View Information Collection Request (ICR) Package

OMB Control No: 0648-0203	ICR Reference No: 202410-0648-007
Status: Active	Previous ICR Reference No: 202212-0648-001
Agency/Subagency: DOC/NOAA	Agency Tracking No:
Title: Northwest Region Federal Fisheries Permits
Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR: No
Type of Review Request: Regular
OIRA Conclusion Action: Approved with change	Conclusion Date: 01/02/2025
	Date Received in OIRA: 10/10/2024
Terms of Clearance: : In accordance with 5 CFR 1320, the information collection is approved for three years.

	Inventory as of this Action	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	01/31/2028	36 Months From Approved	12/31/2025
Responses	2,603	0	2,203
Time Burden (Hours)	2,086	0	1,953
Cost Burden (Dollars)	118,424	0	78,424

Abstract: This request is for a revision and extension of a current information collection. The revision, pursuant to final rule 0648-BN08, will add a new permit application for directed groundfish open access fishing; no other revisions are requested. This collection of information is required by National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), West Coast Region – Seattle (WCR-SEATTLE). This supporting statement addresses data collections authorized by the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP), developed by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC or Council) under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, U.S.C. 1801 et seq. (Magnuson-Stevens Act or MSA). The FMP governs the groundfish fishery off Washington, Oregon, and California (WOC). Section 303(b)(1) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act specifically recognized the need for permit issuance. Almost every international, federal, state, and local fishery management authority recognizes the value of and uses permits as an integral part of their management systems. Identification of the participants, their gear types, descriptions of their vessels, and expected activity levels are needed to measure the consequences of management controls, and is an effective tool in the enforcement of other fishery regulations. Experience has shown that fines for violations of specific fishery regulations are not as effective as the threat of a permit revocation that would exclude the vessel from the fishery altogether. Management of and regulations for Pacific halibut in the Pacific are developed on the international, Federal, and state levels by the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC), the Council, the NMFS West Coast Region, and the states of Washington, Oregon, and California. The IPHC and NMFS manage fishing for Pacific halibut through regulations established under authority of the Convention between the United States Halibut Fishery of the Northern Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea (Convention), the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982, 16 U.S.C. 773c (Halibut Act), and Section 303(b) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Regulations for the guided sport fishery for Pacific halibut (recreational charter halibut fishery) on the West Coast are determined annually by the Council and the IPHC. NMFS publishes these regulations each year as part of the IPHC annual management measures. Regulations for the Pacific halibut fisheries are at 50 CFR 300 subpart E. Responses to the items in the supporting statement are broken out by the various type of permit function: 1) application and reporting requirements for an exempted (experimental) fishing permits (EFPs) including Letters of Acknowledgement (LOAs) for EFPs and Exempted Educational Activity Authorizations (EEAAs); 2) transfer and renewal of Pacific Coast Groundfish limited entry permits (LEPs), including other information collections necessary for the sablefish permit stacking program; (3) application and renewal of a permit for Pacific halibut commercial and recreational charter halibut fisheries in IPHC Regulatory Area 2A off of WOC; (4) application and renewal of a permit for the directed groundfish open access fishery off of WOC. For each section of the information collection, we have presented the total number of burden hours and cost burden. Currently, there are 395 LEPs, of which 164 permits have a sablefish endorsement. The number of EFPs varies from year to year depending upon the number of applications submitted to and approved by PFMC and NMFS. The number of Pacific halibut permits is 550 permits each year. The number of directed open access groundfish (DOAG) fishery permits per year is 400.

Authorizing Statute(s): US Code: 16 USC 773c Name of Law: Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982
US Code: 16 USC 1801 et seq Name of Law: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
0648-BN08	Final or interim final rulemaking	89 FR 101514	12/16/2024

Federal Register Notices & Comments
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? No

ICR Summary of Burden

	Total Approved	Previously Approved	Change Due to Agency Discretion
Annual Number of Responses	2,603	2,203	400
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	2,086	1,953	133
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	118,424	78,424	40,000

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: Pursuant to final rule 0648-BN08 a revision was made to include the Directed Open Access Groundfish (DOAG) Permit. The new addition increased number of responses, and both time/cost burden. The permit application form and instructions have been condensed as much as possible to alleviate public burden while still obtaining the information needed to administer the program.

Annual Cost to Federal Government: $91,750

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

Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see OMB Circular No. A-130 for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination. Yes

Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see 5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3))? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination. Yes

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? No

Agency Contact: Jahnava Duryea 916 930-3725 jahnava.duryea@noaa.gov

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