Under Amendment 18A to the Fishery Management Plan for Reef Fish Fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico, owners of vessels with valid permits were required to install vessel monitoring systems (VMS) on their vessels. VMS units automatically send periodic reports on the position of the vessel. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) uses the reports to monitor the vessel's location and activities while enforcing area closures.
PL:
Pub.L. 194 - 265 303
Name of Law: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Management and Conservation Act
The changes in burden hours and costs are program changes resulting from attrition in the fishery, no longer counting the automatic VMS transmissions as responses and burden hours (only as costs) and the removal of start up costs except in the case of certain transfers.
Responses would have decreased from 10,054, 892 to 7,737,995, based on the reduction of the number of affected vessels from 1,145 to 882. Based on the recent clarification from OMB that VMS automatic transmissions are not counted as responses and burden, they were further decreased to 11,755. Hours would have decreased to 4,144 based on fleet shrinkage but were further decreased to 2,348.
Costs were reduced from $2,460,585 to $858,027.
 Previous start-up costs were $2,229,418, now reduced to $93,333, due to VMS purchase now being required for only 80 transfer vessels per year, rather than 1,121 plus 318 transfers.
 However, recordkeeping/reporting costs which would have decreased, based on fleet shrinkage, instead increased from $230,552 to $764,694, as, in the initial request:
o The $250 annual maintenance cost was inadvertently omitted
o The cost of VMS transmission, already an annual amount, was incorrectly divided by 3 (i.e. Âre-annualizedÂ) and
o Only the 1,121 vessels still needing to install the VMS were counted for transmission costs, instead of all 1,145.
$361,900
No
No
Uncollected
Uncollected
No
Uncollected
Jason Rueter 727 824-5350
No
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
Southeast Region Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) Purchase, Installation and Certification Checklist for for Transfer of Vessel and/or Permit
0544 ss ren 051909rev.pdf
Southeast Region Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) Purchase, Installation and Certification Checklist for for Transfer of Vessel and/or Permit