[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 36 (Friday, February 24, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11603-11604]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-03582]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-HQ-MB-2017-N009; FXMB12310900WHO-178-FF09M26000]
Proposed Information Collection; Migratory Bird Surveys
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) will ask the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC)
described below. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and
as part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent
burden, we invite the general public and other Federal agencies to take
this opportunity to comment on this IC. This IC is scheduled to expire
on June 30, 2017. We may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not
required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a
currently valid OMB control number.
DATES: To ensure that we are able to consider your comments on this IC,
we must receive them by April 25, 2017.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the IC to the Service Information
Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: BPHC,
5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 (mail); or
madonna_baucum@fws.gov (email). Please include ``1018-0023'' in the
subject line of your comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Madonna Baucum, at
madonna_baucum@fws.gov (email) or (703) 358-2503 (telephone).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703-711) and the Fish and
Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742d) designate the Department of the
Interior as the key agency responsible for (1) the wise management of
migratory bird populations frequenting the United States, and (2)
setting hunting regulations that allow appropriate harvests that are
within the guidelines that will allow for those populations' well-
being. These responsibilities dictate that we gather accurate data on
various characteristics of migratory bird harvest. Based on information
from harvest surveys, we can adjust hunting regulations as needed to
optimize harvests at levels that provide a maximum of hunting
recreation while keeping populations at desired levels.
Under 50 CFR 20.20, migratory bird hunters must register for the
Migratory Bird Harvest Information Program (HIP) in each State in which
they hunt each year. State natural resource agencies must send names
and addresses of all migratory bird hunters to Branch of Harvest
Surveys, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Division of Migratory Bird
Management, on an annual basis.
The Migratory Bird Hunter Survey is based on the Migratory Bird
Harvest Information Program. We randomly select migratory bird hunters
and ask them to report their harvest. The resulting estimates of
harvest per hunter are combined with the complete list of migratory
bird hunters to provide estimates of the total harvest for the species
surveyed.
The Parts Collection Survey estimates the species, sex, and age
composition of the harvest, and the geographic and temporal
distribution of the harvest. Randomly selected successful hunters who
responded to the Migratory Bird Hunter Survey the previous year are
asked to complete and return a postcard if they are willing to
participate in the Parts Collection Survey. We provide postage-paid
envelopes to respondents before the hunting season and ask them to send
in a wing or the tail feathers from each duck or goose that they
harvest, or a wing from each mourning dove, woodcock, band-tailed
pigeon, snipe, rail, or gallinule that they harvest. We use the wings
and tail feathers to identify the species, sex, and age of the
harvested sample. We also ask respondents to report on the envelope the
date and location of harvest for each bird. We combine the results of
this survey with the harvest estimates obtained from the Migratory Bird
Hunter Survey to provide species-specific national harvest estimates.
The combined results of these surveys enable us to evaluate the
effects of season length, season dates, and bag limits on the harvest
of each species, and thus help us determine appropriate hunting
regulations.
The Sandhill Crane Harvest Survey is an annual questionnaire survey
of people who obtained a sandhill crane hunting permit. At the end of
the hunting season, we randomly select a sample of permit holders and
ask them to report the date, location, and number of birds harvested
for each of their sandhill crane hunts. Their responses provide
estimates of the temporal and geographic distribution of the harvest as
well as the average harvest per hunter, which, combined with the total
number of permits issued, enables us to estimate the total harvest of
sandhill cranes. Based on information from this survey, we adjust
hunting regulations as needed.
II. Data
OMB Control Number: 1018-0023.
Title: Migratory Bird Surveys, 50 CFR 20.20.
Service Form Number(s): 3-165, 3-165A through E, 3-2056J through N.
Type of Request: Revision to a currently approved collection.
Description of Respondents: States and migratory game bird hunters.
Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory for HIP registration
information; voluntary for participation in the surveys.
Frequency of Collection: Annually or on occasion.
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Number of Number of Completion time per Total annual
Activity respondents responses response burden hours
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Migratory Bird Harvest Information Program
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49 806 185 hours................. 149,110
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Migratory Bird Hunter Survey
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Form 3-2056J........................ 37,046 37,046 5 minutes................. 3,087
Form 3-2056K........................ 22,585 22,585 4 minutes................. 1,506
Form 3-2056L........................ 8,910 8,910 4 minutes................. 594
[[Page 11604]]
Form 3-2056M........................ 11,698 11,698 3 minutes................. 858
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Parts Collection Survey
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Form 3-165.......................... 4,155 93,563 5 minutes................. 7,797
Form 3-165A......................... 3,590 3,590 1 minute.................. 60
Form 3-165B......................... 1,008 5,545 5 minutes................. 462
Form 3-165C......................... 445 445 1 minute.................. 7
Form 3-165D......................... 1,050 1,050 1 minute.................. 18
Form 3-165E......................... 880 1,425 5 minutes................. 119
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Sandhill Crane Harvest Survey
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Form 3-2056N........................ 4,008 4,008 3.5 minutes............... 234
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Totals.......................... 95,424 190,671 .......................... 163,852
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Estimated Annual Non-Hour Burden Cost: None.
III. Comments
We invite comments concerning this information collection on:
Whether or not the collection of information is necessary,
including whether or not the information will have practical utility;
The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this
collection of information;
Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and
Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of
information on respondents.
Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request
to OMB to approve this IC. Before including your address, phone number,
email address, or other personal identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that your entire comment, including your
personal identifying information, may be made publicly available at any
time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we
will be able to do so.
Dated: February 17, 2017.
Tina A. Campbell,
Chief, Division of Policy, Performance, and Management Programs, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-03582 Filed 2-23-17; 8:45 am]
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