement does not increase the total annual respondents, responses, and burden, but the vessel check in / check out report adds ten (10) new respondents, which is approved under OMB Control Number 0648-0545.

Notice was provided to the public in both the proposed rule (89 FR 40449) and final rule (89 FR 66633) of the creation of a temporary collection for the revision to the regulations for the Application for Rockfish Cooperative Fishing Quota and the Rockfish Program vessel check in / check out report that would be merged into 0648-0545 upon resolution of the extension to 0648-0545 and the approval of the final rule package in 0648-0826. The merging of these collections adds 10 respondents to 0648-0545 but does not otherwise change the anticipated burden.

There are no other changes to 0648-0545. Upon approval by OMB of this change request, a discontinuation request will be submitted for information collection 0648-0826.