International Fisheries; Pacific Tuna Fisheries; Fishing Restrictions for Silky Shark, Fish Aggregating Devices, and Observer Safety in the Eastern Pacific Ocean

NMFS announces approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of collection-of-information requirements contained in regulations published in a final rule on May 18, 2020. The final rule implements three resolutions adopted by the Members of the Inter- American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) in 2018 and 2019: Resolution C-19-01 (Amendment to Resolution C-18-05 on the Collection and Analyses of Data on Fish-Aggregating Devices); Resolution C-19-05 (Amendment to the Resolution C-16- 06 Conservation Measures for Shark Species, with Special Emphasis on the Silky Shark (Carcharhinus falciformis), for the Years 2020 and 2021); and Resolution C-18-07 (Resolution on Improving Observer Safety at Sea: Emergency Action Plan). The final rule also implements a resolution adopted by Parties to the Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Program (AIDCP): Resolution A-18-03 (On Improving Observer Safety At Sea: Emergency Action Plan). The intent of this final rule is to inform the public of the effectiveness of the collection-of information requirements associated with silky shark reporting, fish aggregating device (FAD) reporting, and observer reporting included in the final rule.