[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 217 (Friday, November 8, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67183-67184]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-26801]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-HQ-MB-2013-N244; FXMB12310900WH0-134-91200 FF09M26000]


Proposed Information Collection; Migratory Bird Harvest 
Information Program and Migratory Bird Surveys

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) will ask the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) 
described below. 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 IC. This IC is scheduled to expire 
on April 30, 2014. 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: To ensure that we are able to consider your comments on this IC, 
we must receive them by January 7, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the IC to the Service Information 
Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS 2042-
PDM, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203 (mail); or [email protected] (email). Please include ``1018-0023'' in the subject line 
of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this IC, contact Hope Grey at [email protected] (email) or 703-
358-2482 (telephone).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703-711) 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 (1) the wise management of 
migratory bird populations frequenting the United States, and (2) 
setting hunting regulations that allow appropriate harvests that are 
within the guidelines that will allow for those populations' well-
being. These responsibilities dictate that we gather accurate data on 
various characteristics of migratory bird harvest. Based on information 
from harvest surveys, we can adjust hunting regulations as needed to 
optimize harvests at levels that provide a maximum of hunting 
recreation while keeping populations at desired levels.
    Under 50 CFR 20.20, migratory bird hunters must register for the 
Migratory Bird Harvest Information Program (HIP) in each State in which 
they hunt each year. State natural resource agencies must send names 
and addresses of all migratory bird hunters to us annually.
    The Migratory Bird Hunter Survey is based on the Migratory Bird 
Harvest Information Program. We randomly select migratory bird hunters 
and ask them to report their harvest. The resulting estimates of 
harvest per hunter are combined with the complete list of migratory 
bird hunters to provide estimates of the total harvest for the species 
surveyed.
    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 form if they are willing to participate 
in the Parts Collection Survey. We provide postage-paid envelopes to 
respondents before the hunting season and ask them to send in a wing or 
the tail feathers from each duck or goose that they harvest, or a wing 
from each mourning dove, woodcock, band-tailed pigeon, snipe, rail, or 
gallinule that they harvest. We use the wings and tail feathers to 
identify the species, sex, and age of the harvested sample. We also ask 
respondents to report on the envelope the date and location of harvest 
for each bird. We combine the results of this survey with the harvest 
estimates obtained from the Migratory Bird Hunter Survey to provide 
species-specific national harvest estimates.
    The combined results of these surveys enable us to evaluate the 
effects of season length, season dates, and bag limits on the harvest 
of each species, and thus help us determine appropriate hunting 
regulations.
    The Sandhill Crane Harvest Survey is an annual questionnaire survey 
of people who obtained a sandhill crane hunting permit. At the end of 
the hunting season, we randomly select a sample of permit holders and 
ask them to report the date, location, and number of birds harvested 
for each of their sandhill crane hunts. Their responses provide 
estimates of the temporal and geographic distribution of the harvest as 
well as the average harvest per hunter, which, combined with the total 
number of permits issued, enables us to estimate the total harvest of 
sandhill cranes. Based on information from this survey, we adjust 
hunting regulations as needed.

[[Page 67184]]

II. Data

    OMB Control Number: 1018-0023.
    Title: Migratory Bird Information Program and Migratory Bird 
Surveys, 50 CFR 20.20.
    Service Form Number: 3-165, 3-165A through E, 3-2056J through N.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Description of Respondents: States and migratory game bird hunters.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory for HIP registration 
information; voluntary for participation in the surveys.
    Frequency of Collection: Annually or 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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Migratory Bird Harvest Information                  49             686  185 hours...............         126,910
 Program.
Migratory Bird Hunter Survey:
Form 3-2056J..........................          37,100          37,100  5 minutes...............           3,092
    Form 3-2056K......................          23,100          23,100  4 minutes...............           1,540
    Form 3-2056L......................          11,700          11,700  4 minutes...............             780
    Form 3-2056M......................          12,300          12,300  3 minutes...............             615
Parts Collection Survey:
    Form 3-165........................           6,500         117,000  5 minutes...............           9,750
    Form 3-165A.......................           6,000           6,000  1 minute................             100
    Form 3-165B.......................           3,000           4,500  5 minutes...............             375
    Form 3-165C.......................             400             400  1 minute................               7
    Form 3-165D.......................           2,600           2,600  1 minute................              43
    Form 3-165E.......................           2,600           3,900  5 minutes...............             325
Sandhill Crane Harvest Survey:
    Form 3-2056N......................           8,300           8,300  3.5 minutes.............             484
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Total.................................         113,649         227,586  ........................         144,021
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III. Comments

    We 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. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve this IC. Before including your address, phone number, 
email 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 us in your comment to withhold your personal 
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we 
will be able to do so.

    Dated: November 5, 2013.
Tina A. Campbell,
Chief, Division of Policy and Directives Management, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-26801 Filed 11-7-13; 8:45 am]
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