NOAA Seeks Comment on Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary ICR

The Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric administration, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Written comments must be submitted to NOAA on or before August 21, 2017.

This request is for a new information collection. NOAA is conducting research to estimate the market and non-market economic values associated with whale watching in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and the surrounding region. The required information is to conduct surveys of the for hire operations that take people out for non-consumptive recreation to watch whales or other wildlife, to obtain total use by type of activity (e.g. whale watching, and other wildlife observation) and the spatial use by type of activity. Information will also be obtained on the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of for-hire operations towards the sanctuary, sanctuary resources and sanctuary processes. Surveys will also be conducted of the passengers of the for-hire operation boats to obtain their market and nonmarket economic use values for whales and other wildlife. Information collected from passengers will include their expenditures, number of trips, activities while visiting the sanctuary and non-market value for improvements to whales and other sanctuary resources. An on-site survey will obtain information on demographic profiles, annual number of whale watching trips in SBNMS, and their non-market economic use value for improvements to whales and sanctuary resources.”

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