[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 35 (Thursday, February 22, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8005-8006]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-2962]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Information Collection Sent to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for Approval; Export of Caviar or Meat of Paddlefish or 
Sturgeon from the Wild

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We (Fish and Wildlife Service) have sent an Information 
Collection Request (ICR) to OMB for review and approval. The ICR, which 
is summarized below, describes the nature of the collection and the 
estimated burden and cost. We 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.

DATES: You must submit comments on or before March 26, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments and suggestions on this ICR to the Desk 
Officer for the Department of the Interior at OMB-OIRA at (202) 395-
6566 (fax) or [email protected] (e-mail). Please provide a copy 
of your comments to Hope Grey, Information Collection Clearance 
Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service, MS 222-ARLSQ, 4401 North Fairfax 
Drive, Arlington, VA 22203 (mail); (703) 358-2269 (fax); or [email protected] (e-mail).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Hope Grey by mail, fax, or e-mail (see 
ADDRESSES), or by telephone at (703) 358-2482.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    OMB Control Number: None.
    Title: Export of Caviar or Meat of Paddlefish or Sturgeon from the 
Wild.
    Service Form Number(s): 3-200-76.
    Type of Request: New collection.
    Affected Public: Fishers; commercial dealers/distributors/suppliers 
and importers/exporters of paddlefish and sturgeon caviar and meat; and 
freight forwarders/brokers.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 12.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 120.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 3 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 360 hours.
    Abstract: This information collection is associated with 
regulations implementing the Convention on International Trade in 
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). CITES regulates 
international trade in listed species through a system of permits and 
certificates. The Service assesses permit requests according to

[[Page 8006]]

criteria in CITES and Federal regulations for the issuance, suspension, 
revocation, or denial of permits.
    We have developed a new permit application form specific to permit 
requests for the export of caviar and/or meat of wild-origin paddlefish 
and/or U.S. native sturgeon species. In the past, we have used FWS Form 
3-200-27 (Export of Wildlife Removed from the Wild) to collect the 
information necessary for us to evaluate these permit requests. When 
using that general form, applicants have had considerable difficulty 
understanding what information is necessary and how to supply it. The 
new form, FWS Form 3-200-76, clarifies these issues.
    Comments: On September 20, 2006, we published in the Federal 
Register (71 FR 55004) a notice of our intent to request that OMB 
approve this information collection. In that notice, we solicited 
comments for 60 days, ending on November 20, 2006. In addition, we 
conducted public outreach by sending a copy of the notice to members of 
the caviar community and asked for their comments. We received two 
comments.
    One commenter was a State fisheries coordinator who supported the 
new form. The second commenter stated that the proposed form has more 
focused information and would assist applicants in preparing 
applications. The second commenter also had two suggestions:
    (1) That we increase the estimated time to complete the 
application. After considering this comment, we increased the estimated 
average time to complete an application to 3 hours and revised the 
estimated annual burden on the public.
    (2) That we revise the wording in the application to more 
accurately reflect how caviar exporters work. Wholesalers and suppliers 
typically do not provide the fishermen information directly to the 
applicant because it may be considered proprietary information. Due to 
the concern, we are not requiring that the intermediary provide the 
information to the applicant who is responsible for submitting the 
application. Instead, the supplier may submit it directly to the 
Service provided that it is clear which application is being 
referenced. In such cases, if the supplier believes the information is 
proprietary, the supplier should identify it as proprietary and/or 
business confidential, as appropriate. The applicant is still 
responsible for providing a complete application to the Service.
    We again 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.

    Dated: January 22, 2007
Hope Grey,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. E7-2962 Filed 2-21-07; 8:45 pm]
Billing Code 4310-55-S