Notice2023-23533
Agency Information Collection Activities; Central Flyway Online Goose Harvest Assessment
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
October 25, 2023
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentGeological Survey
Abstract
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is proposing a new information collection.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 205 (Wednesday, October 25, 2023)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 205 (Wednesday, October 25, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73354-73355]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-23533]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Geological Survey
[GX24NN00TH3L700, OMB Control Number 1028-NEW]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Central Flyway Online
Goose Harvest Assessment
AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA),
the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is proposing a new information
collection.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
December 26, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments on this information collection request
(ICR) by mail to USGS, Information Collections Clearance Officer, 12201
Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 159, Reston, VA 20192; or by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1770643a7e7971784874787b7b7274637e787964576264706439707861"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="3651451b5f5850596955595a5a5355425f595845764345514518515940">[email protected]</span></a>. Please reference OMB Control Number 1028-NEW
Central Flyway Goose Harvest Assessment in the subject line of your
comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information
about this ICR, contact Jay VonBank by email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e08a968f8e82818e8ba095938793ce878f96"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ff958990919d9e9194bf8a8c988cd1989089">[email protected]</span></a>, or
by telephone at (701) 368-0177. 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 PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501
et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), all information collections require
approval. We may not conduct or sponsor, nor are you required to
[[Page 73355]]
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 the agency might 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 personally identifiable information (PII) in your
comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including your
PII--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us
in your comment to withhold your PII from public review, we cannot
guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Abstract: To estimate the species and age composition of U.S. goose
harvest, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) annually conducts two
separate surveys from a sample of hunters in each flyway: a Parts
Collection Survey (PCS) used to identify age and species of goose and
the Migratory Bird Harvest Survey (i.e., Diary Survey) to estimate the
total number of geese harvested. Data from each survey are then
combined post hoc to estimate species- and age-specific harvests.
Harvest data are then incorporated into models to estimate population
abundance for many goose species. These monitoring efforts are
essential to estimating annual harvest and subsequent population size,
but FWS managers have identified several potential biases that need to
be addressed. Information provided by hunters via the PCS may introduce
potential biases. Due to liberalization in bag limits and hunting-
season lengths, as well as PCS participation fatigue, some participants
only submit a subset of daily harvested waterfowl or do not request
additional envelopes to continue participation once the initial supply
of envelopes is exhausted (i.e., completeness bias). Thus, hunter-
collected samples for the PCS are likely temporally biased toward early
in the hunting season (e.g., hunters quit participating during the
hunting season, or they only submit as many samples as the initial
envelopes provided allow, with a decreasing number of hunters
requesting additional envelopes). Therefore, fewer parts are submitted
later in the season, resulting in a temporal harvest bias in addition
to a quantity- and completeness bias. Our proposed study aims to
integrate both surveys into one easily accessible, robust data
collection platform that reduces the burden on hunters and is expected
to increase participation. In an effort to develop and evaluate an
additional survey to the PCS and Diary Survey that may help to
alleviate the concerns outlined above, we propose the development of an
online/mobile application survey platform to allow goose harvest
reporting of species and age directly from hunters without the need to
participate in two surveys or to collect and mail parts. We propose a
short-term study within Central Flyway states on the design,
implementation, comparability, and efficacy of an online survey
methodology. This study will determine if such a survey is feasible to
accurately estimate future goose harvests and reduce the identified
biases, costs, burden, and time involved in the current PCS and Diary
surveys. Understanding biases and assumptions in current harvest survey
protocols has direct management implications as many goose harvest
strategies are predicated on harvest and population estimates.
Developing alternative methods to address these biases are necessary to
ensure accurate, reliable, and increasingly precise estimates of
harvest and abundance. Furthering our understanding of assumptions
related to current practices and surveys will aid in improving the
management process for North American goose populations.
Title of Collection: Central Flyway online goose harvest
assessment.
OMB Control Number: 1028-NEW.
Form Number: None.
Type of Review: New.
Respondents/Affected Public: General Public.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 3,552.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 4 per respondent (total
of 14,208 annual responses).
Estimated Completion Time per Response: 2 minutes.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 474 hours.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Frequency of Collection: Frequency Once annually.
Total Estimated Annual Non-hour Burden Cost: None.
An agency may not conduct or sponsor, nor is a person required to
respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently
valid OMB control number.
The authority for this action is the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
Robert A Gleason,
Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Center Director,
Midcontinent Region, USGS.
[FR Doc. 2023-23533 Filed 10-24-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4388-11-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 October 25, 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.