2022-18497. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation (FHWAR)

AGENCY:

Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of information collection; request for comment.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are proposing to revise a currently approved information collection.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before September 28, 2022.

ADDRESSES:

Send your comments on the information collection request (ICR) before the close of the comment period listed under DATES to https://www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain. 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, 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS: PRB (JAO/3W), Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 (mail); or by email to [e-mail]. Please reference OMB Control No. 1018-0088 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 [e-mail], or by telephone at [phone]. 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. You may also view the ICR at https://www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain.

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 April 26, 2022, we published a Federal Register notice (87 FR 24584) with a 60-day public comment period soliciting comments on this collection of information. 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 at https://www.regulations.gov (Docket No. FWS-HQ-WSFR-2022-0035) to provide the public with an additional method to submit comments (in addition to the typical [e-mail] email and U.S. mail submission methods). We received the following comments in response to that notice:

Comment 1: Email comment from Jean Public received April 26, 2022: The commenter did not address the information collection requirements.

Agency Response to Comment 1: No response required.

Comment 2: Letter (submitted via email) from Holly Huchko, Endangered Species Act Program Specialist/Sport Fish Restoration Coordinator for the State of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, received May 17, 2022:

The data provided in the National FHWAR Survey is used by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife when working with their partners and public. It has also been the source of the freshwater/saltwater split calculation for their fishing management funding. Collecting information through mail and digital format properly reaches their angling and hunting constituents.

Agency Response to Comment 2: The methodology for the 2022 FHWAR survey is responsive to the needs identified in this comment. Oregon and other coastal States will continue to receive data on the number of freshwater/saltwater anglers within their respective States, free of cost. The 2022 FHWAR survey responses will also be fielded in mail, telephone, and web modes.

Comment 3: Comment submitted on June 23, 2022, via Regulations.gov (FWS-HQ-WSFR-2022-0035-0002) from Friends of Animals:

Wildlife watchers should be a source of funding for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in addition to hunters and anglers and boaters. Quantifying wildlife watching participation and expenditures will enable the appropriate management of non-consumptive wildlife-related recreation and funding. Birdwatching questions should be asked during all three waves of data collection.

Agency Response to Comment 3: Birding has always been a subset of all wildlife watching in this Survey; we include people who bird in our total wildlife watching estimates. After the 2022 questionnaire was finalized for the screening and Wave 1 interview, we decided birding warranted its own participation estimate. With this submission, we are putting the birding participation questions back in. We won't have clearance until Wave 3 at the earliest. The Survey is not part of/involved in the funding source for the Service.

Comment 4: Comment submitted on June 26, 2022, via Regulations.gov (FWS-HQ-WSFR-2022-0035-0003) from Anonymous:

The commenter did not address the information collection requirements.

Agency Response to Comment 4: No response required.

As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burdens, we are again inviting 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. 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 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 information collected for the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation (FHWAR) assists the Fish and Wildlife Service in administering the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration grant programs. The 2022 FHWAR survey will provide up-to-date information on the uses and demands for wildlife-related recreation resources and a basis for developing and evaluating programs and projects to meet existing and future needs.

We collect the information in conjunction with carrying out our responsibilities under the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 777-777m) and the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669-669i). Under these acts, as amended, we provide approximately $1 billion in grants annually to States for projects that support sport fish and wildlife management and restoration, including:

• Improvement of fish and wildlife habitats,
• Fishing and boating access,
• Fish stocking, and
• Hunting and fishing opportunities.

We also provide grants for aquatic education and hunter education, maintenance of completed projects, and research into problems affecting fish and wildlife resources. These projects help to ensure that the American people have adequate opportunities for fish and wildlife recreation. We conduct the survey about every 5 years. The 2022 FHWAR survey will be the 14th conducted since 1955. We sponsor the survey at the States' request, which is made through the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. We contract with the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago, which collects the information using internet, telephone, or mail-in paper-and-pencil instrument (PAPI).

Respondents are invited to take the survey with a mailed letter. NORC will select a sample of sportspersons and wildlife watchers from a household screen and conduct three detailed interviews during the survey year. The survey collects information on the number of days of participation, species of animals sought, and expenditures for trips and equipment. Information on the characteristics of participants includes age, income, sex, education, race, and State of residence. The Wave 3 Freshwater/Saltwater Ratio Questionnaire is designed to get freshwater and saltwater fishing data for coastal states. The Service's Wildlife and Sportfish Restoration Program is required to divide fishing management funds according to the ratio of freshwater and saltwater anglers in each coastal state.

Federal and State agencies use information from the survey to make policy decisions related to fish and wildlife restoration and management. Participation patterns and trend information help identify present and future needs and demands. Land management agencies use the data on expenditures and participation to assess the value of wildlife-related recreational uses of natural resources. Wildlife-related recreation expenditure information is used to estimate the impact on the economy and to support the dedication of tax revenues for fish and wildlife restoration programs.

Proposed Revisions

The 2022 FHWAR does not currently include the questions on birdwatching participation and days of participation that had been asked in previous rounds of the FHWAR. However, due to high interest in the birdwatching data, we are submitting an amendment to add these questions to the survey. These questions will be included in Wave 3 and will ask about participation in birdwatching and days of participation for the 12-month reference period of 2022. The sample will not be affected and will be the same across modes.

Below are the questions we will add to the Wave 3 wildlife watching questionnaire:

• Last year (from January 1 to December 31, 2022), did you closely observe or try to identify birds around your home, meaning the area within a 1-mile radius of your home?
• Last year (from January 1 to December 31, 2022), on how many days did you closely observe or try to identify birds around your home?
• Last year (from January 1 to December 31, 2022), on your wildlife watching trips or outings within the United States, did you closely observe birds?
• Last year (from January 1 to December 31, 2022), on how many days did you closely observe birds on your wildlife watching trips or outings within the United States?

Title of Collection: National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation (FHWAR).

OMB Control Number: 1018-0088.

Form Number: None.

Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved information collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals/households.

Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.

Frequency of Collection: Screener data collection was conducted from January through March 2022. The first detailed sportsperson and wildlife-watcher interviews was conducted in May 2022. The second detailed interviews will be conducted in September 2022. The third and final detailed interviews will be conducted in January 2023.

Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.

Activity	Estimated number of household responses	Median completion time per response (minutes)	Estimated burden hours *
2022 Screener Survey:
Screener: web	27,639	9	4,146
Screener: phone	1,000	15	250
Screener: PAPI	31,361	10	5,227
2022 Wave 1 Survey:
Wave Questionnaires: web	43,068	13	9,331
Wave Questionnaires: phone	833	22	305
Wave Questionnaires: PAPI	6,972	14	1,627
2022 Wave 2 Survey:
Wave Questionnaires: web	32,173	13	6,971
Wave Questionnaires: phone	833	22	305
Wave Questionnaires: PAPI	3,645	14	851
2022 Wave 3 Survey:
Wave Questionnaires: web	46,773	13	10,134
Wave Questionnaires: phone	950	22	348
Wave Questionnaires: PAPI	11,811	14	2,756
Wave 3 Fishing-Only Questionnaire	13,500	3	675
Grand Total	220,558		42,926
* Rounded.

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.