[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 217 (Friday, November 8, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67183-67184]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-26801]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-HQ-MB-2013-N244; FXMB12310900WH0-134-91200 FF09M26000]
Proposed Information Collection; Migratory Bird Harvest
Information Program and 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 April 30, 2014. 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 January 7, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the IC to the Service Information
Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS 2042-
PDM, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203 (mail); or hope_grey@fws.gov (email). Please include ``1018-0023'' in the subject line
of your comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information
about this IC, contact Hope Grey at hope_grey@fws.gov (email) or 703-
358-2482 (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 us annually.
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 form 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.
[[Page 67184]]
II. Data
OMB Control Number: 1018-0023.
Title: Migratory Bird Information Program and Migratory Bird
Surveys, 50 CFR 20.20.
Service Form Number: 3-165, 3-165A through E, 3-2056J through N.
Type of Request: Extension of 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 49 686 185 hours............... 126,910
Program.
Migratory Bird Hunter Survey:
Form 3-2056J.......................... 37,100 37,100 5 minutes............... 3,092
Form 3-2056K...................... 23,100 23,100 4 minutes............... 1,540
Form 3-2056L...................... 11,700 11,700 4 minutes............... 780
Form 3-2056M...................... 12,300 12,300 3 minutes............... 615
Parts Collection Survey:
Form 3-165........................ 6,500 117,000 5 minutes............... 9,750
Form 3-165A....................... 6,000 6,000 1 minute................ 100
Form 3-165B....................... 3,000 4,500 5 minutes............... 375
Form 3-165C....................... 400 400 1 minute................ 7
Form 3-165D....................... 2,600 2,600 1 minute................ 43
Form 3-165E....................... 2,600 3,900 5 minutes............... 325
Sandhill Crane Harvest Survey:
Form 3-2056N...................... 8,300 8,300 3.5 minutes............. 484
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Total................................. 113,649 227,586 ........................ 144,021
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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: November 5, 2013.
Tina A. Campbell,
Chief, Division of Policy and Directives Management, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-26801 Filed 11-7-13; 8:45 am]
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