[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 231 (Monday, December 2, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65997-65999]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-25982]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R7-ES-2019-N122; FF07CAMM00.FX.ES111607MRG02; OMB Control Number 
1018-0066]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Marine Mammal Marking, 
Tagging, and Reporting Certificates, and Registration of Certain Dead 
Marine Mammal Hard Parts

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, 
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are proposing to renew an 
information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
January 31, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the information collection request by 
mail to the Service Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/PERMA (JAO/1N), 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls 
Church, VA 22041-3803 (mail); or by email to [email protected]. Please 
reference OMB Control Number 1018-0066 in the subject line of your 
comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Madonna L. Baucum, Service Information 
Collection Clearance Officer, by email at [email protected], or by 
telephone at (703) 358-2503.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, we provide the general public and other Federal agencies 
with an opportunity to comment on new, proposed, revised, and 
continuing collections of information. This helps us assess the impact 
of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's 
reporting burden. It also helps the public understand our information 
collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired 
format.
    We are soliciting comments on the proposed information collection 
request

[[Page 65998]]

(ICR) that is described below. We are especially interested in public 
comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is the collection 
necessary to the proper functions of the Service; (2) will this 
information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the 
estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Service enhance the 
quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and 
(5) how might the Service minimize the burden of this collection on the 
respondents, including through the use of information technology.
    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 ICR. 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.
    Abstract: Under section 101(b) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act 
of 1972, as amended (MMPA; 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 
walruses 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 bears, northern sea 
otters, and Pacific walruses. These regulations enable us to gather 
data on the Alaska Native subsistence and handicraft harvest and on the 
biology of polar bears, northern sea otters, and Pacific walruses 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). The information we collect includes, but 
is not limited to:
     Date of kill;
     Sex of the animal;
     Kill location;
     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 polar bear and whether or not bear cubs 
were present; and
     Name of the hunter or possessor of the specified parts at 
the time of marking, tagging, and reporting.
    We use FWS Form 3-2406 (Registration of Certain Dead Marine Mammal 
Hard Parts) to record the collection of bones, teeth, or ivory of dead 
marine mammals by non-Native and Natives not eligible to harvest marine 
mammals under the MMPA. It is legal to collect such parts from a beach 
or from land within a quarter of a mile of the ocean (50 CFR 18.26). 
The information we collect via Form 3-2406 includes, but is not limited 
to:
     Date and location found.
     Age, sex, and size of the animal.
     Tag numbers.
     Name, address, phone number, and birthdate of the 
collector.
    As part of this renewal process, the Service plans to carefully 
review each form to determine whether any updates need to be made to 
the forms. If updates are made, we will clearly annotate those updates 
in the required submission to OMB.
    Title of Collection: Marine Mammal Marking, Tagging, and Reporting 
Certificates, and Registration of Certain Dead Marine Mammal Hard 
Parts, 50 CFR 18.23(f) and 18.26.
    OMB Control Number: 1018-0066.
    Form Number: FWS Forms 3-2406, 3-2414, 3-2415, and 3-2416.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals and households, private 
sector, and State/local/Tribal governments.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
    Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.

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                                                                                    Completion
                                                     Number of       Number of       time per      Total annual
                    Activity                        respondents      responses       response      burden hours
                                                                                     (minutes)
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3-2414 (Polar Bear).............................              25              60              15              15
3-2415 (Walrus).................................             100             500              15             125
3-2416 (Sea Otter)..............................              75           1,280              15             320
3-2406 (Beach Found)............................             300             300              15              75
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................             500           2,140  ..............             535
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    An agency 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 authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

    Dated: November 25, 2019.
Madonna L. Baucum,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-25982 Filed 11-29-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P