Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The Department of Commerce will submit the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, on or after the date of publication of this notice. We invite 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. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register on December 22, 2025, during a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
Title: West Coast Region Permit Family of Forms.
OMB Control Number: 0648-0204.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: Regular Submission [Revision and extension of a current information collection].
Number of Respondents: 1,164.
Average Hours per Response: Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Permits: New-Paper—20 minutes; New-Online—15 minutes; Renewal-Paper—10 minutes; Renewal-Online—5 minutes; Coastal Pelagic Species (CPS) Permit Renewal: Paper—10 minutes; Online—5 minutes; CPS Transfer—30 minutes; Limited Entry (LE) Drift Gillnet (DGN) Renewal: Paper—10 minutes; Online—5 minutes; LE DGN Transfer, Designation Request, or Exemption Request—30 minutes each; LE Deep-Set Buoy Gear (DSBG) Initial Permit Qualification Application—20 minutes; LE DSBG Renewal—10 minutes; LE DSBG ID of Ownership Interest Application—10 minutes; LE DSBG Transfers—30 minutes; Appeals—4 hours; Scientific research plans—13 hours; scientific research reports—7 hours; Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) Application—1 hour; EFP Reports—4.5 hours; Exempted Educational Activity Authorization (EEAA)—5 hours; EEAA Reports—2.5 hours.
Total Annual Burden Hours: 421 hours.
Needs and Uses: This request is for a revision and extension of a currently approved information collection. Two information collections (IC) are being removed from this collection as they were duplicate entries for renewals. Reports are added for exempted fishing permits, scientific research, and exempted educational activity authorizations. Reports are required by regulation, however, these ICs were not previously accounted for.
Section 303(b)(1) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) specifically recognizes the necessity for permit issuance. Regulatory authorities at international, federal, state, and local levels acknowledge the utility of permits as an essential component of fishery management systems. Collecting data on participants, including vessel specifications, gear types, and projected activity levels, is critical for evaluating the impacts of management measures and ensuring compliance with fishery regulations. Regulatory experience demonstrates that the potential for permit revocation, which precludes participation in a fishery, serves as a more effective deterrent than monetary penalties alone.
The following permit functions constitute this information collection:
(1) Fisheries Permits: Permits administered by the NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region under the Coastal Pelagic Species (CPS) and Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plans (FMP). These authorizations are required for commercial participation in these fisheries.
(2) Experimental/Testing Permits: Voluntary authorizations supporting research and experimental activities designed to provide data for management decisions. This includes application and reporting for exempted fishing permits (EFPs), scientific research plans and letters of acknowledgment, and exempted educational activity authorizations (EEAAs).
Affected Public: Individuals, businesses, and other for-profit organizations.
Frequency: Varies.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary and required to maintain benefits.
Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management act, 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
This information collection request may be viewed at www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view the Department of Commerce collections currently under review by OMB. ( printed page 37956)
Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of this notice on the following website www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting “Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments” or by using the search function and entering either the title of the collection or the OMB Control Number 0648-0204.
Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental PRA Compliance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.