[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 49 (Tuesday, March 12, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17868-17869]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-05185]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[Docket No. FWS-HQ-JAO-2024-0029; FXGO16621010070-245-FF10G13100; OMB 
Control Number 1018-New]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Improving Our 
Understanding of How Trout Anglers Differ in Their Valuations Between 
Wild and Hatchery Trout

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 a new 
information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
May 13, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the information collection request 
(ICR) by one of the following methods (please reference ``1018-Trout 
Angler Survey'' in the subject line of your comments):
     Internet (preferred): https://www.regulations.gov. Follow 
the instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS-HQ-JAO-2024-
0029.
     U.S. mail: Service Information Collection Clearance 
Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS: PRB 
(JAO/3W), Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.

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 (PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and its implementing regulations at 5 
CFR 1320.8(d)(1), all information collections require approval under 
the PRA. We may not conduct or sponsor and you are not required to 
respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently 
valid OMB control number.
    As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent 
burdens, we invite the public and other Federal agencies 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 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. 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: The Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742(a)-754) 
establishes a comprehensive national fish and wildlife policy and 
authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to take steps required for the 
development, management, advancement, conservation, and protection of 
fisheries resources and wildlife resources through research, 
acquisition of refuge lands, development of existing facilities, and 
other means. The Service, working with others, is responsible for 
conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish and wildlife and their 
habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people through 
Federal programs relating to migratory birds, endangered species, 
interjurisdictional fish and marine mammals, and inland sport 
fisheries.
    Pursuant to this mission, the Service acts as a trustee for injured 
natural resources when oil or hazardous substances are spilled or 
released into the environment. Through data collected, scientific 
assessment techniques, and extrapolated through economic analyses, 
trustees seek to identify the natural resources injured from oil or 
hazardous substances, determine the extent of the injuries, recover 
damages from those responsible, and plan and carry out restoration 
activities. The primary benefit of the Service's Natural Resource 
Damage Assessment and Response (NRDAR) program is to achieve 
restoration of injured resources for the benefit of the American 
people, and at no cost. This program seeks compensation from 
responsible parties to restore natural resources for all and allows all 
Americans to enjoy clean and safe public rivers and lands.
    One aspect of the NRDAR program relates to releases of oil or 
hazardous substances that result in the loss of wild trout populations. 
When wild trout populations are killed or injured during a release 
event, one remedy includes using hatchery trout to replace wild trout 
populations. The potential problem with this approach is that there is 
substantial anecdotal evidence that trout anglers view and value 
catching wild trout and hatchery trout differently. If anglers value 
wild trout lost in a spill or release more highly than hatchery trout, 
then they may not have been made fully whole by a restoration action 
that substitutes hatchery trout for wild trout.\1\ An examination of 
existing trout angler valuation studies found that, in the

[[Page 17869]]

majority of cases, no attempt was made to distinguish between angler 
values associated with fishing for hatchery vs. wild trout. This 
collection proposes a random survey of licensed anglers designed to 
elicit data sufficient to estimate any differences in preferences and 
values associated with fishing for wild vs. hatchery trout. The data 
generated through the proposed information collection will provide 
theoretically sound and statistically defensible estimates of angler 
experience values for use in gauging required compensation levels for 
lost or injured trout resources. For the current collection, State-
licensed angler populations from three States are included, focusing on 
three distinct trout fishing regions of the United States.
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    \1\ Department of the Interior regulations at 43 CFR 11.83 state 
that trustees may recover the replacement and/or acquisition of 
equivalent natural resources capable of providing such services (as 
injured) along with the compensable value of the services lost to 
the public through the completion of the baseline restoration, 
rehabilitation, replacement, and/or acquisition of equivalent 
natural resources.
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    Legal and administrative justifications for this collection can be 
found under 43 CFR part 11, Natural Resource Damage Assessments, 
through the authority of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, 
Compensation, and Liability Act, as amended, (CERCLA; 42 U.S.C. 9601 et 
seq.), and the Clean Water Act (CWA; 33 U.S.C. 1251-1376), which gives 
Federal agencies authority to assess damages to natural resources 
resulting from a release of a hazardous substance or a discharge of oil 
covered under CERCLA or the CWA and to seek recovery for those damages.
    The proposed collection and subsequent analysis will be used by the 
Service and other NRDAR trustees to improve methods used to properly 
compensate trout anglers for fishery injuries. The surveys will be 
designed to support the estimation of the appropriate ``compensation 
ratio'' between lost wild trout and hatchery trout used in restoration 
activities. This information will be used specifically by economists 
and other analysts tasked with assessing damages and scaling 
restoration activities.
    Further, while the primary goal of the collection is limited to 
estimating the appropriate compensation ratio between wild and hatchery 
trout, valuation data will also be collected to allow further 
refinement of this ratio by area of the Nation, type of water fished, 
type of fishing gear used, and consumptive vs. catch-and-release 
fishing, to allow results to be applied in future NRDAR cases across 
different geographies and demographics.
    This study includes a repeat contact mail-back/electronic survey of 
a random sample of licensed anglers drawn from three representative 
U.S. States (yet to be determined). We plan to contact a total of 3,000 
licensed anglers (1,000/State). Based on previous survey efforts using 
similar methods, we expect an average response rate of 40 percent 
across the 3 States, yielding 1,200 completed responses. The total 
burden for this one-time collection is estimated to be 300 hours.
    Mail/Online Follow-up Visitor Survey: The current collection 
benefits from and builds on a successful Minnesota (MN) 2021 survey 
instrument \2\ which incorporated a very similar structure, length, and 
willingness to pay elicitation question format. This MN random 
household mail survey was anticipated to have a 14-to-16 percent 
response rate--typical for this type of unsolicited random household 
survey. The final response rate for the MN survey was 21 percent, which 
was considered very good given the methodology and protocol used. This 
response rate also reflects the interest the general public has in the 
subject matter. For the Service's mail-back/internet surveys, the 
population (licensed anglers being asked about fishing) is much more 
targeted and engaged than the population for general random household 
surveys. The potential respondents are already engaged in the activity 
being surveyed, and, based on previous National Park Service (NPS) 
research that the project team has been involved in, are predisposed to 
cooperate with the survey effort. For this reason and based on the NPS 
visitor Socioeconomic Monitoring Program (SEM) mail-back response 
rates, it is anticipated that response rates for the Service's mail-
back/online survey will be 40 percent. Assuming a 40 percent response 
rate (n=1,200; 400/State) with a completion time of 15 minutes, the 
mail-back/online survey will result in a total burden of 300 hours.
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    \2\ The Minnesota survey and associated report were prepared 
for: Western Transportation Institute, College of Engineering, 
Montana State University and Nevada Department of Transportation 
NAS-NRC, for the following larger project: Wildlife Vehicle 
Collision (WVC) Reduction and Habitat Connectivity Task 1--Cost 
Effective Solutions Transportation Pooled-Fund Project TPF-5(358) 
(Administered by: Nevada Department of Transportation).
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    Title of Collection: Improving Our Understanding of How Trout 
Anglers Differ in Their Valuations Between Wild and Hatchery Trout.
    OMB Control Number: 1018-New.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: New.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals/households (licensed 
anglers drawn from three representative U.S. States).
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 1,200 (400 
respondents from 3 States).
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 1,200.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: 15 minutes.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 300.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: One time.
    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. 2024-05185 Filed 3-11-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P