60-Day FRN

Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 197 / Thursday, October 10, 2024 / Notices
The full agenda and additional
information will be posted on https://
gulfcouncil.org/recreational-initiative/.
This meeting is being held in-person
at the Gulf Council office, Tampa, FL.
You may register for the webinar to
listen-in only by visiting
www.gulfcouncil.org and click on the
meeting on the calendar.
The timing and order in which agenda
items are addressed may change as
required to effectively address the issue,
and the latest version along with other
meeting materials will be posted on the
website as they become available.
Special Accommodations
These meetings are physically
accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for sign language
interpretation or other auxiliary aid or
accommodations should be directed to
Kathy Pereira, (813) 348–1630, at least
15 days prior to the meeting date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: October 7, 2024.
Rey Israel Marquez,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024–23463 Filed 10–9–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery
Management Plan Data Collection
National Oceanic &
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of Information
Collection, request for comment.
AGENCY:

The Department of
Commerce, in accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA), invites the general public and
other Federal agencies to comment on
proposed, and continuing information
collections, which helps us assess the
impact of our information collection
requirements and minimize the public’s
reporting burden. The purpose of this
notice is to allow for 60 days of public
comment preceding submission of the
collection to OMB.
DATES: To ensure consideration,
comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received
on or before December 9, 2024.

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SUMMARY:

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Interested persons are
invited to submit written comments to
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer,
at NOAA.PRA@noaa.gov. Please
reference OMB Control Number 0648–
0491 in the subject line of your
comments. All comments received are
part of the public record and will
generally be posted on https://
www.regulations.gov without change.
Do not submit Confidential Business
Information or otherwise sensitive or
protected information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection
activities should be directed to Colette
Tweeddale, Fishery Management
Specialist, Greater Atlantic Regional
Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Dr.,
Gloucester, MA 01930, (978)-281–9335,
colette.tweeddale@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
ADDRESSES:

I. Abstract
This is a request for a renewal of an
approved information collection.
Under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act, the
Secretary of Commerce has the
responsibility for the conservation and
management of marine fishery
resources. Much of this responsibility
has been delegated to NOAA’s National
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
NMFS manages the Atlantic sea scallop
(scallop) fishery through a set of
regulations that limit catch of scallops
and fishing vessel activity. In addition,
regulations limit catch of certain other
species of fish in order to minimize
bycatch and bycatch mortality (bycatch
is the catch and discard of species that
are not targeted in the scallop fishery).
Finally, the regulations control vessel
permitting and the exchange of effort
and quota allocations between vessels.
In order to effectively manage these
resources, track fishing effort and catch,
and to allow vessel owners to exchange
fishing trips and quota, NMFS must
collect information through the
reporting requirements included in this
renewal. This renewal contains the
following information collections:
Vessel Monitoring System (VMS)
requirements; Access area trip exchange
application procedures; Individual
Fishing Quota (IFQ) transfers; Cost
recovery; and IFQ sector program.
Access Area Trip Exchange Application
The one-for-one access area trip
exchange program provides flexibility to
scallop vessels about where they may
fish. Participants need to send an access
area trip exchange application to NMFS
with the following information: Vessel

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name and permit number, owner name
and signature, specification of the areas
involved in the exchange. Both vessels
involved in the exchange are required to
submit forms for cross verification. This
measure provides flexibility to vessels
regarding which areas to fish, thereby
reducing the possibility of revenue loss
to those vessels that are unable to access
some distant areas due to vessel
capacity constraints.
IFQ Transfers
IFQ permit holders can temporarily
and/or permanently transfer individual
fishing quota from one IFQ vessel to
another. Quota transfers are requested
through the submission of transfer
applications. Required information
includes vessel information, quota
transfer information, and authorizing
signatures from both parties. The IFQ
transfer program is entirely optional,
and provides greater flexibility for IFQ
permit holders by enabling them to
increase their vessel’s IFQ or for
individuals to lease or sell IFQ if they
choose not to fish the allocation.
Cost Recovery
Section 304(d)(2) of the MagnusonStevens Act (MSA) requires an IFQ cost
recovery plan to recover management
and enforcement costs for IFQ fisheries.
The FMP includes an IFQ cost recovery
program, whereby NMFS will collect up
to 3% of ex-vessel value of landed
product to cover actual costs directly
related to enforcement and management
of the IFQ program. IFQ permit holders
are required to submit a cost recovery
payment annually via a pre-existing
Federal payment system called
www.pay.gov, which is also currently
used by the Alaska Region and the
Southeast Region. Information
submitted via the internet would require
the user to establish an online account,
including personal and financial
information. This requirement is
necessary in order to comply with the
provisions of the MSA and to collect
payments from individuals that have
been granted an allocation to a public
resource.
IFQ Sector Program
The FMP contains provisions that
authorize allocation of a portion of the
overall IFQ fishery total allowable catch
(TAC) to a self-selected group of IFQ
permit holders (sector), provided the
sector provides adequate information
describing the formation of the sector
and its intended plan of operations.
Individuals or other entities
(corporations, cooperatives, etc.)
proposing a sector are required to
submit a Sector Allocation Proposal and

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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 197 / Thursday, October 10, 2024 / Notices

Operations Plan. Any person may
submit a Sector Allocation Proposal for
a group of limited access general
category scallop vessels to the Council,
at least 1 year in advance of the start of
a sector, and request that the Sector be
implemented through a framework
procedure specified at § 648.55. A group
that wants to form a Sector and receive
an allocation is required to submit a
legally binding Operations Plan to the
Council and the Regional Administrator.
The operations plan must be agreed
upon and signed by all members of the
sector and, if approved, would
constitute a contract. This information
is necessary to describe the proposed
sector and the proposed rules under
which the sector would operate. This
information is used to determine
whether this sector would maintain
consistency with the goals and
objectives of the FMP.
II. Method of Collection
Participants will submit paper
applications by mail, facsimile, or
email.

Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental PRA Clearance Officer, Office
of the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs,
Commerce Department.

III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0648–0491.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Review: Regular submission
[extension of a current information
collection].
Affected Public: Businesses and other
for-profit organizations are primarily
affected.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
647.
Estimated Time per Response: Cost
recovery, 2 hours; Sector proposals, 150
hours; Sector operations plans, 100
hours; IFQ transfer application 35
hours; Access area trip exchange, 45
hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 980.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to
Public: $23,932.
Respondent’s Obligation: Required to
Obtain or Retain Benefits.
Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act.

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IV. Request for Comments
We are soliciting public comments to
permit the Department/Bureau to: (a)
Evaluate whether the proposed
information collection is necessary for
the proper functions of the Department,
including whether the information will
have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the
accuracy of our estimate of the time and
cost burden for this proposed collection,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (c)
Evaluate ways to enhance the quality,

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utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and (d) Minimize the
reporting burden on those who are to
respond, including the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology.
Comments that you submit in
response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include or
summarize each comment in our request
to OMB to approve this information
collection request. Before including
your address, phone number, email
address, or other personal identifying
information in your comment, you
should be aware that your entire
comment—including your personal
identifying information—may be made
publicly available at any time. While
you may ask us in your comment to
withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.

[FR Doc. 2024–23437 Filed 10–9–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XE371]

New England Fishery Management
Council; Public Meeting
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
AGENCY:

The New England Fishery
Management Council (Council) is
scheduling a public hybrid meeting of
its Groundfish Recreational and
Advisory Panels to consider actions
affecting New England fisheries in the
exclusive economic zone (EEZ). This
meeting will be held in-person with a
webinar option. Recommendations from
this group will be brought to the full
Council for formal consideration and
action, if appropriate.
DATES: This meeting will be held on
Monday, October 28, 2024, at 12:30 p.m.
ADDRESSES: This meeting will be held at
the Hilton Garden Inn, 100 High Street,
Portsmouth, NH 03801; telephone: (603)
431–1499.
Webinar registration URL
information: https://nefmc-org.zoom.us/
SUMMARY:

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Council address: New England
Fishery Management Council, 50 Water
Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950.
Cate
O’Keefe, Executive Director, New
England Fishery Management Council;
telephone: (978) 465–0492.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Agenda
The Groundfish Recreational and
Advisory Panels will meet to receive an
update on development of draft
alternatives in Framework Adjustment
69/Specifications and Management
Measures, including potential
recommendations to the Groundfish
Committee. They will receive an update
on development of the Atlantic Cod
Management Transition Plan. The
Panel’s will also make
recommendations to the Groundfish
Committee, as appropriate. Other
business will be discussed, if necessary.
Although non-emergency issues not
contained on the agenda may come
before this Council for discussion, those
issues may not be the subject of formal
action during this meeting. Council
action will be restricted to those issues
specifically listed in this notice and any
issues arising after publication of this
notice that require emergency action
under section 305(c) of the MagnusonStevens Act, provided the public has
been notified of the Council’s intent to
take final action to address the
emergency. The public also should be
aware that the meeting will be recorded.
Consistent with 16 U.S.C. 1852, a copy
of the recording is available upon
request.
Special Accommodations
This meeting is physically accessible
to people with disabilities. Requests for
sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aids should be directed to Cate
O’Keefe, Executive Director, at (978)
465–0492, at least 5 days prior to the
meeting date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: October 7, 2024.
Rey Israel Marquez,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024–23468 Filed 10–9–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

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