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OMB Control No: 0648-0816	ICR Reference No: 202303-0648-004
Status: Historical Inactive	Previous ICR Reference No:
Agency/Subagency: DOC/NOAA	Agency Tracking No: 0648-EMST
Title: Electronic Monitoring and Vessel Monitoring Systems for Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fisheries Temporary Data Collection
Type of Information Collection: New collection (Request for a new OMB Control Number)	Common Form ICR: No
Type of Review Request: Regular
OIRA Conclusion Action: Comment filed on proposed rule	Conclusion Date: 08/23/2023
	Date Received in OIRA: 05/05/2023
Terms of Clearance: OMB files this comment in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.11( c ). This OMB action is not an approval to conduct or sponsor an information collection under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This action has no effect on any current approvals. If OMB has assigned this ICR a new OMB Control Number, the OMB Control Number will not appear in the active inventory. For future submissions of this information collection, reference the OMB Control Number provided. In accordance with 5 CFR 1320, OMB is filing comment and withholding approval at this time. The agency shall examine public comment in response to the proposed rulemaking and will include in the supporting statement of the next ICR—which is to be submitted to OMB at the final rule stage—a description of how the agency has responded to any public comments on the ICR, including comments on maximizing the practical utility of the collection and minimizing the burden.

	Inventory as of this Action	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date		36 Months From Approved
Responses	0	0	0
Time Burden (Hours)	0	0	0
Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0	0

Abstract: This is a request for a new collection of information pursuant to Amendment 15 to the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) (Amendment 15) and associated rulemaking, or RIN 0648-BI10. Amendment 15 would establish two pelagic longline (PLL) monitoring areas, in which PLL vessels that are approved to fish will be required to report interactions with select bycatch species by set via their vessel monitoring system (VMS) units. Additionally, vessel owners would need to pay for and arrange for 100-percent video review of sets from trips that occur wholly or in part in monitoring areas. Amendment 15 would also bring the HMS Electronic Monitoring (EM) Program in line with National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Procedure 04-1150-02 “Cost Allocation in Electronic Monitoring Programs for Federally Managed Fisheries” which outlines guidance and directives for EM cost allocation framework between fishery participants and the Agency. Primarily, the cost allocation policy requires fishery participants to take on responsibility for EM sampling costs, which have previously been covered by the Agency, and Amendment 15 would implement this requirement in the HMS EM Program. To mitigate the economic impact of this cost shift to the PLL fleet, NMFS is also establishing a vendor certification process to encourage additional EM vendors to enter the market, and decrease costs through competition and by leveraging the existing infrastructure of vendors already providing video services to other fisheries. This temporary collection is being created due to timing conflicts with OMB Control Number 0648-0372, which will come up for renewal before the final rule for Amendment 15 is anticipated to be published. Once 0648-0372 is renewed and the Amendment 15 final rule information collection is approved, NMFS will submit a request to merge this temporary collection into 0648-0372.

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: Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) (Amendment 15) and associated rulemaking, or RIN 0648-BI10. Amendment 15 would establish two pelagic longline (PLL) monitoring areas, in which PLL vessels that are approved to fish will be required to report interactions with select bycatch species by set via their vessel monitoring system (VMS) units. Additionally, vessel owners would need to pay for and arrange for 100-percent video review of sets from trips that occur wholly or in part in monitoring areas. Amendment 15 would also bring the HMS Electronic Monitoring (EM) Program in line with National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Procedure 04-1150-02 “Cost Allocation in Electronic Monitoring Programs for Federally Managed Fisheries” which outlines guidance and directives for EM cost allocation framework between fishery participants and the Agency.

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