Justification - Whale Alert

Project Title: Whale Alert

Program Office Sponsoring or Conducting this CSC Project: NOS/ONMS with assistance from NMFS

Authority for this CSC Project: CCSA, MMPA and ESA

Purpose of this CSC Project: This project allows/encourages all stakeholders to use an app to post and access real-time sightings of whales along the eastern and western seaboards of the United States, Southeast Alaska, Maritime Canada and other areas around the world. Information can be used by professional and recreational mariners to inform their upcoming marine operations in order to reduce vessel whale strikes. Therefore, this project will contribute to the conservation of depleted or threatened marine mammal species.

Type(s) of Information Collected and From Whom It Is Collected: This project collects real-time whale sighting information (lat/long and date/time) from bridge employees/captains of large vessels (cruise ships/ferries). It also allows the general public to report sightings. Whale identification is aided through a build in identification guide. Animals that are in distress (e.g., stranded, entangled or otherwise compromised) can be immediately reported to the proper authorities through the app’s providing “geosmart” contact information Photographs of whales are automatically logged with date, time and location.

Use of the Information: Real-time locations of whales are shared with other vetted users to avoid whale/ship collisions. Archived data can be used to locate areas being used by whales. This can be extremely important as climate changes.

Method(s) of Information Collection: electronically (internet, smartphones)

Affected Public: Individuals; Business or other for-profit organizations; Not-for-profit institutions; State government; Federal government

Estimated Average Annual Number of Participants: 40,000

Estimated Average Annual Number of Responses per Participant: 1.1

Estimated Average Minutes per Response: 0.96

Estimated Average Annual Burden Hours: 704

Estimated Total Annual Cost to Participants in this CSC Project: $0

Estimated Average Annual Costs to the Federal Government: $17,285

Estimated Average Annual Number of Federal Government Employees (FTEs): 0.1

Recruitment and Retention Methods for Voluntary Participants (SSA item 1): The Whale Alert app is available through the App Store and Google Play. Recruitment is made through personations at meetings with the maritime industry and boating groups.

Gifts or Payments (SSA Item 9): We do not plan to provide a gift or payment to the voluntary participants.

Annual and Multi-Year Schedules (SSA Item 16): The project is ongoing and continuous.

Display OMB Control No. and Expiration Date (SSA Item 17): This information will be provided when individuals sign up to participate in this CSC project.

Statistical Methods: This CSC project will not employ statistical methods.

Approval for Pretesting: This CSC project will not require additional pretesting with more than nine members of the public.

Supplemental Documents: There are two supplemental documents for this CSC project. One includes information about this project, how to participate in it and other recruitment information. The other provides screenshots from the mobile app the voluntary participants use to enter the requested information.

CERTIFICATION: I certify the following are true.

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The collection will not include highly influential scientific information, ,which is information NOAA or OMB determines: (i) could have a potential impact of more than $500 million in any year, or (ii) is novel, controversial, or precedent setting or has significant interagency interest.

5. The collection complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).

6. The collection will provide qualitative and quantitative data that help inform scientific research and monitoring, validate models or tools, support STEM learning, and enhance the quantity and quality of data collected to support NOAA’s mission.

Name: David Wiley