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The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) proposes revisions to existing regulations that govern the confidentiality of information submitted in compliance with any requirement or regulation under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act or MSA). NMFS has determined that updates to these regulations are needed to implement MSA 402(b), as amended, and to address inefficiencies in its current procedures for maintaining the confidentiality of information which do not reflect current practices for the collection, transmission, management and dissemination of fisheries data. NMFS intends to update and modernize its regulatory framework for protection of confidential information to reflect advances in the methods available to evaluate, summarize, display, and release data. NMFS expects that the updates in this proposed rule would clarify its handling of MSA confidential information for the fishing industry, non-profit organizations, and researchers.