[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 219 (Monday, November 13, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67751-67752]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-28918]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Information Collection Renewal 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 are submitting 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: OMB has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove information 
collection but may respond after 30 days. Therefore, to ensure maximum 
consideration, you must submit comments on or before December 13, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the requirement to the Office of 
Management and Budget, Attention: Department of 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 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 part 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. A previous 60 day 
notice was published (July 28, 2000, pages 46488-46489) in the Federal 
Register inviting public comment. One comment was received.

Comments

    A letter from the National Aquaculture Association (NAA) stated 
that although they felt the time burden was underestimated, the burden 
is justified because the information collection is ``vital to the 
overall management program.'' NAA also suggested that publishing an on-
line summary of the results of the information collection (i.e., the 
number of cormorants killed under the Depredation Order) would be 
useful and that online reporting should be considered.

Response

    While we do not feel that these comments justify revising the 
estimated time burden, we will consider the idea of using the internet 
for information

[[Page 67752]]

collection and sharing once OMB approval is completed.
    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
    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: November 3, 2000.
Rebecca A. Mullin,
Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 00-28918 Filed 11-9-00; 8:45 am]
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