[Federal Register: June 20, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 118)]
[Notices]
[Page 35444-35445]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20jn06-61]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Information Collection Renewal To Be Sent to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for Approval Under the Paperwork Reduction
Act; OMB Control Number 1018-0012; Declaration for Importation or
Exportation of Fish or Wildlife
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We (Fish and Wildlife Service) will ask OMB to renew approval
for our information collection associated with the importation or
exportation of fish or wildlife. The current OMB control number for
this information collection is 1018-0012, which expires on December 31,
2006. We will request that OMB renew approval of this information
collection for a 3-year term. As required by the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 and as part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork
and respondent burden, we invite the general public and other Federal
agencies to take this opportunity to comment on this information
collection.
DATES: You must submit comments on or before August 21, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments to Hope Grey, Information Collection
Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service, MS 222-ARLSQ, 4401 N.
Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203 (mail); hope_grey@fws.gov (e-mail);
or (703) 358-2269 (fax).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information
about this information collection request or the related forms, contact
Hope Grey at one at the addresses above or by telephone at (703) 358-
2482.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OMB regulations at 5 CFR part 1320, which
implement provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C.
3501 et seq.), require that interested members of the public and
affected agencies have an opportunity to comment on information
collection and recordkeeping activities (see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)). 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.
The Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) makes it
unlawful to import or export fish, wildlife, or plants without filing a
declaration or report deemed necessary for enforcing the Act or
upholding the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
(CITES) (see 16 U.S.C. 1538(e)). Any business or individual importing
into or exporting from the United States any fish, wildlife, or
wildlife product must complete FWS Form 3-177 (Declaration for
Importation or Exportation of Fish or Wildlife). This form as well as
FWS Form 3-177a (Continuation Sheet) and instructions for completion
are available for electronic submission at https://edecs.fws.gov.
The information that we collect is unique to each wildlife shipment
and enables us to accurately inspect the contents of the shipment;
enforce any regulations that pertain to the fish, wildlife, or wildlife
products contained in the shipment; and maintain records of the
importation and exportation of these commodities. Additionally, since
the United States is a member of CITES, we compile much of the
collected information in an annual report that we forward to the CITES
Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland. Submission of an annual report on
the number and types of imports and exports of fish, wildlife, and
wildlife products is one of our treaty obligations under CITES. We also
use the information obtained from FWS Form 3-177 as an enforcement tool
and management aid in monitoring the international wildlife market and
detecting trends and changes in the commercial trade of fish, wildlife,
and wildlife products. Our Division of Scientific Authority and
Division of Management Authority use this information to assess the
need for additional protection for native species. In addition,
nongovernmental organizations, including the commercial wildlife
community, request information from us that we obtain from FWS Form 3-
177.
Businesses or individuals must file FWS Form 3-177 with us at the
time and port where they request clearance of the import or export of
wildlife or wildlife products. In certain instances, FWS Form 3-177 may
be filed with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The standard
information collection
[[Page 35445]]
includes the name of the importer or exporter and broker, the
scientific and common name of the fish or wildlife, permit numbers (if
permits are required), a description of the fish or wildlife, quantity
and value of the fish or wildlife, and natural country of origin of the
fish or wildlife. In addition, certain information, such as the airway
bill or bill of lading number, the location of the fish or wildlife for
inspection, and the number of cartons containing fish or wildlife,
assists our wildlife inspectors if a physical examination of the
shipment is required. This information collection is part of a system
of records covered by the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552(a)).
Title: Declaration for Importation or Exportation of Fish or
Wildlife, 50 CFR 14.61-14.64.
OMB Control Number: 1018-0012.
Service Form Number: 3-177 and 3-177a.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion, whenever clearance is
requested for an importation or exportation of fish, wildlife, or
wildlife products.
Description of Respondents: Businesses or individuals that import
or export fish, wildlife, or wildlife products; scientific institutions
that import or export fish or wildlife scientific specimens; government
agencies that import or export fish or wildlife specimens for various
purposes.
Number of Respondents: 25,000.
Total Annual Responses: 168,920. We estimate that 94,595 (56
percent) will be electronic submissions and 74,325 (44 percent) will be
hard copy submissions.
Total Annual Burden Hours: 28,379 hours. We estimate the reporting
burden to average 14 minutes per response when completed by hand and 7
minutes per response for electronic submissions.
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Average time/
Type of submission Number of response Total burden
responses (minutes) hours
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Electronic................................................... 94,595 7 11,036
Hard Copy.................................................... 74,325 14 17,343
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Total.................................................... 168,920 ............... 28,379
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We invite comments concerning this information collection on: (1)
Whether or not the collection of information is useful and necessary
for us to do our job, (2) the accuracy of our estimate of the burden on
the public to complete the form; (3) ways to enhance the quality and
clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize
the burden of the collection on respondents. Comments submitted in
response to this notice are a matter of public record. We will include
and/or summarize each comment in our request to OMB to renew approval
for this information collection.
Dated: June 8, 2006.
Hope Grey,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. E6-9672 Filed 6-19-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P