[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 60 (Monday, March 29, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16283-16284]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-6876]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Information Collection To Be Submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for Approval Under the Paperwork Reduction 
Act; Migratory Bird Harvest Surveys

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will submit the collection 
of information listed below to OMB for approval under the provisions of 
the Paperwork Reduction Act. A description of the information 
collection requirement is included in this notice. If you wish to 
obtain copies of the proposed information collection requirement, 
related forms, or explanatory material, contact the Service Information 
Collection Clearance Officer at the address listed below.

DATES: We accept comments until May 28, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Mail your comments on the requirement to Anissa Craghead, 
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, ms 222-ARLSQ, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203; or 
fax (703) 358-2269.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a copy of the information 
collection request, explanatory information, or related forms, contact 
by phone at Anissa Craghead at(703) 358-2445.

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 (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 CFR 1320.8(d)). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (We) 
plan to submit a request to OMB to renew its approval of the collection 
of information for the Migratory Bird Harvest Surveys. 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. The OMB control number for this 
collection of information is 1018-0015.
    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 wise management of 
migratory bird populations frequenting the United States and for the 
setting of hunting regulations that allow appropriate harvests that are 
within the guidelines that will allow for those populations' well 
being. These responsibilities dictate the gathering of accurate data on 
various characteristics of migratory bird harvest. Knowledge attained 
by determining harvests and harvest rates of migratory game birds is 
used to regulate populations (by promulgating hunting regulations) and 
to encourage hunting opportunity, especially where crop depredations 
are chronic and/or lightly harvested populations occur. Based on 
information from harvest surveys, hunting regulations can be adjusted 
as needed to optimize harvests at levels that provide a maximum of 
hunting recreation while keeping populations at desired levels.
    This information collection approval request combines two sets of 
surveys (the Migratory Bird Hunter Survey and the Parts Collection 
Survey) and associated forms because they are interrelated and/or 
dependent upon each other. The Waterfowl Hunter Survey that was 
previously included in this information collection, and its associated 
forms (form 3-1823A and 3-2056G), is not a part of this renewal request 
because it has been completely replaced by the Migratory Bird Hunter 
Survey.
    The Migratory Bird Hunter Survey is based on the Migratory Bird 
Harvest Information Program, under which each State annually provides a 
list of all licensed migratory bird hunters in the State. Randomly 
selected migratory bird hunters are sent either a waterfowl 
questionnaire (form 3-2056J), a dove and band-tailed pigeon 
questionnaire (form 3-2056K), a woodcock questionnaire (form 3-2056L), 
or a snipe, rail, gallinule, and coot questionnaire (form 3-2056M) and 
are asked to report their harvest of those species. The resulting 
estimates of harvest per hunter are combined with the complete list of 
migratory bird hunters to provide estimates of the total harvest of 
those species.
    The Parts Collection Survey estimates the species, sex, and age 
composition of the harvest, and the geographic and temporal 
distribution of the harvest. Randomly selected successful hunters who 
responded to the Migratory Bird Hunter Survey the previous year are 
asked to complete and return a postcard (forms 3-165A and C) if they 
are willing to participate in the Parts Collection Survey. Respondents 
are provided postage-paid envelopes before the hunting season and asked 
to send in a wing or the tail feathers from each duck, goose, or coot 
(form 3-165) they harvest, or a wing from each woodcock, band-tailed 
pigeon, snipe, rail, or gallinule (form 3-165B) they harvest. The wings 
and tail feathers are used to identify the species, age, and sex of the 
harvested sample. Respondents are also asked to report on the envelope 
the date and location (state and county) of harvest for each bird. 
Results of this survey are combined with harvest estimates from the 
Migratory Bird Hunter Survey to provide species-specific national 
harvest estimates.
    The combined results of these surveys enable the Service to 
evaluate the effects of season length, season dates, and bag limits on 
the harvest of each species, and thus help determine appropriate 
hunting regulations.
    Title: Migratory Bird Harvest Surveys.
    Approval Number: 1018-0015.
    Service Form Number(s): 3-165, 3-165A-C, 3-2056J-M.
    Frequency of Collection: Annually.
    Description of Respondents: Individuals and households.
    Number of Respondents: About 3,600,000 individuals are expected to 
participate in the Migratory Bird Harvest Information Program. Recent 
Service experience indicates that about 84,000 hunters will respond to 
the Migratory Bird Hunter Survey each year, and about 10,000 hunters 
will respond to the Parts Collection Survey annually.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: Total annual burden is estimated to be 
133,933 hours. The reporting burden is estimated to average 2 minutes 
per respondent for the Migratory Bird Harvest Information Program, 4 
minutes per respondent for the Migratory Bird Hunter Survey, and 50 
minutes per respondent for the Parts Collection Survey.
    We invite comments concerning this renewal on: (1) Whether the 
collection

[[Page 16284]]

of information is necessary for the proper performance of our migratory 
bird management functions, 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 of information on respondents. 
The information collections in this program are part of a system of 
record covered by the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552(a)).

    Dated: March 23, 2004.
Anissa Craghead,
Information Collection Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 04-6876 Filed 3-26-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P