[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 146 (Friday, July 28, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46488-46489]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-19068]


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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: Information collection; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We will submit the collection of information described below 
to OMB for renewal under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995. If you wish to obtain copies of the proposed information 
collection requirement, related forms, and/or explanatory material, 
contact the Information Collection Clearance Officer at the address 
listed below.

DATES: You must submit comments on or before September 26, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the requirement to Rebecca Mullin, 
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, MS 222-ARLSQ, 1849 C Street NW., Washington, DC 20204.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rebecca Mullin, Information Collection 
Clearance Officer, at (703) 358-2287; [email protected].

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. The U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service plans to submit a request to OMB to renew its approval 
of the collection of information concerning numbers of double-crested 
cormorants taken under the Depredation Order (50 CFR 21.47). We are 
requesting a 3-year term of approval for this information collection 
activity.
    Federal agencies 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. OMB granted an emergency control 
number (1018-0097) for this collection of information, which expired in 
August 1998. The Service is currently in the process of preparing an 
Environmental Impact Statement and national management plan for the 
double-crested cormorant and would like to renew the control number so 
that it may collect relevant biological information from aquaculturists 
under the terms of the Depredation Order.
    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 management of migratory 
bird populations frequenting the United States. This responsibility 
dictates the gathering of accurate data on various characteristics of 
migratory bird populations. In 1998, we issued a standing Depredation 
Order that allows persons engaged in the production of commercial 
freshwater aquaculture stocks in 13 States to take depredating double-
crested cormorants at aquacultural facilities. Under the conditions of 
the Depredation Order, any person exercising such privileges must keep 
and maintain a monthly log recording the date and number of all 
cormorants killed each month, maintain the log for a period of 3 years, 
and make the log available to Federal and State wildlife enforcement 
officers upon request. The mortality information that these logs 
provide is necessary for the development of population data and 
determination of program effectiveness to be used for management 
purposes.
    Title: Depredation Order for the Double-crested Cormorant.
    Approval Number: 1018-0097.
    Service Form Number: None.
    Frequency of Collection: Annually.
    Description of Respondents: Businesses, individuals, and State, 
local, or tribal governments.

[[Page 46489]]

    Total Annual Burden Hours: The total annual burden is estimated at 
875 hours.
    Total Annual Responses: About 2,200 individuals are expected to 
complete the required mortality logs and approximately 250 individuals 
will complete the annual survey (for a total of 2,450).
    We invite comments concerning this renewal on: (1) Whether the 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
our migratory bird management functions; (2) the accuracy of our 
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.

    Dated: July 20, 2000.
Rebecca Mullin,
Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 00-19068 Filed 7-27-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-U