[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 54 (Monday, March 21, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15333-15334]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-6533]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R7-FHC-2011-N057; 71490-1351-0000-L5]


Information Collection Sent to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for Approval; OMB Control Number 1018-0066; Marine Mammal 
Marking, Tagging, and Reporting Certificates

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) have sent an Information 
Collection Request (ICR) to OMB for review and approval. We summarize 
the ICR below and describe the nature of the collection and the 
estimated burden and cost. This information collection is scheduled to 
expire on March 31, 2011. 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. However, under OMB 
regulations, we may continue to conduct or sponsor this information 
collection while it is pending at OMB.

DATES: You must submit comments on or before April 20, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments and suggestions on this information 
collection to the Desk Officer for the Department of the Interior at 
OMB-OIRA at (202) 395-5806 (fax) or [email protected] (e-mail). 
Please provide a copy of your comments to the Information Collection 
Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 North Fairfax 
Drive, MS 2042-PDM, Arlington, VA 22203 (mail), or [email protected] (e-
mail).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Hope Grey at [email protected] (e-mail) or 703-
358-2482 (telephone). You may review the ICR online at http://www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to review Department of the 
Interior collections under review by OMB.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    OMB Control Number: 1018-0066.
    Title: Marine Mammal Marking, Tagging, and Reporting Certificates, 
50 CFR 18.23(f).
    Service Form Number(s): 3-2414, 3-2415, and 3-2416.
    Type of Request: Extension of currently approved collection.
    Description of Respondents: Individuals and households.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.

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                                           Number of       Number of       Completion time per     Total annual
               Activity                   respondents      responses            response           burden hours
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3-2414 (polar bear)...................              25              25  15 minutes..............               6
3-2415 (walrus).......................             620             620  15 minutes..............             155
3-2416 (sea otter)....................             750             750  15 minutes..............             188
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    Totals............................           1,395           1,395  ........................             349
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    Abstract: Under section 101(b) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act 
of 1972 (MMPA), as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361-1407), Alaska Natives 
residing in Alaska and dwelling on the coast of the North Pacific or 
Arctic Oceans may harvest polar bears, northern sea otters, and Pacific 
walrus for subsistence or handicraft purposes. Section 109(i) of the 
MMPA authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to prescribe marking, 
tagging, and reporting regulations applicable to the Alaska Native 
subsistence and handicraft take.
    On behalf of the Secretary, we implemented regulations at 50 CFR 
18.23(f) for Alaska Natives harvesting polar bear, northern sea otter, 
and Pacific walrus. These regulations enable us to gather data on the 
Alaska Native subsistence and handicraft harvest and on the biology of 
polar bear, northern sea otter, and Pacific walrus in Alaska to 
determine what effect such take may be having on these populations. The 
regulations also provide us with a means of monitoring the disposition 
of the harvest to ensure that any commercial use of products created 
from these species meets the criteria set forth in section 101(b) of 
the MMPA. We use three forms to collect the information: FWS Form 3-
2414 (Polar Bear Tagging Certificates), FWS Form 3-2415 (Walrus Tagging 
Certificates), and FWS Form 3-2416 (Sea Otter Tagging Certificates). 
These forms replace forms R7-50, R7-51, and R7-52. The information we 
collect includes, but is not limited to:
     Date of kill.
     Sex of the animal.
     Kill location.

[[Page 15334]]

     Age of the animal (i.e., adult, subadult, cub, or pup).
     Form of transportation used to make the kill of polar 
bears.
     Amount of time (i.e., hours/days hunted) spent hunting 
polar bears.
     Type of take (live-killed or beach-found) for walrus.
     Number of otters present in and number of otters harvested 
from pod.
     Condition of the bear and whether or not polar bear cubs 
were present.
     Name of the hunter or possessor of the specified parts at 
the time of marking, tagging, and reporting.
    Comments: On October 18, 2010, we published in the Federal Register 
(75 FR 63850) a notice of our intent to request that OMB renew approval 
for this information collection. In that notice, we solicited comments 
for 60 days, ending on December 17, 2010. We received two comments. The 
Marine Mammal Commission submitted a letter of support for the data 
collection as proposed. A second comment opposed this information 
collection as unworthy of continued support and a burden to general 
taxpayers. In this comment, subsistence marine mammal hunters were 
misidentified as fishermen. We note the concerns raised by this 
individual; however, the harvest of marine mammals by certain Alaska 
Natives for certain purposes is specifically exempted from otherwise 
prohibited activities by section 101(b) of the Marine Mammal Protection 
Act (MMPA) of 1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.). A Marking, 
Tagging and Reporting Program is also specifically mandated by this 
same Act. We did not make any changes to our information collection.
    We again invite comments concerning this information collection on:
     Whether or not the collection of information is necessary, 
including whether or not the information will have practical utility;
     The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this 
collection of information;
     Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
     Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on respondents.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. Before including your address, phone number, e-mail 
address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you 
should be aware that your entire comment, including your personal 
identifying information, may be made publicly available at any time. 
While you can ask OMB in your comment to withhold your personal 
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that it 
will be done.

    Dated: March 14, 2011.
Tina A. Campbell,
Chief, Division of Policy and Directives Management, Fish and Wildlife 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-6533 Filed 3-18-11; 8:45 am]
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