Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act
(MMPA) Section 402, the Secretary (i.e., Secretary of Commerce, who
has delegated responsibility under this Act to the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Assistant Administrator for
Fisheries) is responsible for collecting information on strandings
which the Secretary will compile and analyze, by region, to monitor
species, numbers, conditions, and causes of illnesses and deaths of
stranded marine mammals. The Secretary is also responsible for
collection of information on other life history and reference level
data, including marine mammal tissue analyses, that would allow
comparison of the causes of illness and deaths in stranded marine
mammals with physical, chemical, and biological environmental
parameters.
US Code:
16
USC 1421a Name of Law: Marine Mammal Protection Act
Adjustments: Based on recent
submissions, we estimate 8,900 responses per year for the two
existing forms (Stranding Reports and Rehabilitation Disposition
forms), an increase of 3,100 from the last extension. There is an
associated increase of 1,550 hours. This increase is solely due to
an increase in the number of strandings, and not a change in the
estimated amount of time it will take to fill out the forms. A five
year average was used to estimate the number of annual responses,
and in recent years there has been an increase in cases requiring
Stranding Reports and Rehabilitation Disposition forms, mostly
attributed to several high profile Unusual Mortality Events (UMEs).
As these UMEs subside, the number of cases requiring these forms
should decrease. There is an increase in cost associated with
increased postage, but due to a significant increase in electronic
submission, there is a net decrease from $1,299 to $111.51 for the
Stranding Reports and Rehabilitation Disposition forms. Program
Change: Using a five year average of the number of strandings that
will require this form (i.e., all cases that are code 1-3), we
estimate that the new Human Interaction data sheet will increase
the total amount of hours by 3,788. Due to the creation of an
electronic submission format before the form is required, and based
on the current percent usage of the two existing electronic forms,
we estimate that only 3% of respondents will submit paper forms.
Therefore, the associated total cost will only increase by
$67.00.
$94,101
No
No
No
No
No
Uncollected
Stephen Manley 301
427-8476
No
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.