View Information Collection Request (ICR) Package

Abstract: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) established the Crab Rationalization (CR) Program as a catch share program for nine crab fisheries in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI), and assigned quota share (QS) to persons and processor quota share (PQS) to processors based on their historic participation in one or more of these nine crab fisheries during a specific period. The CR Program components include QS allocation, PQS allocation, individual fishing quota (IFQ) issuance, and individual processing quota (IPQ) issuance, quota transfers, use caps, crab harvesting cooperatives, protections for Gulf of Alaska groundfish fisheries, arbitration system, monitoring, economic data collection, and cost recovery fee collection. NMFS issues a proposed rule (RIN 0648-BE98)to implement Amendment 44 to the Fishery Management Plan for Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs and a regulatory amendment that would modify regulations governing the CR Program. With this action, a ROFR may continue with the current ROFR holder or a new ROFR holder when PQS is transferred and requires PQS holders to make specific certifications regarding ROFR contracts when annually applying for IPQ and when transferring PQS that are subject to a ROFR. In addition, the crab harvesting cooperatives must list the name of each member of the cooperative in its application for IFQ rather than provide NMFS with copies of each member’s IFQ application. These actions are necessary to improve available information concerning transfer and use of PQS and IPQ subject to a ROFR, thereby enhancing the ability of eligible crab communities to retain their historical processing interests in the BSAI crab fisheries, and to improve the administration of the CR Program.

ICR Summary of Burden

	Total Approved	Previously Approved	Change Due to Agency Discretion	Change Due to Adjustment in Estimate
Annual Number of Responses	5,742	1,472	124	4,146
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	7,726	1,621	250	5,855
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	13,841	8,135	-5,118	10,824

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: Yes

Burden Increase Due to: Changing Regulations

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: Yes

Burden Reduction Due to: Miscellaneous Actions

Short Statement: Program Change Right of First Refusal (ROFR) Waiver and Contracts Removed and added to Applications a decrease of 2 respondents and responses, 0 instead of 2 a decrease of 3 hours burden, 0 instead of 3 a decrease of $50 personnel costs, 0 instead of $50 a decrease of $6,000 miscellaneous costs, 0 instead of $6,000 Removed and Divided Application to transfer crab QS or PQS into two separate applications a decrease of 126 respondents and responses, 0 instead of 126 a decrease of 252 hours burden, 0 instead of 252 a decrease of $9,324 personnel costs, 0 instead of $9,324 a decrease of $882 miscellaneous costs, 0 instead of $882 Application to transfer Crab Quota Share (QS) [new] an increase of 126 respondents and responses, 126 instead of 0 an increase of 252 hours burden, 252 instead of 0 an increase of $9,324 personnel costs, $9,324 instead of 0 an increase of $882 miscellaneous costs, $882 instead of 0 Application to transfer Crab Processor Quota Share (PQS) [new] an increase of 126 respondents and responses, 126 instead of 0 an increase of 252 hours burden, 252 instead of 0 an increase of $9,324 personnel costs, $9,324 instead of 0 an increase of $882 miscellaneous costs, $882 instead of 0 Net program changes: Increase of 124 responses, 250 hours and decrease of $5,118 miscellaneous costs. Adjustments ♦ Removed “date of birth or incorporation” from forms because it does not apply. ♦ Changed personnel cost from $25/hr to $37/hr. Application for IFQ permit a decrease of 5 respondents and responses, 191 instead of 196 a decrease of 12 hours burden, 478 instead of 490 a decrease of $444 personnel costs, $17,686 instead of $18,130 a decrease of $30 miscellaneous costs, $333 instead of $363 Application for IPQ permit a decrease of 53 hours burden, 210 instead of 263 a decrease of $1,961 personnel costs, $7,770 instead of $9,731 Application for Registered Crab Receiver an increase of 10 respondents and responses, 72 instead of 62 an increase of 5 hours burden, 36 instead of 31 an increase of $185 personnel costs, $1,332 instead of $1,147 an increase of $28 miscellaneous costs, $173 instead of $145 Application for Crab IFQ Hired Master an increase of 1,473 respondents and responses, 1,614 instead of 141 an increase of 516 hours burden, 565 instead of 49 an increase of $19,092 personnel costs, $20,905 instead of $1,813 an increase of $3,552 miscellaneous costs, $3,663 instead of $111 Application for Federal Crab Vessel Permit a decrease of 42 respondents and responses, 72 instead of 114 a decrease of 15 hours burden, 25 instead of 40 a decrease of $555 personnel costs, $925 instead of $1,480 a decrease of 134 miscellaneous costs, $95 instead of $229 Application to transfer crab IFQ an increase of $2 miscellaneous costs, $30 instead of $28 Application to transfer crab IPQ an increase of $3 miscellaneous costs, $66 instead of $63 Application to transfer cooperative IFQ an increase of $780 personnel costs, $2,405 instead of $1,625 Application for Converted CPO QS and CPO IFQ an increase of $24 personnel costs, $74 instead of $50 Application for Eligibility to Receive Crab QS/IFQ or PQS/IPQ by transfer an increase of 2,713 responses, 2,728 instead of 15 an increase of 5,426 hours burden, 5,456 instead of 30 hr an increase of $200,762 personnel costs, $201,572 instead of $1,110 an increase of $7,436 miscellaneous costs, $7,460 instead of $24 Letter of Appeal, any Application a decrease of 3 respondents and responses, 1 instead of 4 a decrease of 12 hours burden, 4 instead of 16 a decrease of $444 personnel costs, $148 instead of $592 a decrease of $5 miscellaneous costs, $2 instead of $7 Net adjustments: Increase of 4,146 responses, increase of 5,855 hours and increase of $10,824 miscellaneous costs.

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