Notice2023-12786
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget; Horseshoe Crab and Cooperative Fish Tagging Programs
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
June 15, 2023
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentFish and Wildlife Service
Abstract
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.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 115 (Thursday, June 15, 2023)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 115 (Thursday, June 15, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39267-39270]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-12786]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R5-FAC-2023-N046; FXFR13350500000/234/FF05F24400; OMB Control
Number 1018-0127]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget; Horseshoe Crab and Cooperative Fish
Tagging Programs
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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
July 17, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of
this notice to <a href="https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>. 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 <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0f46616960504c6063634f69787c21686079"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="3970575f56667a565555795f4e4a175e564f">[email protected]</span></a>. Please reference ``1018-0127'' in the
subject line of your comments.
[[Page 39268]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Madonna L. Baucum, Service Information
Collection Clearance Officer, by email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0b42656d6454486467674b6d7c78256c647d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="561f3830390915393a3a1630212578313920">[email protected]</span></a>, 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.
On February 10, 2023, we published in the Federal Register (88 FR
8906) a notice of our intent to request that OMB approve this
information collection. In that notice, we solicited comments for 60
days, ending on April 11, 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 <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a> (Docket FWS-
R5-FAC-2023-0004) to provide the public with an additional method to
submit comments (in addition to the typical <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#420b2c242d1d012d2e2e022435316c252d34"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="fbb2959d94a4b8949797bb9d8c88d59c948d">[email protected]</span></a> email and
U.S. mail submission methods). We received the following comments in
response to that notice:
Comment 1: Electronic submission via <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a> (FWS-R5-FAC-
2023-0004-0002) received from Jean Publiee on February 10, 2023, which
did not address the information collection requirements.
Agency Response to Comment 1: The commenter did not address the
information collection requirements. No response required.
Comment 2: Electronic submission via <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a> (FWS-R5-FAC-
2023-0004-0003) received anonymously on April 11, 2023, which did not
address the information collection requirements.
Agency Response to Comment 2: The commenter did not address the
information collection requirements. No response required.
Comment 3: Electronic submission via <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a> (FWS-R5-FAC-
2023-0004-0004) received from Amanda Day on April 11, 2023:
A letter was submitted with comment 3, addressing a few key points
of the horseshoe crab tagging program and suggesting potential protocol
revisions. The commenter wrote that it was the wrong time to terminate
the crab tagging program, in part because it is the only mark-recapture
effort that can provide information on population and survival
estimates for horseshoe crabs. The commenter suggested that we employ a
standardized protocol for data comparability, select a minimum number
of beaches per State, conduct tag recovery surveys, develop datasheets,
use online data entry, and reconsider tagging by biomedical companies.
Agency Response to Comment 3: We appreciate the thoughtful response
regarding horseshoe crab tagging. Many of the protocol suggestions are
already in place. We currently provide datasheets to all interested
tagging partners and require tagging agencies/groups to conduct resight
surveys as part of their agreement to participate in the horseshoe crab
tagging program. Additionally, since we have added the online method
for tag reporting (at <a href="http://fws.gov/crabtag">fws.gov/crabtag</a>), about 95 percent of all tag
returns are submitted this way. We understand the concern over
biomedical companies tagging horseshoe crabs; however, the data
acquired by biomedical companies tagging bled horseshoe crabs has
proven to be very useful. It has helped us estimate survival rates of
bled crabs vs. unbled crabs, a long-time management concern over
biomedical bleeding of horseshoe crabs. As management continues to
refine best management practices for biomedical bleeding, tagging data
can provide insight into the effectiveness of those practices.
Comment 4: Electronic submission via <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a> (FWS-R5-FAC-
2023-0004-0005) received from the Delaware Riverkeeper Network on April
12, 2023:
The Delaware Riverkeeper Network (DRN) wrote a comment in support
of continuation of horseshoe crab tagging. They assist with a current
tagging partner and believe the program is useful in a number of ways,
including exposing members of the public to the unique experience of
working to help manage horseshoe crabs via tagging. The DRN suggested
deploying additional tags and also asked the Service to consider the
recent best management practices for biomedical bleeding, provided by
the Horseshoe Crab Recovery Coalition.
Agency Response to Comment 4: We appreciate the kind words about
the tagging program and the volunteer efforts by all those with DRN and
associated tagging partners. At this time, it would be difficult to
provide more tags to the American Littoral Society (ALS; the tagging
partner working with DRN), because we have a limited budget and already
provide tags. Additional tags result in higher costs, mainly stemming
from the associated rewards associated with recaptures of those tags by
the public. We will continue to work with the Atlantic States Marine
Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) and all tagging partners to best determine
the proper distribution of tags along the Atlantic Coast. Consideration
of the best management practices is outside of the scope of response
associated with this information collection.
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
[[Page 39269]]
cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Abstract: The Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742f)
requires the Department of the Interior to take steps ``required for
the development, advancement, management, conservation, and protection
of fishery resources.'' In addition, the Endangered Species Act of 1973
(16 U.S.C. 1531-1544), the Wildlife Coordination Act (16 U.S.C. 661-
666c), and the Anadromous Fish Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 757a-757g)
each authorize the Department of the Interior to enter into cooperative
agreements with stakeholders to protect and conserve fishery resources.
The Service's Maryland Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office (MDFWCO)
will collect information on horseshoe crabs and fishes captured by the
public. Tag information provided by the public will be used to estimate
recreational and commercial harvest rates, estimate natural mortality
rates, and evaluate migratory patterns, length and age frequencies, and
effectiveness of current regulations.
Horseshoe crabs play a vital role commercially, biomedically, and
ecologically along the Atlantic coast. Horseshoe crabs are commercially
harvested and used as bait in eel and conch fisheries. Biomedical
companies along the coast also collect and bleed horseshoe crabs at
their facilities. Limulus amebocyte lysate, derived from horseshoe crab
blood, is used by pharmaceutical companies to test sterility of
products. Finally, migratory shorebirds also depend on the eggs of
horseshoe crabs to refuel on their migrations from South America to the
Arctic. One bird in particular, the rufa red knot (Calidris canutus
rufa), feeds primarily on horseshoe crab eggs during its stopover.
Effective January 12, 2015, the rufa red knot was listed as threatened
under the Endangered Species Act (79 FR 73706; December 11, 2014).
In 1998, the ASMFC, a management organization with representatives
from each State on the Atlantic coast, developed a horseshoe crab
management plan. The ASMFC plan and its subsequent addenda established
mandatory State-by-State harvest quotas and created the 1,500-square-
mile Carl N. Shuster, Jr., Horseshoe Crab Sanctuary off the mouth of
Delaware Bay.
Restrictive measures have been taken in recent years; however,
populations are increasing slowly. Because horseshoe crabs do not breed
until they are 9 years or older, it may take some time before the
population measurably increases. Federal and State agencies,
universities, and biomedical companies participate in a Horseshoe Crab
Cooperative Tagging Program. The Service's MDFWCO maintains the
information collected under this program and uses it to evaluate
migratory patterns, survival, and abundance of horseshoe crabs.
Members of the public who recover tagged crabs provide the
following information using Form 3-2310 (Horseshoe Crab Recapture
Report):
<bullet> Tag number;
<bullet> Whether or not tag was removed;
<bullet> Condition of crab;
<bullet> Date captured/found;
<bullet> Crab fate;
<bullet> Finder type;
<bullet> Capture method;
<bullet> Capture location;
<bullet> Reporter information; and
<bullet> Comments.
Agencies that tag and release the crabs complete Form 3-2311
(Horseshoe Crab Tagging) and provide the Service with:
<bullet> Organization name;
<bullet> Contact person name;
<bullet> Tag number;
<bullet> Sex of crab;
<bullet> Prosomal width; and
<bullet> Capture site, latitude, longitude, waterbody, State, and
date.
At the request of the public participant reporting the tagged crab,
we send data pertaining to the tagging program and tag and release
information on the horseshoe crab tag that was found.
Fish will be tagged with an external tag containing a toll-free
number for MDFWCO. Tagged species of fish include striped bass (Morone
saxatilis), Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) and shortnose
sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum), northern snakehead (Channa argus),
and American shad (Alosa sapidissima). Members of the public reporting
a tag will be asked a series of questions pertaining to the fish that
they are referencing. The Service uses the following four forms to
collect information used by fisheries managers throughout the Atlantic
Coast, depending on species:
<bullet> Form 3-2493, ``American Shad Recapture Report'';
<bullet> Form 3-2494, ``Snakehead Recapture Report'';
<bullet> Form 3-2495, ``Striped Bass Recapture Report''; and
<bullet> Form 3-2496, ``Sturgeon Recapture Report.''
American shad are tagged by the New York Department of
Environmental Conservation (NYDEC), which retains all fish tagging
information. The public reports tags to MDFWCO, who provides
information on tag returns to NYDEC. Tag return data are used to
monitor migration and abundance of shad along the Atlantic coast.
Northern snakehead is an invasive species found in many watersheds
throughout the mid-Atlantic region. It has been firmly established in
the Potomac River since at least 2004 and is now in nearly every major
Chesapeake Bay tributary. Federal and State biologists within the
Chesapeake Bay watershed have been tasked with managing the impacts of
northern snakehead. Tagging of northern snakehead is used to learn more
about the species so that control efforts can be better informed.
Tagging is also used to estimate population sizes to monitor trends in
abundance. Recreational and commercial fishers reporting tags provide
information on harvest rates and migration patterns as well.
Striped bass are cooperatively managed by Federal and State
agencies through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
(ASMFC). The ASMFC uses fish tag return data to conduct stock
assessments for striped bass. The database and collection are housed
within MDFWCO, while the tagging is conducted by State agencies
participating in striped bass management. Without this data collection,
striped bass management would likely suffer from a lack of quality
data. As required by Congress under the Atlantic Striped Bass
Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 5151-5158), striped bass tagging data is
used to manage the coast-wide stock.
Sturgeon are tagged by Federal, State, and university biologists
and nongovernmental organizations along the U.S. east coast and into
Canada, and throughout the United States and Canada. Local populations
of Atlantic sturgeon have been listed as either threatened or
endangered since 2012, and shortnose populations have been listed since
1973. The information collected provides data on tag retention and
sturgeon movement along the east coast. The data are also used to
address some of the management and research needs identified by
amendment 1 to the ASMFC's Atlantic Sturgeon Fishery Management Plan.
Data collected across these tagging programs are similar in nature,
including:
<bullet> Tag number;
<bullet> Date of capture;
<bullet> Waterbody of capture;
<bullet> Capture method;
<bullet> Fish length, weight, and fate (whether released or
killed); and
<bullet> Fisher type (i.e., commercial, recreational, etc.).
[[Page 39270]]
In addition, if the tag reporter desires more information on their
tagged fish or wants the modest reward that comes with reporting a tag,
we ask their address so that we can mail them the information.
The public may request a copy of Form 3-156 contained in this
information collection by sending a request to the Service Information
Collection Clearance Officer (see ADDRESSES).
Title of Collection: Horseshoe Crab and Cooperative Fish Tagging
Programs.
OMB Control Number: 1018-0127.
Form Number: Forms 3-2310, 3-2311, and 3-2493 through 3-2496.
Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Respondents/Affected Public: Respondents include Federal and State
agencies, universities, and biomedical companies who conduct tagging,
and members of the general public who provide recapture information.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 2,026.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 3,648.
Estimated Completion Time per Response: Varies from 5 minutes to 95
hours, depending on activity.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 2,241.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Frequency of Collection: Respondents will provide information on
occasion, upon tagging or upon encounter with a tagged crab or fish.
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. 2023-12786 Filed 6-14-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on June 15, 2023.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.