Power Down Exemption Request

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Power Down Form

**This form is only for Gulf of Mexico Vessels with the federal commercial reef fish and/or the federal for-hire
permits**
OMB Control No. 0648-0016 Approval Expires 11/30/2022

For-Hire

Regulations implementing the requirements for location tracking devices by federally permitted charter vessels and headboats in the Gulf of
Mexico allow vessel owners or operators to discontinue the use of cellular- or satellite-based VMS units for a minimum period of three days,
provided they obtain a VMS power-down exemption letter from the Southeast Office of Law Enforcement (SE OLE). To request this
exemption letter, fill out the appropriate information below and submit this completed form.


OMB Control No. 0648-0544 Approval Expires 06/30/2022

Commercial Reef Fish Fishery

Regulations implementing the requirements for VMS within the Fishery Management Plan for Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico
allow for vessel owners and/or operators to discontinue the use of VMS units for a minimum period of 72 hours for specific periods of time,
provided they obtain a VMS power-down exemption letter from the Southeast Office of Law Enforcement (SE OLE). To obtain this exemption
letter, fill out the appropriate information below and submit this completed form.


*All fields are Required

Reported Date

03/10/2022

 Name of Person Submitting

 Vessel Official #

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USCG Documentation number or, if not documented, State Registration Number
Permit # (please list one of your permits that requires VMS; e.g. permit CHG-1234 then enter 1234 below)

 i.e. 1234

Turned Off Date & Time (24 hr. clock)

03/10/2022 17:22

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Estimated Date & Time VMS to be Turned On (24 hr. clock)

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MM/DD/YYYY HH24:MI

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Power Down Form

 Vessel Location During VMS Power Down
Reason for VMS Power Down

 Select One...

NOTE: VMS units must remain on and positioning until the vessel owner or operator receives a power-down exemption approval
confirmation from the Southeast Office of Law Enforcement. Once you receive the confirmation, you may power-down the VMS unit for the
time period equested above. A vessel owner or operator may request changes to the time period for this exemption through a written
request to the Southeast Office of Law Enforcement, as long as the unit will be powered down for a minimum of three days. During the time
the VMS unit is powered down, if the owner/operator wishes to move the vessel from its location specified in the request, they may move,
but are not permitted to head out to sea or engage in fishing activities. If the vessel will be moved, the VMS unit must be turned on and send
GPS positions during transit, according to the regulations at 50 CFR 622.26(b)(5) and 622.374(b)(5). Once the vessel reaches the location
where it will remain, the VMS unit may once again be turned off for the rest of the exemption period specified in the request.
Public Burden Statement - A Federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure
to comply with an information collection subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 unless the information collection has a currently valid OMB
Control Number. The approved OMB Control Number for this information collection is 0648-0554. Without this approval, we could not conduct this survey or
information collection. Public reporting for this information collection is estimated to be approximately 5 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing
instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the information collection. All responses to this
information collection are mandatory to obtain benefits. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this information collection, including
suggestions for reducing this burden to NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, Attn: PRA Officer.
Privacy Act Statement - Authority: The collection of this information is authorized under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C 1801
et seq.). Purpose: In order to manage U.S. fisheries, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) requires the use of registrations by participants in the United States.
Information on NMFS forms can include vessel owner contact information and vessel descriptive information. Permit holder information may be used as sampling frames
for surveys, as part of fishery management council analysis to support its decisions. Routine Uses: The Commerce Department will use this form to inform its decision
about whether to issue approval for a vessel to turn off their VMS unit consistent with the regulations at 50 CFR 622.26(b)(5)(ii)(D), 622.28(d), and 622.374(b)(5)(iv)(D),
and to restart VMS unit operation for Gulf of Mexico charter vessel/headboat federal permit holders. Making a false statement on this form is punishable by law.
Disclosure of this information is permitted under the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. Section 552a), to be shared within NMFS offices, to coordinate monitoring and
management of sustainability of fisheries and protected resources, as well as with the applicable state or regional marine fisheries commissions and international
organizations. Disclosure of this information is also subject to all of the published routine uses as identified in the Privacy Act System of Records Notice
COMMERCE/NOAA-19, Permits and Registrations for the United States Federally Regulated Fisheries. Disclosure: Furnishing this information is mandatory to obtain
benefits. Failure to provide complete and accurate information will prevent the determination of eligibility.

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