NMFS Observer Programs' Information That Can Be Gathered Only Through Questions

This request is for an extension and revision to an existing information collection (OMB Control No. 0648-0593): Observer Programs’ Information That Can Be Gathered Only through Questions. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) deploys fishery observers on United States (U.S.) fishing vessels and to fish processing plants in order to collect biological and economic data and to monitor industry regulatory compliance. Under an OMB approved information collection observers collect information from fishing vessel captains/crew or fish processing plant managers/staff prior to deployment. This information is used to assess whether the vessel or plan satisfies applicable safety requirements. In June 2020, NMFS received emergency approval from OMB to add six questions related to the COVID-19 pandemic to the above mentioned information collection. The added safety questions are necessary to ensure that an observer can be safely deployed on a specific fishing vessel or stationed at a specific processing plant and work safely once assigned to a specific vessel or plant. With this renewal request NMFS would like to update the six questions to also include other communicable diseases, and make four other minor changes to this collection. This will allow observer programs flexibility when other communicable diseases arise in the United States. Additional revisions include: The expansion of observers to include an additional fishery. The Southeast region will begin sending observers out on Southeast reef fish fishery trips and thus needs to add this fishery to this collection. A combination of two programs previously listed as separate; the Gulf of Mexico reef fish and shrimp program and grouper snapper program. The West Coast Groundfish Observer Program (WCGOP) would like to start collecting the names of crew members within their observer logbooks. The data will be recorded on paper, scanned in, and stored according to vessel name. This information will only be accessed if there is an enforcement issue. Also within the West Coast Groundfish Observer Program: They have introduced a new phone app that captains are using to declare upcoming fishing trips and NMFS is using to let them know if they have been selected for observer coverage. Finally, some forms have been removed from this control number as they are completed based upon direct observation by an employee or agent of the sponsoring agency and are therefore exempt from the PRA requirements. A list of all forms, included and removed, is uploaded as a Supplemental Document.

The latest form for NMFS Observer Programs' Information That Can Be Gathered Only Through Questions expires 2024-01-31 and can be found here.

NEFOP: Northeast Fisheries Observer Program

Federal Enterprise Architecture: Natural Resources - Conservation, Marine and Land Management

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