[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 2, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 86-87]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-28827]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R7-ES-2023-N092; FXES111607MMTRP-245-FF07CAMM00; OMB Control 
Number 1018-0066]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget; 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 without change.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
February 1, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be submitted within 30 days of 
publication of this notice at https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting 
``Currently under Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the 
search function. Please provide a copy of your comments to the Service 
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, MS: PRB (JAO/3W), 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-
3803 (mail); or by email to [email protected]. Please reference ``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. Individuals in the United States who are 
deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 
711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay 
services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay 
services offered within their country to make international calls to 
the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), 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.
    On July 26, 2023, we published in the Federal Register (88 FR 
48260) a notice of our intent to request that OMB approve this 
information collection. In that notice, we solicited comments for 60 
days, ending on September 25, 2023. In an effort to increase public 
awareness of, and participation in, our public commenting processes 
associated with information collection requests, the Service also 
published the Federal Register notice on Regulations.gov (Docket No. 
FWS-R7-ES-2023-0097) to provide the public with an additional method to 
submit comments (in addition to the typical U.S. mail submission 
methods). We received one anonymous comment in response to that notice 
which did not address the information collection requirements. No 
response to that comment is required.
    As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent 
burdens, we are again soliciting comments from the public and other 
Federal agencies on the proposed ICR that is described below. We are 
especially interested in public comment addressing the following:
    (1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether or not the information will have practical utility;
    (2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection 
of information, including the validity of the methodology and 
assumptions used;
    (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (4) How might the agency minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on those who are to respond, including through the use of 
appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., 
permitting electronic submission of response.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. 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.

[[Page 87]]

    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 collect harvest information related to Alaska Native harvest to 
provide a chronology of the harvest in population modeling, determining 
which cohorts are being killed, determining the status of populations, 
and predicting population trends. We will use the collected information 
to gain insight into the distribution and relative abundance of the 
three species, the level and intensity of the harvest, and the harvest 
impacts on the species and their subpopulations. We use three Service 
forms to collect the following information from Alaska Natives as part 
of the harvest reporting requirement:
    A. Form 3-2414, ``Polar Bear Tagging Certificates'': Form 3-2414 
collects the following information:
     Date and location of tagging;
     Hide and skull tag number;
     Village hunted from (if different from tagging location);
     Age class and sex;
     Whether sex could be verified by tagger and, if yes, sex 
identification information;
     Skull measurements (length, width, or not provided);
     Whether cubs were present with sow and, if yes, how many 
cubs;
     Bear condition (obese, average, skinny);
     Specimens collected (tooth, hair, skin, liver, fat, 
muscle, skin/muscle, baculum/penis bone, or other);
     Research marks/tags (collar, ear tag number, lip tattoo, 
or other);
     Date and location of kill (to include latitude/longitude);
     Whether it was a conflict or problem bear and whether it 
was taken in defense of life;
     Additional remarks; and
     Whether hunter is available for post-hunt interview and, 
if yes, phone number, with the following post-hunt interview questions 
for problem bear situations:
    a. Was there a food source/attractant that the bear was interested 
in? What was the attractant?
    b. Was there any attempt to haze the bear to get it to leave?
    c. Was it believed that the bear could be a threat to people?
    Note: We would only ask these typical post-hunt questions if the 
biologist needed information on a bear that was marked as a problem 
bear. There is no standardized questioning.
    B. Form 3-2415, ``Walrus Tagging Certificates'': Form 3-2415 
collects the following information:
     Date and location of tagging;
     Village hunted from (if different than tagging location);
     Marine Mammals Management Marking, Tagging, and Reporting 
Program (MTRP) tag number of plastic-headed wire tag used for left or 
right tusk;
     Type of take for walrus (LK = live killed, BF = beach 
found)--This information increases the accuracy of the known mortality 
and harvest data by discriminating between a walrus killed for 
subsistence purposes or found dead and salvaged. Requiring all ivory 
that has been taken or collected (pursuant to the Alaska Native 
exemption) to be marked, tagged, and reported simplifies Service 
enforcement efforts.
     Date and location killed/found;
     Age and sex;
     Walrus tusk length and circumference;
     Number of walrus harvested without tusks; and
     Additional remarks.
    C. Form 3-2416, ``Sea Otter Tagging Certificates'': Form 3-2416 
collects the following information:
     Date and location of tagging;
     Hide and skull tag number;
     FWS permit number;
     Age class and sex;
     Details identification information;
     Specimens collected (tooth, muscle vial, whisker, carcass, 
or other);
     Number of otters present in pod and number harvested from 
pod;
     Date and location of kill (to include latitude and 
longitude); and
     Additional remarks.
    We also require non-Native collectors to use Form 3-2406, ``Non-
Native Marine Mammal Certificates.'' The collection of information via 
Form 3-2406 allows the Service to track individuals who register 
(within 30 days) beach-found hard parts to determine whether the take 
of marine mammal hard parts is legal. We use the below listed 
information collected via Form 3-2406 to verify whether it is legal for 
the individual to retain them:
     Date and location of tagging;
     MTRP tag number of plastic-headed wire tag used for left 
or right tusk;
     Date found;
     Age and sex;
     Tusk circumference at gum line and tusk length from gum 
line to tip along front side following the curve of the tusk;
     Exact location of kill or find;
     Tag number for skull (polar bear or sea otter) or other 
part;
     Any information of interest about the beach-found hard 
part collected;
     Other remarks; and
     Name, address, phone number, and date of birth of the 
person who collected the hard part.
    You may request copies of all forms in this information collection 
by submitting a request to the Service Information Collection Clearance 
Officer, using one of the methods identified in the ADDRESSES section 
of this notice.
    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: 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.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 370.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 2,030.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: 15 minutes.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 508 (rounded).
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
    Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.
    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.).

Madonna Baucum,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-28827 Filed 12-29-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P