Justification - Honu Count

Project Title: Honu Count

Program Office Sponsoring or Conducting this CSC Project: NMFS/PIFSC

Authority for this CSC Project: CCSA, CZMA, NEPA, and ESA

Purpose of this CSC Project: This project provides information NMFS uses in making abundance estimate and migratory behavior of Hawaiian green sea turtles

Type(s) of Information Collected and From Whom It Is Collected: This project collects turtle sighting information including photos, GPS location, and date/time.

Use of the Information: NMFS uses this information to inform status assessments and critical habitat designations.

Method(s) of Information Collection: electronically, email

Affected Public: Individuals or households; Not-for-profit institutions; State, Local, or Tribal government; Federal government

Estimated Average Annual Number of Participants: 300

Estimated Average Annual Number of Responses per Participant: 2

Estimated Average Minutes per Response: 5

Estimated Average Annual Burden Hours: 50

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

Estimated Average Annual Costs to the Federal Government: $10,000

Estimated Average Annual Number of Federal Government Employees (FTEs): 0.06

Recruitment and Retention Methods for Voluntary Participants (SSA item 1): The Marine Turtle Biology and Assessment Program are in the process of creating a NOAA-hosted website to inform the public about the project, which houses the link to provide data more efficiently (or explains how the app can be downloaded for frequent users). MTBAP plans to publicly announce the website in the coming months via media (news outlets), fliers at local dive shops, and perhaps the state tourism authorities. MTBAP will also present this project at the upcoming annual International Sea Turtle Symposium (March 2023).

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): Beginning Date: 2017; Ending date: not applicable; completion of report(s): annual update of website to disseminate data publically, publication date: annual inclusion of data in project reports that use the data.

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 and at the Honu Count website.

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: The two supplemental documents for this CSC project are as follows:

1. A clean copy draft of revised educational and recruitment information, which identifies the requested information and how to submit it

2. Screenshots from the data entry app on a NOAA website.

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: Camryn D. Allen