74 FR 42 pgs. 9618-9619 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review; Comment Request; Survey To Evaluate the Effectiveness of Mississippi Delta Fish Advisories
Type: NOTICEVolume: 74Number: 42Pages: 9618 - 9619
Docket number: [Docket No. FDA-2008-N-0553]
FR document: [FR Doc. E9-4644 Filed 3-4-09; 8:45 am]
Agency: Health and Human Services Department
Sub Agency: Food and Drug Administration
Official PDF Version: PDF Version
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Food and Drug Administration
[Docket No. FDA-2008-N-0553]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review; Comment Request; Survey To Evaluate the Effectiveness of Mississippi Delta Fish Advisories
AGENCY:
Food and Drug Administration, HHS.
ACTION:
Notice.
SUMMARY:
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing that a proposed collection of information has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
DATES:
Fax written comments on the collection of information by April 6, 2009.
ADDRESSES:
To ensure that comments on the information collection are received, OMB recommends that written comments be faxed to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB, Attn: FDA Desk Officer, FAX: 202-395-6974, or e-mailed to oira_submission@omb.eop.gov. All comments should be identified with the OMB control number 0910-NEW and title "Survey to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Mississippi Delta Fish Advisories." Also include the FDA docket number found in brackets in the heading of this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jonna Capezzuto, Office of Information Management (HFA-710), Food and Drug Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, 301-796-3794.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
In compliance with 44 U.S.C. 3507, FDA has submitted the following proposed collection of information to OMB for review and clearance.
Survey to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Mississippi Delta Fish Advisories-(OMB Control Number 0910-NEW)
The proposed survey will gather information about fishing and fish consumption habits in the Mississippi Delta region, as well as the respondents' awareness and understanding of the Regional Delta Advisory (RDA) issued by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. Under section 903(b)(2) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 393(b)(2)), FDA is authorized to conduct research relating to foods and to conduct educational and public information programs relating to the safety of the nation's food supply. In June 2005, the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Office of Water and FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition finalized a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enhance collaboration between FDA and EPA regarding environmental contaminants in fish and shellfish and the safety of fish and shellfish for U.S. consumers. The MOU is available at http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish/files/moufdaepa.pdf .
The proposed study is phase two of a two phase study designed to determine whether existing fish consumption recommendations issued by the State of Mississippi are adequately protecting sport and subsistence consumers of fish harvested from Delta waters. The final report of phase one, entitled "Recommended Study Design for a Survey to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Mississippi Delta Fish Advisories," is available at http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish/technical/ms-delta.html . Based on the report cited in this paragraph, FDA is conducting the proposed survey on behalf of EPA to evaluate the effectiveness of the Mississippi Delta Fish Advisories. The proposed survey will collect information on the extent to which Delta sport and subsistence fishermen and their families are aware of the RDA and its recommendations and the extent to which the respondents have changed their fish consumption behaviors as a result of the advisory. The survey will also document specific behavior changes resulting from the RDA, such as increases or decreases in the amount of locally harvested fish consumed, changes in methods of fish preparation, and consumption or avoidance of specific species of fish.
Results of the survey will provide EPA information about fishing and fish consumption habits in the Mississippi Delta region, as well as the respondents' awareness and understanding of the RDA.
The respondents will be selected from four counties in the Mississippi Delta region. Counties were selected to include a mix of rural and non-rural areas and areas with major water resources affected by the advisory. The selected counties are Coahoma, Holmes, Leflore, and Washington. Only the part of Holmes County that is within the advisory area will be included in the survey.
The total sample will include 400 on-the-banks interviews and 600 household interviews of sport and subsistence fishers who harvest noncommercial fish from the Mississippi Delta advisory area, and individuals in the Mississippi Delta area who consume wild-caught fish from the advisory area. FDA estimates that the survey will take approximately 18 minutes to complete, for a total burden of 300 hours (1,000 x 0.3 = 300).
FDA will conduct 6 cognitive interviews and 20 pretests prior to fielding the survey, for a total additional burden of 16 hours.
In the Federal Register of October 24, 2008 (73 FR 63487), FDA published a 60-day notice requesting public comment on the information collection provisions. No comments were received.
FDA estimates the burden of this collection of information as follows:
| Activity | No. of respondents | Annual frequency per response | Total annual responses | Hours per response | Total hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive Interviews | 6 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 6 |
| Pretest | 20 | 1 | 20 | .5 | 10 |
| Survey | 1,000 | 1 | 1,000 | .30 | 300 |
| Total | 316 | ||||
| 1 There are no capital costs or operating and maintenance costs associated with this collection of information. | |||||
FDA's burden estimate is based on the agency's prior experience with surveys similar to the proposed survey.
Dated: February 24, 2009.
Jeffrey Shuren,
Associate Commissioner for Policy and Planning.
[FR Doc. E9-4644 Filed 3-4-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-01-S