[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 94 (Wednesday, May 15, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34672-34673]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-12138]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 67, No. 94 / Wednesday, May 15, 2002 / 
Notices  

[[Page 34672]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. 02-052-1]


Notice of Request for Approval of an Information Collection

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: New information collection; comment request.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's 
intention to initiate a new information collection activity to support 
the National Animal Health Monitoring System's national Catfish 2003 
study.

DATES: We will consider all comments we receive that are postmarked, 
delivered, or e-mailed by July 15, 2002.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by postal mail/commercial delivery 
or by e-mail. If you use postal mail/commercial delivery, please send 
four copies of your comment (an original and three copies) to: Docket 
No. 02-052-1, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 
3C71, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state 
that your comment refers to Docket No. 02-052-1. If you use e-mail, 
address your comment to [email protected]. Your comment must 
be contained in the body of your message; do not send attached files. 
Please include your name and address in your message and ``Docket No. 
02-052-1'' on the subject line.
    You may read any comments that we receive on this docket in our 
reading room. The reading room is located in room 1141 of the USDA 
South Building, 14th Street and Independence Avenue SW., Washington, 
DC. Normal reading room hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except holidays. To be sure someone is there to help you, 
please call (202) 690-2817 before coming.
    APHIS documents published in the Federal Register, and related 
information, including the names of organizations and individuals who 
have commented on APHIS dockets, are available on the Internet at 
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/webrepor.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information regarding the national 
Catfish 2003 study, contact Mr. Chris Quatrano, Management Analyst, 
Centers for Epidemiology and Animal Health, VS, APHIS, 555 S. Howes, 
Fort Collins, CO 80521; (970) 490-7847. For copies of more detailed 
information on the information collection, contact Mrs. Celeste 
Sickles, APHIS' Information Collection Coordinator, at (301) 734-7477.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: National Catfish Study 2003.
    OMB Number: 0579-XXXX.
    Type of Request: Approval of a new information collection.
    Abstract: The United States Department of Agriculture is 
responsible for protecting the health of our Nation's livestock and 
poultry populations by preventing the introduction and interstate 
spread of contagious, infectious, or communicable diseases of livestock 
(including farm-raised fish) and poultry and for eradicating such 
diseases from the United States when feasible. In connection with this 
mission, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 
operates the National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS), which 
collects, on a national basis, statistically valid and scientifically 
sound data on the prevalence and economic importance of livestock and 
poultry diseases. Information from the studies conducted by NAHMS is 
disseminated to and used by livestock and poultry producers, consumers, 
animal health officials, private veterinary practitioners, animal 
industry groups, policymakers, public health officials, media, 
educational institutions, and others to improve the productivity and 
competitiveness of U.S. agriculture.
    NAHMS' national studies have evolved into a collaborative industry 
and government initiative to help improve product quality and to 
determine the most effective means of producing animal and poultry 
products. APHIS is the only agency responsible for collecting national 
data on animal and poultry health. Participation in any NAHMS study is 
voluntary, and all data are confidential.
    NAHMS will initiate a national study titled Catfish 2003. Catfish 
2003 will take place on farms in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and 
Mississippi, where 95.2 percent of total U.S. catfish sales and 95.2 
percent of the water surface acres for catfish production were located 
in 2001.\1\ The purpose of Catfish 2003 is to support the catfish 
farming industry through the description of production and processing 
methods, the evaluation of the overall health status of farm-raised 
catfish, and the estimation of the prevalence of specific diseases 
affecting the industry. The potential benefits to the industry from 
Catfish 2003 include increased production through enhanced pond 
management and increased consumer confidence in quality through disease 
reduction.
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    \1\ NASS Catfish Production Report, February 2002.
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    The specific objectives of Catfish 2003 include the following: (1) 
Estimating the prevalence of specific diseases affecting the catfish 
industry, such as enteric septicemia, columnaris, winter kill, 
proliferative gill disease, visceral toxicosis, and diseases associated 
with trematodes; (2) assessing the frequency of water quality testing 
and pond maintenance to correlate specific water characteristics with 
possible health conditions in catfish; (3) describing management 
practices used by catfish farmers and their impact on productivity; (4) 
evaluating the use of nutritional supplements in the catfish farming 
industry; (5) describing the frequency of health-related management 
practices, including feeding practices, fingerling purchase and 
production, stocking procedures, harvesting methods, pest management 
practices, use of veterinary services, and vaccination and treatment 
practices.
    We are asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve 
the information collection activity for the national Catfish 2003 
study.
    The purpose of this notice is to solicit comments from the public 
(as well as affected agencies) concerning our

[[Page 34673]]

information collection. These comments will help us:
    (1) Evaluate 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) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the burden of the 
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology 
and assumptions used;
    (3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    (4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, through use, as appropriate, of automated, 
electronic, mechanical, and other collection technologies; e.g., 
permitting electronic submission of responses.
    Estimate of burden: The public reporting burden for this collection 
of information is estimated to average 0.458 hours per response.
    Respondents: Industry personnel, private veterinary practitioners, 
company and independent producers, academicians, State veterinary 
medical officers, and State public health officials.
    Estimated annual number of respondents: 1,080.
    Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 1.
    Estimated annual number of responses: 1,080.
    Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 495 hours. (Due to 
averaging, the total annual burden hours may not equal the product of 
the annual number of responses multiplied by the reporting burden per 
response.)
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of 
public record.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 9th day of May 2002.
Peter Fernandez,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 02-12138 Filed 5-14-02; 8:45 am]
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