[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 200 (Thursday, October 16, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59634-59635]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-26120]


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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; Declaration for Importation or Exportation of Fish or Wildlife

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (We) has submitted the 
collection of information described below to OMB for approval under the 
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. A description of the 
information collection requirement is included in this notice. If you 
wish to obtain copies of the information collection requirements, 
related forms, or explanatory material, contact the Service Information 
Collection Clearance Officer at the address or telephone number listed 
below.

DATES: We will accept comments until November 17, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments on this information collection renewal 
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) 395-6566 (fax); [email protected] (e-mail). Please provide 
a copy of your comments to the Fish and Wildlife Service's Information 
Collection Clearance Officer, 4401 N. Fairfax Dr., MS 222 ARLSQ, 
Arlington, VA 22207; (703) 358-2269 (fax); or [email protected] 
(e-mail).
    Form 3-177 (with instructions for its completion) is available for 
electronic submission using the electronic declaration system (eDecs) 
at the following Web site: https://edecs.fws.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a copy of the information 
collection request, related forms, or explanatory material, contact 
Anissa Craghead at telephone number (703) 358-2445, or electronically 
at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 members of the public and 
affected agencies have an opportunity to comment on information 
collection and recordkeeping activities (see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)).
    We have submitted a request to OMB to renew its approval of the 
collection of information included on Form 3-177, Declaration For 
Importation or Exportation of Fish or Wildlife. The current OMB control 
number for Form 3-177 is 1018-0012, and the OMB approval for this 
collection of information expires on October 31, 2003. This form (with 
instructions for its completion) is now available for electronic 
submission at the following Web site: https://edecs.fws.gov. We are 
requesting a three year term of approval for this information 
collection activity. We may not conduct or sponsor, and you are not 
required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays 
a currently valid OMB control number.
    The Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) makes it 
unlawful to import or export fish, wildlife, or plants without filing a 
declaration or report deemed necessary for enforcing the Act or 
upholding the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species 
(CITES) (see 16 U.S.C. 1538(e)). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 
Form 3-177, Declaration for Importation or Exportation of Fish or 
Wildlife, is the declaration form required of any business or 
individual importing into or exporting from the United States any fish, 
wildlife, or wildlife products. The information collected is unique to 
each wildlife shipment and enables us to accurately inspect the 
contents of the shipment; enforce any regulations that pertain to the 
fish, wildlife, or wildlife products contained in the shipment; and 
maintain records of the importation and exportation of these 
commodities. Additionally, since the United States is a member of 
CITES, much of the collected information is compiled in an annual 
report that is forwarded to the CITES Secretariat in Geneva, 
Switzerland. Submission of an annual report on the number and types of 
imports and exports of fish, wildlife, and wildlife products is one of 
our treaty obligations under CITES. We also use the information 
obtained from Form 3-177 as an enforcement tool and management aid in 
monitoring the international wildlife market and detecting trends and 
changes in the commercial trade of fish, wildlife, and wildlife 
products. Our Division of Scientific Authority and Division of 
Management Authority use this information to assess the need for 
additional protection for native species. In addition, nongovernment 
organizations, including the commercial wildlife community, request 
information from us that we obtain from Form 3-177. You must file Form 
3-177 with us at the time and port where you request clearance of your 
import or export wildlife shipment. In certain instances, Form 3-177 
may be filed with the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection. The 
standard information collection includes the name of the importer or 
exporter and broker, the scientific and common name of the fish or 
wildlife, permit numbers (if a permit is required), a description of 
the fish or wildlife, quantity and value of the fish or wildlife, and 
natural country of origin of the fish or wildlife. In addition, certain 
information, such as the airway bill or bill of lading number, the 
location of the wildlife shipment, and the number of cartons containing 
fish or wildlife, assists our wildlife inspectors if a physical 
examination of the shipment is required.
    Title: Declaration for Importation or Exportation of Fish or 
Wildlife.
    Approval Number: 1018-0012.
    Service Form Number: 3-177.
    Associated Regulations: 50 CFR 14.61 through 14.64.
    Frequency of Collection: Whenever clearance is requested for an 
importation or exportation of fish, wildlife, or wildlife products.
    Description of Respondents: Businesses or individuals that import 
or export fish, wildlife, or wildlife products; scientific institutions 
that import or export fish or wildlife scientific specimens; government 
agencies that import or export fish or wildlife specimens for various 
purposes.
    Total Annual Responses: Approximately 120,000 individual Form 3-
177s are filed with us in a fiscal year.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: The total annual burden is approximately 
26,832 hours. We estimate that approximately two-thirds (67%), or 
80,400, of these responses will be completed by hand. Each of these 
responses will require approximately .25 hours (15 minutes) of the 
importer's or exporter's time. This amount includes approximately .08 
hours (5 minutes) for reviewing instructions and approximately .17 
hours (10 minutes) to complete Form 3-177. We estimate that 
approximately one-third (33%), 39,600, of the responses received will 
be submitted electronically. Using eDecs should reduce the time to 
complete Form 3-177 to about .08 hours (5 minutes) per response. 
Therefore, the total time to review instructions (.08 hours/5 minutes) 
and complete Form 3-177 electronically amounts to approximately

[[Page 59635]]

.17 hours (10 minutes) per response. As such, the total estimated 
reporting burden for completing Form 3-177 is approximately 26,832 
hours [(80,400 x .25 hours = 20,100 hours) + (39,600 x .17 hours = 
6,732 hours)]. The estimate of electronic responses we expect to 
receive is based upon a recent pilot program of eDecs. We anticipate 
that the use of eDecs will expand in the future, which would further 
reduce the burden on the public.
    We invite comments concerning this renewal on: (1) Whether the 
collection of information is useful and necessary for us to do our job, 
(2) the accuracy of our estimate of the burden on the public to 
complete the form; (3) ways to enhance the quality and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection on respondents, including use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology. This information collection is 
part of a system of records covered by the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 
552(a)).
    Our practice is to make comments, including names and home 
addresses of respondents, available for public review during regular 
business hours. Individual respondents may request that we withhold 
their home addresses from the record, which we will honor to the extent 
allowable by law. There may also be limited circumstances in which we 
would withhold a respondent's identity from the rulemaking record, as 
allowable by law. If you wish us to withhold your name and/or address, 
you must state this clearly at the beginning of your comment. We will 
not consider anonymous comments. We generally make all submissions from 
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 
businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety.

    Dated: September 22, 2003.
Anissa Craghead,
Information Collection Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 03-26120 Filed 10-15-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P