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OMB Control No: 0648-0364	ICR Reference No: 201304-0648-010
Status: Historical Inactive	Previous ICR Reference No: 201206-0648-010
Agency/Subagency: DOC/NOAA	Agency Tracking No:
Title: Gear-Marking Requirements for Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan
Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR: No
Type of Review Request: Regular
OIRA Conclusion Action: Comment filed on proposed rule and continue	Conclusion Date: 07/23/2013
	Date Received in OIRA: 07/17/2013
Terms of Clearance: In accordance with 5 CFR 1320, OMB is withholding approval at this time. Prior to publication of the final rule, the agency must submit to OMB a summary of all comments related to the information collection contained in the proposed rule and the agency response. The agency should clearly indicate any changes made to the information collection as a result of these comments.

	Inventory as of this Action	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	08/31/2015	36 Months From Approved	08/31/2015
Responses	122,848	0	122,848
Time Burden (Hours)	10,235	0	10,235
Cost Burden (Dollars)	6,755	0	6,755

Abstract: Gear-marking requirements assist National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in obtaining detailed information about which fisheries or specific parts of fishing gear are responsible for the incidental mortality and serious injury of right, humpback, and fin whales. Generally, only a portion of gear is recovered from an entangled whale and it is almost impossible to link that portion of gear to a particular fishery. Therefore, requiring fishermen to mark surface buoys and the buoy line provides NMFS with an additional source of information, which could then be used to determine the gear responsible for and the location of the entanglement event. The following fisheries are affected by this information collection: Northeast and Mid-Atlantic lobster trap/pot fisheries; Atlantic blue crab trap/pot fisheries; Atlantic mixed species trap/pot fisheries targeting crab (red, Jonah, and rock), hagfish, finfish (black sea bass, scup, tautog, cod, haddock, pollock, redfish, and white hake), conch/whelk, and shrimp; Northeast anchored gillnet; Northeast drift gillnet; Mid-Atlantic gillnet; Southeast Atlantic gillnet; and Southeastern United States Atlantic shark gillnet. A proposed rule will affect the number and size of markings.

Authorizing Statute(s): US Code: 16 USC 31 Name of Law: Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
0648-BC90	Proposed rulemaking	78 FR 42654	07/16/2013

Federal Register Notices & Comments
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? Yes

Number of Information Collection (IC) in this ICR: 1

IC Title	Form No.	Form Name
Gear-Marking Requirements for Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan

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: No

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement: The current gear marking strategy (implemented in 1997) is inadequate and should be improved. From 1997-2008 there were 364 large whale entanglement events. Gear was retrieved in 129 of these cases; of the cases where gear was retrieved, gear marking led to 36 cases where fishery, location, and date were known. A stronger gear marking strategy would help answer questions such as when and where entanglements occur. Current regulations require one 4" colored mark midway along the buoy line and surface buoys to identify the vessel or fishery. Colors correspond to specific ALWTRP management areas. The proposed gear marking scheme would maintain the current color combinations but increase the size and frequency of the mark. The new mark must equal 12" in length and buoy lines must be marked three times (top, middle, bottom). Affected vessels would increase by 1,873. The annual responses and burden for the preferred alternative, including proposed closures and exemptions, would increase by 1,103,283, the hours by 91,943 and the annual cost by $60,682.

Annual Cost to Federal Government: $0

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? No

Is the Supporting Statement intended to be a Privacy Impact Assessment required by the E-Government Act of 2002? No

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? Uncollected

Agency Contact: Kristy Long 301 713-2322 kristy.long@noaa.gov

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