Agency Information Collection Activities; Horseshoe Crab and Cooperative Fish Tagging Programs, 42359-42361 [2017-18934]
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 172 / Thursday, September 7, 2017 / Notices
proposed project area prior to ground
disturbing activities; (5) collecting seed
of the Ben Lomond spineflower within
the project area prior to the initiation of
ground disturbing activities, so that the
seeds can be used in the postconstruction restoration of temporarilydisturbed areas; and (6) permanently
protect habitat for the Mount Hermon
June beetle, Zayante band-winged
grasshopper, Ben Lomond spineflower,
and Ben Lomond wallflower to mitigate
for habitat impacts through the
permanent protection of 0.995-ac of
high quality habitat within the proposed
6.7-ac conservation easement; or, the
purchase of 0.813-ac of conservation
credits at the Zayante Sandhills
Conservation Bank. The applicant will
fund up to $346,064 to ensure
implementation of all minimization
measures, monitoring, and reporting
requirements identified in the HCP.
In the proposed HCP, the applicant
considers two alternatives to the
proposed action: ‘‘No Action’’ and
‘‘Redesign Project.’’ Under the ‘‘No
Action’’ alternative, an ITP for the water
tank replacement project would not be
issued. The proposed conservation
strategy and subsequent habitat
conservation would not occur, or,
alternatively, the purchase of
conservation credits would not be
provided to effect recovery actions for
the impacted species. The ‘‘No Action’’
alternative would not result in
necessary improvements to the existing
water tank and would not result in a net
benefit for the covered species;
therefore, the ‘‘No Action’’ alternative
has been rejected. Under the ‘‘Redesign
Project’’ alternative, the existing tank
would be replaced with a new smaller
tank that would fit within the existing
footprint, with temporary impacts
occurring within an approximately 0.12ac area. Under this alternative the new
tank would not provide enough water
storage for fire and/or other emergencies
in addition to meeting existing water
demand. Under this alternative the
District would permanently protect and
manage a smaller area within the
conservation easement, or purchase
fewer credits at the Zayante Sandhills
Conservation Bank. This alternative
would present a significant burden to
the District without significantly
reducing potential impacts to the
impacted species; therefore, the
‘‘Redesign Project’’ alternative has also
been rejected.
Our Preliminary Determination
We are requesting comments on our
preliminary determination that the
applicant’s proposal will have a minor
or negligible effect on the Mount
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Jkt 241001
Hermon June beetle, Zayante bandwinged grasshopper, Ben Lomond
spineflower, and Ben Lomond
wallflower, and that the plan qualifies
as a low-effect HCP as defined by our
Habitat Conservation Planning
Handbook. We base our determinations
on three criteria: (1) Implementation of
the proposed project as described in the
HCP would result in minor or negligible
effects on federally listed, proposed,
and/or candidate species and their
habitats; (2) implementation of the HCP
would result in minor or negligible
effects on other environmental values or
resources; and (3) HCP impacts,
considered together with those of other
past, present, and reasonably
foreseeable future projects, would not
result in cumulatively significant
effects. In our analysis of these criteria,
we have made a preliminary
determination that the approval of the
HCP and issuance of an ITP qualify for
categorical exclusion under NEPA (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), as provided by the
Department of the Interior
implementing regulations in part 46 of
title 43 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (43 CFR 46.205, 46.210, and
46.215). However, based upon our
review of public comments that we
receive in response to this notice, this
preliminary determination may be
revised.
Next Steps
We will evaluate the permit
application, including the plan and
comments we receive, to determine
whether the application meets the
requirements of section 10(a)(1)(B) of
the Act. We will also evaluate whether
issuance of the ITP would comply with
section 7(a)(2) of the Act by conducting
an intra-Service Section 7 consultation.
Public Review
We provide this notice under section
10(c) of the Act and the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as
amended (NEPA), and NEPA’s public
involvement regulations (40 CFR
1500.1(b), 1500.2(d), and 1506.6). We
are requesting comments on our
determination that the applicants’
proposal will have a minor or neglible
effect on the Mount Hermon June beetle,
Zayante band-winged grasshopper, Ben
Lomond spineflower, and Ben Lomond
wallflower, and that the plan qualifies
as a low-effect HCP as defined by our
Habitat Conservation Planning
Handbook. We will evaluate the permit
application, including the plan and
comments we receive, to determine
whether the application meets the
requirements of section 10(a)(1)(B) of
the Act. We will use the results of our
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42359
internal Service consultation, in
combination with the above findings, in
our final analysis to determine whether
to issue the permits. If the requirements
are met, we will issue an ITP to the
applicant for the incidental take of
Mount Hermon June beetle and Zayante
band-winged grasshopper. We will
make the final permit decision no
sooner than 30 days after the date of this
notice.
Public Comments
If you wish to comment on the permit
applications, plans, and associated
documents, you may submit comments
by any one of the methods in
ADDRESSES.
Public Availability of Comments
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 view, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Authority
We provide this notice under section
10 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.)
and NEPA regulations (40 CFR 1506.6).
Dated: August 31, 2017.
Stephen P. Henry,
Field Supervisor, Ventura Fish and Wildlife
Office, Ventura, California.
[FR Doc. 2017–18970 Filed 9–6–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R5–FR–2017–N106; FF05F24400–
167–FXFR13350500000; OMB Control
Number 1018–0127]
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Horseshoe Crab and
Cooperative Fish Tagging Programs
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of information collection;
request for comment.
AGENCY:
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 with revisions.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before
November 6, 2017.
SUMMARY:
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42360
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 172 / Thursday, September 7, 2017 / Notices
Send your comments on the
information collection request (ICR) by
mail to the Service Information
Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, MS: BPHC, 5275
Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041–
3803 (mail); or by email to Info_Coll@
fws.gov. Please reference OMB Control
Number 1018–0127 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 Info_
Coll@fws.gov, 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 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: The Maryland Fish &
Wildlife Conservation Office
(MDFWCO) will collect information on
fishes captured by the public. Tag
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ADDRESSES:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:42 Sep 06, 2017
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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
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 Atlantic States Marine
Fisheries Commission (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 1,500square-mile Carl N. Shuster, Jr.,
Horseshoe Crab Sanctuary off the mouth
of Delaware Bay.
Restrictive measures have been taken
in recent years, but 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.
Agencies that tag and release the crabs
complete FWS Form 3–2311 (Horseshoe
Crab Tagging) and provide the Service
with:
• Organization name.
• Contact person name.
• Tag number.
• Sex of crab.
• Prosomal width.
• Capture site, latitude, longitude,
waterbody, State, and date.
Members of the public who recover
tagged crabs provide the following
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
information using FWS Form 3–2310
(Horseshoe Crab Recapture Report):
• Tag number.
• Whether or not tag was removed.
• Whether the tag was circular or
square.
• Condition of crab.
• Date captured/found.
• Crab fate.
• Finder type.
• Capture method.
• Capture location.
• Reporter information.
• Comments.
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 that was found or
captured.
We propose a revision to this existing
collection of information to include four
forms currently in use which are used
by the Service:
• Form 3–2493, ‘‘American Shad
Recapture Report’’;
• Form 3–2494, ‘‘Snakehead
Recapture Report’’;
• Form 3–2495, ‘‘Striped Bass
Recapture Report’’; and,
• Form 3–2496, ‘‘Sturgeon Recapture
Report.’’
Fish will be tagged with an external
tag containing a toll-free number that is
housed at MDFWCO. Members of the
public reporting a tag will be asked a
series of questions pertaining to the fish
that they are referencing. This data will
be used by fisheries managers
throughout the east coast and midAtlantic region, depending on species.
Currently the species that are tagged
are Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis),
Atlantic (Acipenser oxyrinchus) and
Shortnose Sturgeon (Acipenser
brevirostrum), Northern Snakehead
(Channa argus), and American Shad
(Alosa sapidissima). 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 is 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.
Sturgeon are tagged by federal, state,
and university biologists, and NGO’s
along the U.S. east coast and into
Canada, and throughout the U.S. and
Canada. Local populations of Atlantic
sturgeon have been listed as either
threatened or endangered since 2012
E:\FR\FM\07SEN1.SGM
07SEN1
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 172 / Thursday, September 7, 2017 / Notices
and shortnose populations since 1973.
The information collected provides data
on tag retention and sturgeon movement
along the east coast. The data is also
used to address some of the
management and research needs
identified by the ASMFC Amendment 1
to the Atlantic Sturgeon Fishery
Management Plan.
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.
Federal and state biologists within the
Potomac River 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 fluctuations in population
size. Recreational and commercial
fishers reporting tags provide
information on catch rates and
migration patterns as well.
American Shad are tagged by the NY
Department of Environmental
Conservation (NYDEC) and they retain
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.
Data collected across these tagging
programs is similar in nature, including:
Tag number, date of capture, waterbody
of capture, capture method, fish length,
fish weight, fish fate (whether released
or killed), fisher type (i.e., commercial,
recreational, etc.). 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.
Title of Collection: Horseshoe Crab
and Cooperative Fish Tagging Programs.
OMB Control Number: 1018–0127.
Form Number: FWS Forms 3–2310, 3–
2311, and 3–2493 through 3–2496.
Type of Review: Revision 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 provide
recapture information.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Respondents: 1,987.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Responses: 3,656.
Estimated Completion Time per
Response: Varies from 5 minutes to 95
hours, depending on activity.
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Total Estimated Number of Annual
Burden Hours: 2,682 (rounded).
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.).
Dated: August 31, 2017.
Madonna L. Baucum,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2017–18934 Filed 9–6–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLES961000 L14400000 BK0000 17X]
Notice of Filing of Plats Survey;
Eastern States
Notice of official filing.
The Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) Eastern States
Office is publishing this notice to
inform the public of the intent to
officially file the survey plat listed
below, and afford a proper period of
time to protest this action prior to the
plat filing. During this time, the plat
will be available for review in the BLM
Eastern States Office. The surveys,
which were executed at the request of
the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the
BLM, are necessary for the management
of these lands.
DATES: Unless there are protests of this
action, the filing of the plat described in
this notice will be filed on October 10,
2017.
ADDRESSES: BLM Eastern States Office,
20 M Street SE., Suite 950, Washington
DC, 20003.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Leon Chmura, Acting Chief Cadastral
Surveyor for Eastern States; (202) 912–
7760. Bureau of Land Management,
Eastern States Office, 20 M Street SE.,
Suite 950, Washington DC, 20003. Attn:
Cadastral Survey. Persons who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Relay
Service (FRS) at 1–800–877–8339 to
contact the above individual during
normal business hours. The FRS is
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
AGENCY:
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
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42361
to leave a message or question with the
above individual. You will receive a
reply during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A person
or party who wishes to protest a survey
must file a notice that they wish to
protest with the Chief, Branch of
Cadastral Survey. A statement of
reasons for a protest may be filed with
the notice of protest and must be filed
with the Chief, Branch of Cadastral
Survey within 30 days after the protest
is filed. If a protest against the survey is
received prior to the date of official
filing, the filing will be stayed pending
consideration of the protest. A plat will
not be officially filed until the day after
all protests have been dismissed or
otherwise resolved. 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.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs
requested this survey in Township 7
North, Range 10 East, Choctaw
Meridian, Mississippi for the
management of trust lands.
The plat of survey represents the
dependent resurvey of a portion of the
subdivisional lines; the survey of the
subdivision of sections 14 and 23; and
the metes and bounds survey of parcels
held in trust for the Mississippi Band of
Choctaw in sections 14 and 23 of
Township 7 North, Range 10 East, of the
Choctaw Meridian, in the state of
Mississippi, and was accepted
September 30th, 2016. A copy of the
described plat will be placed in the
open files, and available to the public as
a matter of information.
Leon Chmura,
Acting Chief Cadastral Surveyor.
[FR Doc. 2017–18959 Filed 9–6–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–GJ–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS–WASO–NRNHL–24008;
PPWOCRADI0, PCU00RP14.R50000]
National Register of Historic Places;
Notification of Pending Nominations
and Related Actions
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
E:\FR\FM\07SEN1.SGM
07SEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 172 (Thursday, September 7, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42359-42361]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-18934]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R5-FR-2017-N106; FF05F24400-167-FXFR13350500000; OMB Control
Number 1018-0127]
Agency Information Collection Activities; 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 with revisions.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
November 6, 2017.
[[Page 42360]]
ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the information collection request
(ICR) by mail to the Service Information Collection Clearance Officer,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: BPHC, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls
Church, VA 22041-3803 (mail); or by email to Info_Coll@fws.gov. Please
reference OMB Control Number 1018-0127 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 Info_Coll@fws.gov, 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 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: The Maryland Fish & Wildlife Conservation Office (MDFWCO)
will collect information on 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 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 Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (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, but
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.
Agencies that tag and release the crabs complete FWS Form 3-2311
(Horseshoe Crab Tagging) and provide the Service with:
Organization name.
Contact person name.
Tag number.
Sex of crab.
Prosomal width.
Capture site, latitude, longitude, waterbody, State, and
date.
Members of the public who recover tagged crabs provide the
following information using FWS Form 3-2310 (Horseshoe Crab Recapture
Report):
Tag number.
Whether or not tag was removed.
Whether the tag was circular or square.
Condition of crab.
Date captured/found.
Crab fate.
Finder type.
Capture method.
Capture location.
Reporter information.
Comments.
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 that was found or captured.
We propose a revision to this existing collection of information to
include four forms currently in use which are used by the Service:
Form 3-2493, ``American Shad Recapture Report'';
Form 3-2494, ``Snakehead Recapture Report'';
Form 3-2495, ``Striped Bass Recapture Report''; and,
Form 3-2496, ``Sturgeon Recapture Report.''
Fish will be tagged with an external tag containing a toll-free
number that is housed at MDFWCO. Members of the public reporting a tag
will be asked a series of questions pertaining to the fish that they
are referencing. This data will be used by fisheries managers
throughout the east coast and mid-Atlantic region, depending on
species.
Currently the species that are tagged are Striped Bass (Morone
saxatilis), Atlantic (Acipenser oxyrinchus) and Shortnose Sturgeon
(Acipenser brevirostrum), Northern Snakehead (Channa argus), and
American Shad (Alosa sapidissima). 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 is 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.
Sturgeon are tagged by federal, state, and university biologists,
and NGO's along the U.S. east coast and into Canada, and throughout the
U.S. and Canada. Local populations of Atlantic sturgeon have been
listed as either threatened or endangered since 2012
[[Page 42361]]
and shortnose populations since 1973. The information collected
provides data on tag retention and sturgeon movement along the east
coast. The data is also used to address some of the management and
research needs identified by the ASMFC Amendment 1 to the Atlantic
Sturgeon Fishery Management Plan.
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. Federal and state biologists
within the Potomac River 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
fluctuations in population size. Recreational and commercial fishers
reporting tags provide information on catch rates and migration
patterns as well.
American Shad are tagged by the NY Department of Environmental
Conservation (NYDEC) and they retain 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.
Data collected across these tagging programs is similar in nature,
including: Tag number, date of capture, waterbody of capture, capture
method, fish length, fish weight, fish fate (whether released or
killed), fisher type (i.e., commercial, recreational, etc.). 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.
Title of Collection: Horseshoe Crab and Cooperative Fish Tagging
Programs.
OMB Control Number: 1018-0127.
Form Number: FWS Forms 3-2310, 3-2311, and 3-2493 through 3-2496.
Type of Review: Revision 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 provide recapture information.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 1,987.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 3,656.
Estimated Completion Time per Response: Varies from 5 minutes to 95
hours, depending on activity.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 2,682 (rounded).
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.).
Dated: August 31, 2017.
Madonna L. Baucum,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-18934 Filed 9-6-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
