[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 144 (Tuesday, July 28, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40303-40305]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-20054]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Information Collection Renewal To be Submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for Approval Under the Paperwork Reduction 
Act

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The collection of information listed below has been submitted 
to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for renewal under the 
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act. Copies of the specific 
information collection requirements, related forms, and explanatory 
material may be obtained by contacting the Service Information 
Collection Clearance Officer at the address listed below.


[[Page 40304]]


DATES: Consideration will be given to all comments received on or 
before August 27, 1998. OMB has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove 
information collection but may respond after 30 days. Therefore, to 
ensure maximum consideration OMB should receive public comments by 
August 27, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a copy of the information 
collection request, explanatory information and related forms, contact 
Rebecca A. Mullin at (703) 358-2287, or electronically to 
[email protected].

ADDRESSES: Comments and suggestions on the requirement should be sent 
to the Office of Management and Budget, Attention: Department of the 
Interior Desk Officer, 725 17th Street, NW Washington, DC 20503, and to 
Rebecca Mullin, Service Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service, ms 224-ARLSQ, 1849 C Street NW., Washington, 
DC 20240.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
regulations at 5 CFR 1320, which implement provisions of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13), require that interested members 
of the public and affected agencies have an opportunity to comment on 
information collection and recordkeeping activities (see 5 CFR 
1320.8(d)). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has submitted 
a request to OMB to renew its approval of the collection of information 
for the Migratory Bird Harvest Surveys (16 U.S.C. 703-711) and Fish and 
Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742d). The Service is requesting a 3-
year term of approval for this information collection activity. A 
previous 60 day notice on this information collection requirement was 
published in the March 19, 1998 (63 FR 13421) Federal Register inviting 
public comment. No comments on the previous notice were received as of 
July 1, 1998. This notice provides an additional 30 days in which to 
comment on the following information.
    An agency 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. The OMB control number for this 
collection of information is listed in 5 CFR 1320.8(d) and 16 U.S.C. 
742d, which is 1018-0015.
    The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703-711) and Fish and 
Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742d) designate the Department of the 
Interior as the key agency responsible for the wise management of 
migratory bird populations frequenting the United States and for the 
setting of hunting regulations that allow appropriate harvests that are 
within the guidelines that will allow for those populations' well 
being. These responsibilities dictate the gathering of accurate data on 
various characteristics of migratory bird harvest of a geographic and 
temporal nature. Knowledge attained by determining harvests and harvest 
rates of migratory game birds is used to regulate populations (by 
promulgating hunting regulations) and to encourage hunting opportunity, 
especially where crop depredations are chronic and/or lightly harvested 
populations occur. Based on information from harvest surveys, hunting 
regulations can be adjusted as needed to optimize harvests at levels 
that provide a maximum of hunting recreation while keeping populations 
at desired levels.
    This information collection approval request combines three sets of 
surveys (the Waterfowl Hunter Survey, the Migratory Bird Hunter Survey, 
OMB Approval 1018-0015, and the Parts Collection Survey, OMB Approval 
1018-0009) and associated forms because they are interrelated and/or 
dependent upon each other.
    The Waterfowl Hunter Survey, which estimates the harvest of ducks 
and geese, is based on Federal Duck Stamp sales. This survey asks 
people who purchase Federal Duck Stamps from randomly sampled Post 
Offices and other stamp vendors to complete and return a postcard (form 
3-1823A) with their name and address. Hunters who complete and return 
the postcard are sent a postcard questionnaire (form 3-2056G) at the 
end of the hunting season, asking them to report their harvest of ducks 
and geese. Their responses provide estimates of the average harvest per 
hunter, which, combined with total Federal Duck Stamp sales, enables 
the Service to estimate the total harvest of ducks and geese.
    The Migratory Bird Hunter Survey is based on the Migratory Bird 
Harvest Information Program, under which each State annually provides a 
list of all licensed migratory bird hunters in the State. Randomly 
selected migratory bird hunters are sent either a waterfowl 
questionnaire (form 3-2056J), a dove and band-tailed pigeon 
questionnaire (form 3-2056K), a woodcock questionnaire (form 3-2056L), 
or a snipe, rail, gallinule, and coot questionnaire (form 3-2056M) and 
are asked to report their harvest of those species. The resulting 
estimates of harvest per hunter are combined with the complete list of 
migratory bird hunters to provide estimates of the total harvest of 
those species. This survey will replace the Waterfowl Hunter Survey 
after it has been fully implemented in all States and comparisons of 
results with Waterfowl Hunter Survey results have been completed.
    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 Waterfowl Hunter Survey or the Migratory Bird Hunter 
Survey the previous year are asked to complete and return a postcard 
(forms 3-165A and C) if they are willing to participate in the Parts 
Collection Survey. Respondents are provided postage-paid envelopes 
before the hunting season and asked to send in a wing or the tail 
feathers from each duck, goose, or coot (form 3-165) they harvest, or a 
wing from each woodcock, band-tailed pigeon, snipe, rail, or gallinule 
(form 3-165B) they harvest. The wings and tail feathers are used to 
identify the species, age, and sex of the harvested sample. Respondents 
are also asked to report on the envelope the date and location (state 
and county) of harvest for each bird. Results of this survey are 
combined with harvest estimates from the Waterfowl Hunter Survey and 
the Migratory Bird Hunter Survey to provide species-specific national 
harvest estimates.
    The combined results of these surveys enable the Service to 
evaluate the effects of season length, season dates, and bag limits on 
the harvest of each species, and thus help determine appropriate 
hunting regulations.
    Title: Migratory Bird Harvest Surveys.
    Approval Number: 1018-0015.
    Service Form Number(s): 3-1823A, 3-2056G, 3-165, 3-165A-C, 3-2056J-
M.
    Frequency of Collection: Annually.
    Description of Respondents: Individuals and households.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: The reporting burden is estimated to 
average 2 minutes per respondent for the Migratory Bird Harvest 
Information Program, 8 minutes per respondent for the Waterfowl Hunter 
Survey, 4 minutes per respondent for the Migratory Bird Hunter Survey, 
and 50 minutes per respondent for the Parts Collection Survey. The 
Total Annual Burden hours is 131,992 hours.
    Total Annual Responses: About 3,300,000 individuals are expected to 
participate in the Migratory Bird Harvest Information Program. Recent 
Service experience indicates that about 34,000 hunters will respond to 
the Waterfowl Hunter Survey each year, and about 12,000 hunters will 
respond to the Parts Collection Survey annually. The Service 
anticipates that about 105,000

[[Page 40305]]

hunters will respond to the Migratory Bird Hunter Survey annually when 
that survey is conducted nationwide, beginning in 1998.
    Pursuant to this renewal, comments are invited on: (1) whether the 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
the functions of the agency, including whether the information will 
have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of 
the burden of the collection of information; (3) ways to enhance the 
quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and, 
(4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
respondents. The information collections in this program will not be 
part of a system of record covered by the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 
552(a)).

    Dated: July 17, 1998.
Paul R. Schmidt,
Acting Assistant Director for Refuges and Wildlife.
[FR Doc. 98-20054 Filed 7-27-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P