[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 176 (Wednesday, September 12, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52084-52085]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-17918]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Marine 
Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey

AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on 
proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before November 13, 
2007.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Diana Hynek, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6625, 14th 
and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet 
at [email protected]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions 
should be directed to Rob Andrews, NOAA, National Marine Fisheries 
Service, Fisheries Statistics Division, Phone: (301) 713-2328, ext. 148 
or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    Marine recreational anglers are surveyed for catch and effort data, 
fish biology data, and angler socioeconomic characteristics. These data 
are required to carry out provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act (MSA) (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), as 
amended, regarding conservation and management of fishery resources.
    Marine recreational fishing catch and effort data are collected 
through a combination of telephone surveys and on-site intercept 
surveys with recreational anglers. The current telephone surveys rely 
on random contacts with residents of coastal county households (Random 
Digit Dialing, or RDD). This method is extremely inefficient as a 
relatively small percentage of contacted households reports fishing 
during any survey period.
    The recent amendments to the MSA require that future surveys of 
fishing effort target anglers registered or licensed at the State or 
Federal level. Such licensed-based surveys will greatly increase the 
efficiency of data collection as a much larger percentage of contacted 
individuals are likely to report fishing activity. However, most 
current saltwater licensing programs exempt large sections of the 
population from licensing requirements (age, military and disability 
exemptions). To compensate for gaps in survey coverage created by these 
exemptions, a dual-frame methodology has been developed that integrates 
licensed-based sampling with RDD sampling. The resulting survey 
provides an efficient means of collecting fishing effort data while 
maintaining nearly complete coverage of the angling population.

II. Method of Collection

    Information is collected by means of telephone interviews.

III. Data

    OMB Number: 0648-0052.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households, business or other for-
profit organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 723,325.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 8 minutes for fishing households; 1 
minute for non-fishing households.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 44,677.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0.

IV. Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden 
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; 
(c)

[[Page 52085]]

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on respondents, including through the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

    Dated: September 6, 2007.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
 [FR Doc. E7-17918 Filed 9-11-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P