BDCO ss new 2009_082509 Part A

SUPPORTING STATEMENT
BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN CONSERVATION OUTREACH SURVEY
OMB CONTROL NO. 0648-xxxx

A.

JUSTIFICATION

This request is for a new information collection.
1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary.
These surveys will be used to achieve two main goals. These are:
1) To assess the effectiveness of various outreach tools that were implemented as part of the
NMFS “Protect Dolphins” campaign, which educates the public that feeding and harassment of
wild dolphins is illegal and harmful; and
(2) To determine if there are more applicable and appropriate outreach tools to convey the
“Protect Dolphins” campaign message to the intended audience.
The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and its implementing regulations at 50 CFR 216
prohibit harassment and feeding of wild marine mammals. Feeding is specifically identified as a
“take,” which means to harass, hunt, capture, or kill, or attempt to harass, hunt, capture, or kill
any marine mammal. The harmful effects of feeding and harassing wild dolphins are well
documented by scientific researchers. Feeding wild marine mammals alters their natural
behavior; reduces their wariness of people and boats, which increases their risk of getting hit by
a propeller and/or entangled in fishing line; harms them by feeding contaminated or
inappropriate food and non-food items; and poses a significant safety risk to humans.
Due to the proliferation of illegal feeding and harassment activities, the National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS) initiated a nationwide campaign in 1997, called “Protect Dolphins,” to
educate the public about the legalities and harm of feeding and harassing dolphins in the wild.
The NMFS Southeast Regional Office (SERO) also developed marine mammal and sea turtle
viewing guidelines to help recreational and commercial boaters view marine mammals
responsibly and avoid harmful interactions. Since the initiation of the Protect Dolphins
campaign, the SERO has also worked collaboratively with stakeholders on various outreach and
education efforts to raise awareness about the harmful impacts of feeding and harassing dolphins
in the wild, as well as how to responsibly view them.
Despite these outreach efforts, feeding and harassment of wild dolphins continue to increase in
the southeast region, which may be attributed to both commercial and recreational user groups
and the ability to enjoy water activities year-round. Florida has several known “hot-spots” in
which commercial dolphin tours are prevalent, such as Panama City/Destin, the Florida Keys,
and St.Petersburg/Tampa/Sarasota. In some cases, tourists are brought to locations where
dolphins are known to aggregate and provided with the opportunity to closely interact with
dolphins in the wild. The extent to which dolphin feeding is encouraged on commercial dolphin
tours is unknown, but it is certain these activities occur at some level, despite outreach efforts.

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Prevalent feeding of wild dolphins by all user groups may also be contributing to other
conservation concerns, such as dolphins stealing bait and catch from recreational angler’s gear.
These interactions are increasingly evident with recreational boaters and anglers in locations
such as Panama City, Indian River Lagoon, and Sarasota, Florida. This behavioral change in the
dolphin’s foraging strategy results in fishing line entanglement and ingestion of both fishing line
and lures/hooks. This is evident by a marked increase in dolphin strandings in 2006 with
recreational gear attached in Florida.
Due to the increases in harmful human interactions with dolphins in the wild, coupled with a
diversity of user groups and target audiences, NMFS recognizes more information is still needed
about the human dimension of this management issue. An effective way to collect this
information is by directly asking those user groups and target audiences about their knowledge
and attitudes of issues concerning harassment of dolphins and how that information was
acquired. This can be accomplished through surveys administered in locations where these
groups work or recreate. This project will assist NMFS in gathering information about the target
audience and help determine more effective management and outreach strategies to decrease the
prevalence of dolphin feeding and harassment in Florida, as well as measure the effectiveness of
existing outreach strategies. Specifically, the collection of this information will aid and enhance
NMFS’ ability to reduce harmful and illegal interactions between humans and dolphins in the
wild; foster public awareness about harmful interactions; and encourage responsible viewing of
dolphins in the wild, thus aiding in their conservation. This project may also help raise
awareness for more effectively targeted outreach efforts throughout other areas of the southeast
with similar dolphin/human interactions.
People’s age, race, gender, educational background, income level, place of residence, and other
variables may influence their understanding and perspective of the natural environment. Other
user group characteristics, such as where they get their information, current knowledge level, and
perceptions and opinions regarding interacting with captive and wild dolphins are also critically
important to discern for effective outreach and education tools. Understanding and defining user
groups who feed and harass dolphins in the wild will assist in developing a more effective
outreach approach targeting the appropriate audience, as well as the ability to measure its
success. Clarifying and defining the target audience and objectives for the outreach program will
also aid in more readily measuring the success of the program. Furthermore, understanding the
target audiences’ knowledge, perceptions, attitudes, and opinions before and after the
implementation of the outreach program will provide a useful tool for measuring success.
This data collection effort is focused on the Panama City Beach, FL area because it has been a
hotspot for illegal feeding and harassment of wild dolphins for almost two decades.
NMFS believes assessing the effectiveness of current outreach tools is crucial to determine if the
conservation messages are being conveyed and received by the intended audiences for two main
reasons: (1) illegal feeding and harassment of wild dolphins continues to increase in Panama City
and throughout the southeast region; and (2) educational messages have been implemented for
well over a decade, and to date, there has not been an attempt to see if the messages have been
received by the target audience.
Some of the specific questions these surveys are designed to answer to help achieve the stated
goal are as follows:
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What general categories of existing outreach tools appear to have been effective in educating
visitors, residents, and employees of recreation-based businesses in Panama City, FL of the
legality and harm caused by feeding and harassing wild dolphins? Which existing categories of
outreach tools have been ineffective at reaching the intended audiences with the intended
outreach messages?
What currently underutilized outreach tools are potentially an effective means of educating
visitors, residents, and employees of recreation-based businesses in Panama City, FL of the
legality and harm caused by feeding and harassing wild dolphins?
Do demographic characteristics, such as household income and education level influence the
effectiveness of various outreach tools?
Do the knowledge and attitudes of issues related to dolphin feeding and harassment differ
according to the type of recreation-based business? Are certain types of recreation-based
businesses more prone or more willing to provide education on these issues to their customers
than other types of recreation-based businesses?
2. Explain how, by whom, how frequently, and for what purpose the information will be
used. If the information collected will be disseminated to the public or used to support
information that will be disseminated to the public, then explain how the collection
complies with all applicable Information Quality Guidelines.
The collection effort consists of intercept surveys at various piers, tourist visitor centers, marinas,
and beach-side hotels in Panama City, FL. There are two surveys: (1) one survey administered to
visitors to these areas and local residents; and (2) a separate survey administered to relevant
commercial businesses operating in the Panama City Beach metro area. The two surveys will be
administered at various times throughout the year based on their target audience.
The survey for visitors and local residents will be administered throughout the year to ensure all
months in which tourists visit the area are captured. The surveys will be administered in
locations in the Panama City Beach metro area that target respondents who are most likely to
participate in water-based activities that may lead to close interactions with wild dolphins (i.e.
marina, docks, piers, etc).
The commercial business survey will be administered to businesses that provide water-based
activities during medium peak season, such as July. Medium peak season is preferred over peak
season, such as spring break, to avoid unduly burdening business owners to complete a survey
during times when business is extremely high. Medium peak season is also preferred in the
event some businesses close during non-peak seasons. Surveyors may, during subsequent trips
to Panama City, follow up with businesses that were not available during the first survey
timeframe.
NMFS will use collected information to assess the effectiveness of various education and
outreach efforts under the Protect Dolphins campaign. It will also be crucial in directing the
development of future education and outreach efforts in Panama City, Florida, as well as
potentially for other areas throughout the southeast with similar human/dolphin interaction
issues.
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Justifications for questions on each survey follow.
TOURISM/LOCAL RESIDENTS SURVEY
Q1: Asks respondent the level at which s/he is concerned with the protection of dolphins in the
wild. Identifies the level of concern and provides a simple identification about the respondent's
general feelings about protecting dolphins in the wild.
Q2: Identifies whether respondent has knowledge about the legality of feeding dolphins in the
wild, as well as the potential harm caused to dolphins from feeding or attempting to feed.
Q3: If such knowledge is identified in Q2, the respondent is requested to identify which outreach
tool(s) provided this knowledge. An extensive list is provided to help the respondent recall, as
well as indicate if they cannot recall and why. The information from this question provides
information as to whether a particular outreach tool may have been more effective in providing
the desired outreach message(s) from Q2. The list of outreach methods provided in Q3 were
merged, rather than provided separately, for the responses to Q2. Merging the list of outreach
methods shortens the survey length, while enabling NMFS to collect the information needed to
better assess the overall effectiveness of various outreach tools.
Q4-Q5: The respondent is asked whether s/he has heard it is acceptable to engage in particular
activities of concern with dolphins in the wild. These questions help identify sources of
misinformation for engaging in activities that are illegal, potentially illegal, and harmful to
dolphins in the wild. If the respondent answers Q4 affirmatively, we ask for the source(s) of the
erroneous information (Q5) and provide a list to help the respondent recall. The information
obtained from these questions will help determine where these sources of misinformation were
generated or provided, rather than speculating, and additional outreach needs to prevent those
sources of misinformation.
Q6: Identify whether respondent has knowledge about the potential legality (i.e., harassment)
and harm caused by swimming with, touching, or petting dolphins in the wild, as well as whether
the respondent has knowledge of the potential for injuries inflicted to humans and dolphins by
interacting with dolphins in the wild. This question is separate from Q2 because Q2 asks about
the respondents’ general knowledge as to whether feeding is illegal and harmful. Feeding is
explicitly stated as illegal in the Marine Mammal Protection Act, whereas, swimming, petting, or
touching dolphins in the wild is not explicitly stated as illegal but has the potential to be illegal
and cause harm to dolphins. Separating these questions allows us to understand the respondents’
general level of knowledge and perceptions about these various types of human interactions;
those that are illegal and not illegal; and those that are harmful to dolphins and humans.
Q7: If such knowledge is identified in Q6, the respondent is requested to identify which outreach
tool(s) provided this knowledge. An extensive list is provided to help the respondent recall.
This will help determine if a specific outreach tool has been particularly effective in providing
the desired outreach message(s), knowledge, and perceptions associated with Q6.
Q8: The respondent is asked to provide their personal opinion on the effectiveness of various
outreach methods, as well as rating each of the 14 outreach tools as "very effective", "somewhat
effective", "not very effective", or "not at all effective". The "other" category is provided in the
event the respondent feels there is another effective means of outreach that was not provided.
Common methods of outreach (i.e., brochures, articles, etc) were provided to rank their
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effectiveness, as well as innovative techniques, such as billboards and Podcasts. These
innovative techniques were included because they have the potential to reach broad-scale
audiences, and in the case of Podcasts, reach younger generations.
Q9: This question asks the respondent to indicate which form of media may have contributed to
their interest and desire to engage in feeding, petting, touching, and/or swimming with dolphins
in the wild. It also allows the respondent to indicate that they are not interested in these activities
with dolphins in the wild. The goal of this question is to obtain information on what motivates
people to want to engage in behavior that is illegal, potentially illegal, and harmful to themselves
or dolphins.
Q10: This question is to determine if the respondent is a full-time or part-year resident of the
Panama City Beach metro area in Florida, or if they are a first-time visitor to the area or a repeat
visitor.
Q11-17: These questions categorize the respondent's current visit to the Panama City Beach
metro area. To aid in categorizing their visit, respondents are asked: the length of the visit
(Q11); the reason for the trip (Q12); how they traveled to Panama City (Q14); and the type of
lodging they stayed in during their visit (Q15). The respondent is asked the following questions
to gain information on why they traveled to Panama City and if part of their motivation for
choosing Panama City as a destination was the opportunity to participate in dolphin tourism
activities; if viewing dolphins in the wild was the motivation for visiting the area (Q13); how
many others were traveling with them (Q16); and in which water-based/shore-based recreational
activities they intend to participate during the current visit (Q17). Full-time and part-year
residents are not asked these questions because their levels of participation in dolphin tourism
activities in Panama City are determined by Q18. Including full-time and part-year residents in
this series of questions may become duplicative.
Q18: This question asks respondents who are repeat visitors to Panama City, including yearround and part-year residents, the number of times they participated in wild dolphin tourism
activities. This helps gauge the level of interest of year-round, part-year residents, and visitors
for participation in tourism-style activities. It also helps determine if dolphin tourism is part of
their motivation for living in the area year-round or visiting.
Q19-20: Identifies whether the respondent previously participated in wild dolphin viewing
activities outside of the Panama City Beach metro area (Q19), and if so, where and what
activities (Q20). These questions are intended to collect information on where the respondent
may have gained additional perceptions or received information related to the appropriateness of
interacting with dolphins in the wild and how to interact with (responsibly or inappropriately)
with dolphins in the wild. They are also helpful in identifying other potential locations for
conducting outreach campaigns.
Q21-22: Respondents are asked if they would be more willing to participate in a dolphin
viewing tour that practices responsible viewing of dolphins in the wild, as well as provides
additional educational and conservation information. If the respondent answers “no” or “none of
the above” to Q21, they are asked to answer Q22 and check all potential reasons that best
characterizes their answer or provide an additional description. This information is helpful to
gauge whether participants see the value in promoting responsible viewing of wild dolphins,
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especially if programs, such as Dolphin SMART, were implemented locally 1 . If participants do
not feel responsible viewing and associated information are worthwhile, the information from
Q22 helps to identify potential reasons and barriers to these conservation measures and
programs.
Q23: Respondents who are year-round or part-year residents are asked whether they own a boat
or jet-skis. Those who take out their own vessels on a regular basis and do not know about safe
dolphin viewing practices, may repeatedly engage in behavior harmful to dolphins, suggesting
the importance of targeting outreach activities for this group.
Q24: Respondents are also asked about memberships in recreation-based or conservation-based
organizations, to identify the potential for other avenues for distributing outreach/education
messages and products.
Q25-32: Demographic and socioeconomic questions. The questions were written to mirror those
of the U.S. Census to the highest extent possible. The demographic and socioeconomic
information collections include: zip code/country of residence (Q25); employment status (Q26);
total household income (Q27); ethnicity and race (Q28 and Q29); primary language (Q30);
gender (Q31), and level of education (Q32).
TOURISM-RELATED COMMERCIAL BUSINESS SURVEY
Q1: Asks respondent the level at which s/he is concerned with the protection of dolphins in the
wild. Identifies the level of concern and provides a simple identification about the respondent's
general feelings about protecting dolphins in the wild.
Q2: Identifies whether respondent has knowledge about the legality of feeding dolphins in the
wild, as well as the potential harm caused to dolphins from feeding or attempting to feed.
Q3: If such knowledge is identified in Q2, the respondent is requested to identify which outreach
tool(s) provided this knowledge. An extensive list is provided to help the respondent recall, as
well as indicate if they cannot recall and why. The information from this question provides
information as to whether a particular outreach tool may have been more effective in providing
the desired outreach message(s) from Q2. The list of outreach methods provided in Q3 were
merged, rather than provided separately, for the responses to Q2. Merging the list of outreach
methods shortens the survey length, while enabling NMFS to collect the information needed to
better assess the overall effectiveness of various outreach tools.

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Dolphin SMART is a voluntary education program for commercial operators to promote responsible viewing of dolphins in the
wild. Dolphin SMART is currently being piloted in Key West, FL, with the goal of implementing in other areas of the southeast
region. For more information, please visit www.dolphinsmart.org.

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Q4-Q5: The respondent is asked whether s/he has heard it is acceptable to engage in particular
activities of concern with dolphins in the wild. These questions help identify sources of
misinformation for engaging in activities that are illegal, potentially illegal, and harmful to
dolphins in the wild. If the respondent answers Q4 affirmatively, we ask for the source(s) of the
erroneous information (Q5) and provide a list to help the respondent recall. The information
obtained from these questions will help determine where these sources of misinformation were
generated or provided, rather than speculating, and additional outreach needs to prevent those
sources of misinformation.
Q6: Identify whether respondent has knowledge about the potential legality (i.e., harassment)
and harm caused by swimming with, touching, or petting dolphins in the wild, as well as whether
the respondent has knowledge of the potential for injuries inflicted to humans and dolphins by
interacting with dolphins in the wild. This question is separate from Q2 because Q2 asks about
the respondents’ general knowledge as to whether feeding is illegal and harmful. Feeding is
explicitly stated as illegal in the Marine Mammal Protection Act, whereas, swimming, petting, or
touching dolphins in the wild is not explicitly stated as illegal but has the potential to be illegal
and cause harm to dolphins. Separating these questions allows us to understand the respondents’
general level of knowledge and perceptions about these various types of human interactions;
those that are illegal and not illegal; and those that are harmful to dolphins and humans.
Q7: If such knowledge is identified in Q6, the respondent is requested to identify which outreach
tool(s) provided this knowledge. An extensive list is provided to help the respondent recall.
This will help determine if a specific outreach tool has been particularly effective in providing
the desired outreach message(s), knowledge, and perceptions associated with Q6.
Q8: The respondent is asked to provide their personal opinion on the effectiveness of various
outreach methods, as well as rating each of the 14 outreach tools as "very effective", "somewhat
effective", "not very effective", or "not at all effective". The "other" category is provided in the
event the respondent feels there is another effective means of outreach that was not provided.
Common methods of outreach (i.e., brochures, articles, etc) were provided to rank their
effectiveness, as well as innovative techniques, such as billboards and Podcasts. These
innovative techniques were included because they have the potential to reach broad-scale
audiences, and in the case of Podcasts, reach younger generations.
Q9: Basic background information about the respondent and business to help characterize the
nature of their business. Information collected includes category of water-based or wildlife-based
commercial business.
Q10-13: These four questions ask the respondent specific information related to their business to
better understand the demographics of the tourism business in Panama City, particularly related
to wild dolphin tourism. General questions include: the number of years the business has been
operating (Q10); the average size of vessels (Q11); if the business operates year-round (Q12);
and if the business was initially started for wild dolphin tourism (Q13).
Q14-15: Those respondents identifying themselves as businesses engaged in wild dolphin
tourism (Q13) are asked additional questions regarding whether there is an educational
component to their trips or operations pertaining to responsibly viewing dolphins in the wild
(Q14). If respondents answered affirmatively to Q14, they are asked which types of outreach
methods/materials they provide (Q15). These questions will help gauge how many businesses
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participating in wild dolphin tourism provide some means of education pertaining to dolphin
conservation and what type of products they use to provide their educational messages.
Q16-18: These questions assess the respondent's interest in participating in training pertaining to
responsibly viewing dolphins in the wild for no cost or a low cost (Q16) and providing
educational materials that are free of charge to promote responsible dolphin viewing (Q17). If
respondents answer “yes” to Q17, they are asked what type of media products they would be
willing to distribute, display, or play to their guest (Q18). These questions help identify the
general level of interest in promoting responsible viewing of wild dolphins to their guests and
other potential avenues for providing outreach tools to the general public. If they answered “no,”
they are asked to go to Q19.
Q19-20: Respondents are asked if they see the value in programs that enhance wild dolphin
conservation by promoting responsible viewing and advertising techniques, while benefitting
from participation incentives. If the respondent answers “no,” they are asked to go to Q20 to
check all potential reasons that may characterize why they answered “no.” This information is
helpful to gauge whether participants see the value in promoting responsible viewing and
advertising of viewing wild dolphins. Specifically, it provides useful information to determine
potential interest for implementing, locally, voluntary education and recognition programs, such
as Dolphin SMART. If participants do not feel such programs are worthwhile, the information
from Q20 helps identify potential reasons and barriers to these conservation measures and
programs.
All data will be kept confidential and will not be released for public use except in aggregate
statistical form (and without providing any personally identifying characteristics). Only
authorized NMFS personnel will have access to this information as necessary to analyze the
effectiveness of various components of the existing education and outreach program, as well as
use the information to make improvements to the existing program.
It is anticipated that the information collected will be disseminated to the public or used to
support publicly disseminated information. As explained in the preceding paragraphs, the
information gathered has utility. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/
NMFS will retain control over the information and safeguard it from improper access,
modification, and destruction, consistent with NOAA standards for confidentiality, privacy, and
electronic information. See response to Question 10 of this Supporting Statement for more
information on confidentiality and privacy. This information collection is designed to yield data
that meet all applicable information quality guidelines. Prior to dissemination, the information
will be subjected to quality control measures and a pre-dissemination review pursuant to Section
515 of Public Law 106-554.
3. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological techniques or other forms of
information technology.
The survey will not involve the use of information technology. Responses will be collected inperson or by mail. The survey will not be available on the Internet for the public to print.

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4. Describe efforts to identify duplication.
This survey collection is the first one through NMFS to gather information on identifying user
groups potentially interacting with wild dolphins in Florida; assessing their level of knowledge
or perception about the potential concerns with those interactions; where that knowledge or
perception was gained; and how they prefer to receive their educational information. Since the
launch of the Protect Dolphins campaign in 1997, the effectiveness of such outreach efforts -especially those targeted to Panama City -- have not been evaluated. Therefore, no information
will be collected that can be available through other means, and collecting this information will
not create duplication of effort or information collected and assessed.
5. If the collection of information involves small businesses or other small entities, describe
the methods used to minimize burden.
This survey will have negligible impact to small businesses. The survey effort will target those
user groups who potentially interact with dolphins in the wild. The results may be made available
on the Internet in summary form. The estimated 30 minutes completion time includes 15
minutes to complete and review the survey and an additional 15 minutes to mail the survey,
using the pre-addressed stamped enveloped provided, should the respondent choose to send back
the survey, rather than completing it onsite. The survey requires a one-time completion.
Only the minimum data to meet the requirements of the above data needs are requested from
participants. Most of the respondents for the survey targeting commercial businesses are
considered small businesses; therefore, separate requirements based on the size of the business
have not been developed.
6. Describe the consequences to the Federal program or policy activities if the collection is
not conducted or is conducted less frequently.
Throughout the past decade, NMFS developed public education and outreach tools, such as
marine mammal viewing guidelines and the Dolphin SMART program, to encourage voluntary
compliance with implementing regulations under the MMPA. Despite numerous outreach efforts
within NMFS and with various stakeholders, feeding and harassment activities of wild bottlenose
dolphins continue to increase, particularly in Florida. The collection of this information will aid
and enhance NMFS’ ability to reduce the harmful and illegal interactions between humans and
wild dolphins; foster awareness to the public on these interactions and their harmful nature to
both humans and dolphins; and encourage responsibly viewing wild dolphins.
If the information collection is not conducted through this survey, NMFS’ ability to develop
more effective outreach tools targeting appropriate user groups and a potentially more costeffective public education and outreach campaign will be significantly reduced. As financial and
personnel resources become more limited, it is increasingly important to engage in the most
efficient and effective use of outreach tools and mitigation efforts to aid in the conservation of
wild dolphins, as mandated under the MMPA. Without the information collected, NMFS will
not be able to assess whether existing outreach tools were not effective in their application, or
will NMFS be able to effectively create and disseminate future outreach and education
information to intended audiences and in the format that will enhance its utility. Furthermore, as
illegal feeding of wild dolphins in Florida continues to increase, despite consistent outreach
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efforts, additional conservation issues are arising, such as dolphins stealing bait/catch from
recreational gear and becoming entangled. The information collected will aid NMFS in
understanding human behaviors that create and reinforce additional conservation challenges that
may not be otherwise understood, as well as provide potential avenues for mitigation strategies
to curtail additional conservation challenges.
7. Explain any special circumstances that require the collection to be conducted in a
manner inconsistent with OMB guidelines.
This information collection is consistent with Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
guidelines.
8. Provide information on the PRA Federal Register Notice that solicited public comments
on the information collection prior to this submission. Summarize the public comments
received in response to that notice and describe the actions taken by the agency in response
to those comments. Describe the efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to
obtain their views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of
instructions and recordkeeping, disclosure, or reporting format (if any), and on the data
elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported.
A Federal Register Notice soliciting comments on the information collection was published on
two separate occasions: (1) September 12, 2006 (71 FR 53667); and (2) July 17, 2008 (73 FR
41040). The second notice was issued because of the length of time elapsed from the first
issuance to completion of the PRA requirements.
A total of two comments was received:
One commenter stated that since “commercial fish profiteers are shooting all kinds of marine life
because they say they [marine life] eat fish.” This commenter felt that notices should be sent
immediately to all licensed fishermen to notify them that it is illegal to kill or harass dolphins
and subsequently that “NOAA personnel should not issue any license at any time, anywhere,
without making sure the profiteer knows that these activities are against Federal law.” Response:
The current information collection effort focuses on issues specific to impacts of tourism-related
activities on bottlenose dolphins and improving outreach and education tools to prevent harmful
interactions from both commercial and recreational dolphin viewing operations. NMFS is
engaged in separate efforts under the MMPA to prevent dolphin interactions in commercial
fisheries.
The other commenter expressed belief that dolphins are the ones that need to be trained to stay
away from fishing and charter boats, since dolphins constantly interfere with commercial and
recreational fishing activities. This commenter stated that “prior to the late 1980s to early 1990s
[dolphins] did not steal fish off the fisherman's hook or even come close to boats in general,
unless underway riding the bow or wake of your boat.…Then someone got the great idea to have
dolphin cruises and feed the dolphins in the local area and eventually all over the Gulf.” The
commenter suggested issuing licenses to professional charter guides to enable them to carry
deterrents, such as guns and fire crackers to chase away dolphins on an as-needed basis.
Response: The dolphins’ behavior of stealing fish is a learned response that we believe is
partially caused by illegal dolphin feeding activities. Feeding dolphins in the wild habituates
them to humans, causes them to lose their natural wariness of humans and vessels, and teaches
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them to associate people with food, which alters their natural foraging strategies. Providing
outreach to the public on the subsequent harm and potential behavioral changes resulting from
illegal feeding of dolphins in the wild and ways to avoid these interactions is one focus of this
information collection and subsequent outreach efforts. There are currently no approved or
suggested avoidance devices to actively deter or prevent dolphins from depredating on fishing
gear.
This survey collection is the first effort by NMFS to gather information on identifying user
groups potentially interacting with wild dolphins in Florida; assessing their level of knowledge
or perception about the potential concerns with those interactions; where that knowledge or
perception was gained; and how they prefer to receive their educational information.
In an effort to ensure these data collection efforts are relevant, consistent, and clear in
instruction, NMFS requested feedback from three partners involved in related dolphin outreach
efforts. Specifically, NMFS consulted with a: (1) nature tourism specialist; (2) representative
from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society; and (3) representative from The World
Society for the Protection of Animals. The survey was modified based on received feedback.
NMFS also provided a draft version of the survey, at request, to the National Association of
Charterboat Operators and requested feedback. The requestor did not provide comments or
additional feedback on the draft survey.
9. Explain any decisions to provide payments or gifts to respondents, other than
remuneration of contractors or grantees.
We will not provide payments or gifts to respondents.
10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for
assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.
All data will be protected and will not be released for public use except in aggregate statistical
form (and without providing any personally identifying characteristics). The initial page of the
survey will contain the following statement:
Your participation in this survey is voluntary. Any material identifying you will be destroyed at
the end of the study.
11. Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual
behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered
private.
No questions of a sensitive nature are asked in either survey.
12. Provide an estimate in hours of the burden of the collection of information.
The estimated total number of respondents for this survey is approximately 1,125. Respondents
will number approximately 900 individuals visiting marinas in Panama City (out of 1,200
approached) and 225 commercial tourism and recreation businesses operating nearby (out of 300
approached). We estimate that the actual number of commercial businesses in the target group to
be closer to 150, based on an online search. However, we state that there are 300 potential
respondents in these specific business categories in order to cover unlisted businesses. The
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estimated burden for the one-time response is 1/2 hour per respondent, which accounts for the
respondent’s time to answer and submit the survey (NMFS conservatively estimates that it would
take the respondent 10-15 minutes to complete the survey and another 15 minutes to submit the
survey if the respondent chose to complete it later and mail it in a stamped envelope provided by
NMFS).
Estimating a 75% response rate from the sample of individuals and a 75% response rate from
the census of up to 300 businesses would generate a total of 563 hours (450 hours (900 x 30
minutes) for visitors/local residents and 113 hours (225 x 30 minutes) for commercial
businesses) for this collection. The collection effort will take place over the course of one year
during various seasons. Thus, this burden will be annualized over the entire period authorized
for this collection. The annualized burden is 188 hours (150 hours for visitors/local residents and
38 for commercial businesses). Annualized respondents and responses would be 300 for
individuals and 75 for businesses, totaling 375.
The estimated annualized cost to all respondents assumes a respondent wage value of $15/hour.
Using this assumed value, the annualized cost to respondents would be approximately $2,820.
13. Provide an estimate of the total annual cost burden to the respondents or recordkeepers resulting from the collection (excluding the value of the burden hours in Question
12 above).
No additional cost burden will be imposed on respondents.
14. Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government.
Two different estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government are provided, depending on
whether funds will be made available to allow the survey instruments to be administered by a
professional survey research firm. If funds are not available, NMFS Southeast Regional
Protected Resources Staff will administer the survey.
NMFS administers the survey instruments
Annualized cost to the Federal government of this collection effort under this scenario is
estimated to be $22,547. NMFS Southeast Regional Staff would administer the survey in
Panama City and costs associated with the program reflect a cost of $30/hour to the government
at the ZP-03 level.
We seek approval to collect information from 900 visitor/local residents and 225 businesses. In
order to obtain 1,200 completed surveys, we anticipate that three employees from the NMFS
Southeast Regional Office would need to be in Panama City to administer the survey for
approximately two weeks each trip (one trip for low season, one for medium season, one for high
season). Costs associated with this scenario include three airline tickets to Panama City at
approximately $600 per ticket and lodging and meals and incidentals. 2 Staff time to administer
the survey would likely require eleven full survey days per trip in Panama City. This results in
an estimated cost of $48,140 to administer the survey, which includes $25,920 for salaried staff
2

Lodging and meals and incidental (M&I) expenses were calculated based on the following per diem rates in effect
until September 30, 2009: 1) $85/night lodging and $49/day M&I during low season, 2) $125/night lodging and
$49/day M&I during medium-peak season, and 3) $146/night lodging and $49/day M&I for peak season.
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time, $16,820 lodging, meals and incidentals for three people over three trips, and $5,400 for
travel ($600 per trip * three trips*three people).
Compiling survey responses is expected to require 30 minutes per survey. This results in an
estimated total cost to the government of $16,875 (1125 surveys x 30 minutes/response x
$30/hour), to compile survey responses.
Additional resource costs likely to be incurred by the government include printing and other
administrative costs. We estimate the total cost to be about $1,500 for paper, toner cartridge,
office supplies, and postage and envelopes for those respondents who choose to mail back the
survey (assuming 1/3 of respondents choose to return the survey by mail).
The annualized costs to the government from this information collection would be approximately
$22,172 (($48,140+$16,875+$1,500)/3).
Professional survey research company administers the survey instruments
NMFS obtained three quotes from professional survey research companies. A typical proposal
resulted in an annualized estimated cost of roughly $22,000. However, this quote also included
the services of compiling survey responses electronically. Assuming the additional resource costs
are the same as described for the NMFS administered surveys (at an annualized cost of $500),
the estimated annualized cost of implementing the survey using a professional survey research
firm is $22,500. The quotes for proposals that contained detailed information on survey
implementation and analysis, ranged from $22,500 to under $40,000. Higher quotes reflected the
provision of more services after the electronic compilation of responses (analysis, charts, and
write-ups), that NMFS would provide whether or not a contractor is used for survey
administration.
15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments.
This is a new collection.
16. For collections whose results will be published, outline the plans for tabulation and
publication.
Results from this study will primarily be used for the purposes of program evaluation. The
information gained through the surveys will be used internally by NOAA to help direct effective
outreach strategies and measure their effectiveness. Results from this collection may also be
used in scientific or management reports published by the agency. If results are published in any
format, the results will only be presented in a statistical summary form (means, variances, and
frequencies of categorical responses). Data may be available only to NOAA employees on a
need-to-know basis.
17. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the
information collection, explain the reasons why display would be inappropriate.
All surveys will contain the expiration date for OMB approval.

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18. Explain each exception to the certification statement identified in Item 19 of the
OMB 83-I.
There are no exceptions to Item 19 of OMB 83-I.

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