In accordance with 5 CFR 1320, the information collection is approved for three years. Please ensure that all forms included in this collection, both paper and electronic, include the OMB control number, the expiration date, and the Paperwork Reduction Act statement.
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
06/30/2024
36 Months From Approved
06/30/2021
86,694
0
72,226
4,062
0
5,028
0
0
0
This request is for a revision and extension of the existing reporting requirements that are currently approved under OMB Control No. 0648-0013, Southeast Region Dealer Family of Forms, which addresses eight fishery management plans (FMPs) in the Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic regions, and now includes the U.S. Caribbean. This family of forms includes the various reporting instruments and procedures that the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) uses to collect landings statistics and quota monitoring data from commercial seafood dealers and interviews with fishermen for effort and fishing locations data. Although there were some minor industry disruptions during the initial phase of the pandemic, in general industry effort has been relatively normal and is expected to remain so. In locations where there were brief closures/ disruptions, these closures/disruptions were of similar impact to natural disasters (i.e., Hurricanes) and procedures are in place to account for strata with missing data.
Fishery statistics are collected by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for a variety of reasons under several Federal statutes. The overall purposes for the data collection activities under this family have not changed significantly since the approval of this family of forms in 1995. It includes the same three methodologies that were included in the previous submissions. These methods include: (1) landings statistics, (2) mandatory dealer reporting for monitoring Federal fishery annual catch limits (ACLs), and (3) bio-profile data from the Trip Interview Program (TIP). The SEFSC employs several methods to collect the variety of data included in the information collection. The following is a brief description of these procedures.
For the general canvass statistics, the SEFSC does not collect these data directly from the seafood dealers. The state fishery agencies in each of the states in the southeast region collect landings statistics under their individual state authority. The state agencies share these data with the SEFSC as part of formal cooperative agreements between the SEFSC and the states. These cooperative arrangements serve to both reduce the overall cost of data collection and avoid the possibility of duplicate effort.
To collect the data required to monitor the federal fisheries ACLs for the coastal fisheries, the SEFSC has entered formal cooperative agreements with the states which has reduced the public burden. Starting in 2012, 7 of the 8 states changed state regulations to allow dealers to use an electronic trip ticket system. Minimum burden will be required of dealers in these 7 states to transmit federal data to the SEFSC every week. In South Carolina, dealers still use a paper trip ticket system for state reporting obligations. Burden will be required of SC dealers to use the electronic system and transmit federal ACL data to the SEFSC every week.
Mackerel gillnet dealers on the Florida gulf coast report summarized landing statistics to the SEFSC for ACL monitoring on using a simple, easy to use form developed by the SEFSC.
PL:
Pub.L. 94 - 265 303
Name of Law: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act
The Shrimp Interview are removed from the collection as these are no longer conducted.
There are no new requirements: existing ICs broken up into individual ICs, rather than grouped. Three ICs removed as they are now combined into the Coastal Fisheries Dealer Reporting. Annual responses and burden hours adjusted based on the number of fishing trips made each year.
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.