[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 147 (Thursday, July 31, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44961-44963]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-19490]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Information Collection Submitted to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for Approval Under the Paperwork Reduction Act; Alaska 
Subsistence Household Survey

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has submitted the 
collection of information listed below to OMB for approval under the 
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act. If you wish to obtain copies 
of the proposed information collection requirement, related forms, or 
explanatory material, contact the Service Information Collection 
Officer at the address listed below.

DATES: We will accept comments until September 2, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments on this information collection to the 
Desk Officer for the Department of the Interior at OMB-OIRA via 
facsimile or e-mail using the following fax number or e-mail address: 
(202) 395-5806 (fax); [email protected] (e-mail). Please 
provide a copy of your comments to the Fish and Wildlife Service's 
Information Collection Officer, 4401 N. Fairfax Dr., MS 222 ARLSQ, 
Arlington, VA 22207; (703) 358-2269 (fax); or [email protected] 
(e-mail).

[[Page 44962]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a copy of the information 
collection request, explanatory information, or related forms, contact 
Anissa Craghead by phone at (703) 358-2445 or by e-mail at [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 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), require that interested 
parties and affected agencies have an opportunity to comment on 
information collection and recordkeeping activities (see CFR 
1320.8(d)). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (we, or the Service) has 
submitted a request to OMB for approval of a collection of information 
related to the subsistence migratory bird harvest in Alaska. We are 
requesting a 3-year term of approval for this 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.
    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 the management of migratory 
bird populations frequenting the United States and for the setting of 
harvest regulations that allow for the conservation of those 
populations. These responsibilities include gathering accurate 
geographical and temporal data on various characteristics of migratory 
bird harvest. We use that data to promulgate harvest regulations. 
Annually, we adjust harvest regulations as needed to provide a maximum 
of subsistence harvest opportunity while keeping migratory bird 
populations at desired levels.
    The Migratory Bird Treaty Act Protocol Amendment (1995) (Amendment) 
provides for the customary and traditional use of migratory birds and 
their eggs for subsistence use by indigenous inhabitants of Alaska. The 
Amendment, however, states that it is not the intent of the Amendment 
to cause significant increases in the take of species of migratory 
birds relative to their continental population sizes. A May 20, 1996, 
letter of submittal from the Department of State to the White House, 
which officially accompanied the Amendment, specifies the need for 
harvest monitoring and states that harvest estimates will be collected 
cooperatively by the Service, the State Department of Fish and Game, 
and Native organizations within the subsistence eligible areas. Harvest 
survey data help ensure that customary and traditional use of migratory 
birds and their eggs for subsistence use by indigenous inhabitants of 
Alaska does not significantly increase the take of species of migratory 
birds relative to their continental population sizes.
    We have monitored the subsistence harvest in Alaska for the past 14 
years through the use of annual household surveys in the most heavily 
used subsistence harvest areas (e.g., Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta). 
Continuation of this monitoring would enable tracking of any 
significant changes or trends in levels of harvest and user 
participation after legalization of the harvest. The harvest survey 
method and forms that we used to collect information were not approved 
by OMB. We are requesting that OMB approve these forms and that the 
public comment on this information collection. We will not conduct or 
sponsor any surveys until we obtain OMB approval of this information 
collection.
    This collection helped, and would help, us gather information on 
the annual subsistence harvests of 49 species of birds, including 
geese, ducks, swans, cranes, loons, seabirds, shorebirds, and upland 
game birds. The survey was, and would be, conducted by local village 
resident surveyors in the subsistence-eligible areas of Alaska, under 
the guidance of Service employees and contractors (such as Alaska 
Native organizations and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game). The 
local village surveyors annually provided, and would provide, us lists 
of all households in each village. Randomly selected households then 
received, and would receive, survey forms from the village surveyor. 
The household either completed, and would complete, the form 
independently, or the village surveyor helped, and would help, the 
household complete the form. Forms were then, and would be, turned in 
to us. The resulting estimates of harvest per household were, and would 
be, combined with the complete list of households in the subsistence-
eligible areas to provide estimates of the total annual harvest of the 
49 species of birds.
    On March 3, 2003, we published in the Federal Register (68 FR 
10024) a notice informing the public that we plan to request OMB 
approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act of the forms described. We 
requested public comment on the information collection for 60 days, 
ending May 2, 2003. By that date we did not receive any comments. This 
notice provides an additional 30 days in which to comment on the 
following information.
    Title: List of All Occupied Households, with Hunting Category 
Noted.
    Approval Number: 1018-xxxx.
    Form number: 7-FW-100.
    Frequency of Collection: Once per year.
    Description of Respondents: Local village surveyors.
    Total Annual Responses: 188. We estimate one form for each of the 
188 communities, which amounts to 188 forms annually.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 433 hours. We estimate the reporting 
burden at one minute for each of the total 26,000 households in 188 
communities, or 433 hours total.

    Note: This form is maintained by the local village surveyor. 
This form does not record, nor is it arranged or retrieved, by 
personal identifier.

    Title: Households Separated by Hunting Category.
    Approval Number: 1018-xxxx.
    Form number: 7-FW-101.
    Frequency of Collection: Once per year.
    Description of Respondents: Local village surveyors.
    Total Annual Responses: 188. We estimate one form for each of the 
188 communities, which amounts to 188 forms annually.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 94 hours. We estimate it takes each 
surveyor an average of one-half hour to transfer the information from 
Form 7-FW-100 to Form 7-FW-101. With an estimated 188 surveyors in up 
to 188 communities, we estimate 94 hours total annual burden.

    Note: The local village surveyor provides this form to us. This 
form does not record, nor is it arranged or retrieved, by personal 
identifier.

    Title: Permission slip for participation in the survey.
    Approval Number: 1018-xxxx.
    Form number: 7-FW-102.
    Frequency of Collection: Once per year.
    Description of Respondents: Households within the subsistence 
eligible areas of Alaska (50 CFR Part 92.5).
    Total Annual Responses: 16,000. We estimate up to 13,000 of the 
approximately 26,000 households in the subsistence eligible areas will 
participate in the survey. Up to 16,000 households will have to be 
asked permission in order to get a sample size of 13,000 households.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,333 hours. It will take the surveyor 
an

[[Page 44963]]

average of 5 minutes per household to determine whether or not that 
household agrees to participate in the subsistence harvest survey. With 
an estimated 16,000 households responding to the permission slip, this 
amounts to 1,333 hours total annual burden.

    Note: This form is maintained by the local village surveyor. The 
surveyor asks each household if that household will participate in 
the subsistence harvest survey. The surveyor then notes a ``yes'' or 
a ``no'' on a permission slip. Each household with a ``yes'' 
permission slip is given a survey form (described below). This form 
does not record, nor is it arranged or retrieved, by personal 
identifier.

    Title: Migratory Bird Subsistence Harvest Household Survey.
    Approval Number: 1018-xxxx.
    Form number: 7-FW-103.
    Frequency of Collection: Three times per year--spring, summer, and 
fall.
    Description of Respondents: Households within the subsistence 
eligible areas of Alaska (50 CFR Part 92.5).
    Total Annual Responses: 39,000. We estimate up to 13,000 of the 
approximately 26,000 households in the subsistence eligible areas will 
participate in the survey, responding three times annually.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 3,250 hours. We estimate the reporting 
burden to average 5 minutes per respondent for the Migratory Bird 
Subsistence Harvest Household Survey. With an estimated 13,000 
respondents filling out the form three times annually, the annual 
burden hours total 3,250 hours.

    Note: The local village surveyor provides completed survey forms 
to us. The survey form consists of three pages, one page each for 
spring, summer, and fall. Each page has 51 bird illustrations, with 
spaces beside each illustration to mark down numbers of birds and 
eggs taken. This form does not record, nor is it arranged or 
retrieved, by personal identifier; the household number is written 
on each page of the survey form, along with a village number. The 
results of this annual survey help us understand the effect of 
subsistence hunting on migratory bird populations, while also 
evaluating the effects of newly established spring/summer season 
dates, species closures, and methods and means prohibitions.

    We again invite comments on this proposed information collection on 
the following: (1) Whether the collection of information is necessary 
for the proper performance of the function of the agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility; (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 on 
respondents.

    Dated: July 28, 2003.
Anissa Craghead,
Information Collection Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 03-19490 Filed 7-30-03; 8:45 am]
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