Gear-marking requirements assist National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in obtaining detailed information about which fisheries or specific parts of fishing gear are responsible for the incidental mortality and serious injury of right, humpback, and fin whales. Generally, only a portion of gear is recovered from an entangled whale and it is almost impossible to link that portion of gear to a particular fishery. Therefore, requiring fishermen to mark surface buoys and the buoy line provides NMFS with an additional source of information, which could then be used to determine the gear responsible for and the location of the entanglement event. The following fisheries are affected by this information collection: Northeast and Mid-Atlantic lobster trap/pot fisheries; Atlantic blue crab trap/pot fisheries; Atlantic mixed species trap/pot fisheries targeting crab (red, Jonah, and rock), hagfish, finfish (black sea bass, scup, tautog, cod, haddock, pollock, redfish, and white hake), conch/whelk, and shrimp; Northeast anchored gillnet; Northeast drift gillnet; Mid-Atlantic gillnet; Southeast Atlantic gillnet; and Southeastern United States Atlantic shark gillnet. The final rule will affect the number and size of markings. Only those fishing in waters regulated by the ALWTRP will be required to gear mark. This is a change from the first submission that required gear marking in those areas and areas exempt from the ALWTRP requirements.
US Code:
16 USC 31
Name of Law: Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972
The proposed gear marking scheme would maintain the current color combinations but increase the size and frequency of the mark. The new mark must equal 12" in length and buoy lines must be marked three times (top, middle, bottom). Affected vessels would increase by 264. The annual responses and burden for the preferred alternative, including proposed closures and exemptions, would increase by 270,447, the hours by 22,540 and the annual cost by $14,876.
$0
No
No
No
No
No
Uncollected
Kate Swails 978 282-8481
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.
Gear-Marking Requirements for Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan