[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 119 (Wednesday, June 21, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35690-35691]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-9734]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Information Collection Renewal To Be Sent to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for Approval Under the Paperwork Reduction 
Act; OMB Control Number 1018-0124; Migratory Bird Subsistence Harvest 
Household Survey

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We (Fish and Wildlife Service) will ask OMB to renew approval 
for the information collection associated with our migratory bird 
subsistence harvest household survey. The current OMB control number 
for this information collection is 1018-0124, which expires on October 
31, 2006. We will request that OMB renew approval of this information 
collection for a 3-year term. As required by the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 and as part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork 
and respondent burden, we invite the general public and other Federal 
agencies to take this opportunity to comment on this information 
collection.

DATES: You must submit comments on or before August 21, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the information collection to Hope 
Grey, Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife 
Service, MS 222-ARLSQ, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203 
(mail); [email protected] (e-mail); or (703) 358-2269 (fax).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this information collection request, contact Hope Grey at one of 
the addresses above or by telephone at (703) 358-2482.

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)). 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. 703-712) 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 managing migratory bird 
populations that frequent the United States and for setting 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 those 
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 its intent is not to cause significant 
increases in the take of species of migratory birds relative to their 
continental population sizes. A May 20, 1996, submittal letter from the 
Department of State to the White House accompanied the Amendment and 
specified the need for harvest monitoring. The letter stated that the 
Fish and Wildlife Service, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and 
Native organizations cooperatively would collect harvest estimates 
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.
    From 1989 to 2004, we monitored subsistence harvest in Alaska 
through the use of annual household surveys in the most heavily used 
subsistence harvest areas; e.g., Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. In 2004, we 
began monitoring subsistence harvest in subsistence eligible areas 
Statewide. We presently rotate survey areas due to budget constraints. 
This monitoring enables us to track significant changes or trends in 
levels of harvest and user participation.
    We gather information on the annual subsistence harvest of 54 
species of birds (including geese, ducks, swans, cranes, loons, 
seabirds, shorebirds, and upland game birds) through surveys of 
households in the subsistence eligible areas of Alaska. Annually, local 
village resident surveyors produce lists of all households in each 
village and provide survey forms to randomly selected households. We 
combine the estimates of harvest per household with the complete list 
of households in the subsistence eligible areas to obtain estimates of 
the total annual harvest. We use four forms to collect the harvest 
information. We will aggregate all information collected and use it 
only for statistical purposes. We do not arrange or retrieve forms by a 
personal identifier.
    Title: List of Occupied Households--Village Harvest Survey 
Household Enrollment Form.
    OMB Control Number: 1018-0124.
    Form Number: 7-FW-100.
    Frequency of Collection: Once per year.

[[Page 35691]]

    Description of Respondents: Local village surveyors.

    This form contains information on the village name and number, 
surveyor's name, year of survey, total houses, house number and 
household name, and harvest activity level. The local village surveyor 
maintains this form.
    Title: Households Separated by Hunting Category--Village Harvest 
Survey Household Selection by Activity Level.
    OMB Control Number: 1018-0124.
    Form Number: 7-FW-101.
    Frequency of Collection: Once per year.
    Description of Respondents: Local village surveyors.

    This form provides information on the village name and number, 
surveyor's name, year, total houses, and activity level. The local 
surveyor takes each household listed on form 7-FW-100 and categorizes 
it on this form according to activity level. The local village surveyor 
provides this form to the Service.
    Title: Household Permission Slip.
    OMB Control Number: 1018-0124.
    Form Number: 7-FW-102.
    Frequency of Collection: Once per year.
    Description of Respondents: Households within the subsistence 
eligible areas of Alaska (Alaska Peninsula, Kodiak Archipelago, the 
Aleutian Islands, or in areas north and west of the Alaska Range (50 
CFR 92.5)).

    The local village surveyor (1) asks each household if that 
household will participate in the subsistence harvest survey and notes 
a ``yes'' or ``no'' on a permission slip; (2) provides a survey form 
(described below) to each household with a ``yes'' permission slip; and 
(3) provides the completed permission slip to the Service.
    Title: Subsistence Household Survey.
    OMB Control Number: 1018-0124.
    Form Numbers: 7-FW-103, 7-FW-103a (Interior Alaska), and 7-FW-103b 
(Southern Coastal Alaska).
    Frequency of Collection: Three times per year.
    Description of Respondents: Households within the subsistence 
eligible areas of Alaska (Alaska Peninsula, Kodiak Archipelago, the 
Aleutian Islands, or in areas north and west of the Alaska Range (50 
CFR 92.5)).

    There are three survey forms. The form that a household receives 
depends on the household's location. Each survey form consists of three 
pages, one page each for spring, summer, and fall (fall/winter for the 
Southern Coastal Alaska form). Each page contains bird illustrations, 
with spaces beside each illustration to mark down numbers of birds and 
eggs taken. The household number is on each page of the survey form, 
along with a village number. The local village surveyor provides 
completed survey forms to the Fish and Wildlife Service.

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                                                                                    Avg. time/
                      Form                           Number of     Annual number   response (in    Total annual
                                                    respondents    of responses      minutes)      burden hours
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7-FW-100........................................             182          23,000               1             383
7-FW-101........................................             182             182              30              91
7-FW-102........................................          14,000          14,000               5           1,167
7-FW-103, a, b..................................          11,500          34,500               5           2,875
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    We invite comments concerning this information collection on: (1) 
Whether or not the collection of information is necessary, including 
whether or not the information will have practical utility; (2) the 
accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this 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. Comments submitted in 
response to this notice are a matter of public record. We will include 
and/or summarize each comment in our request to OMB to renew approval 
for this information collection.

    Dated: June 8, 2006.
Hope Grey,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. E6-9734 Filed 6-20-06; 8:45 am]
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