Justification - False Killer Whale Sightings in the Main Hawaiian Islands

Project Title: False Killer whale sightings in the main Hawaiian Islands

Program Office Sponsoring or Conducting this CSC Project: The information collection is conducted and managed by a non-profit 501(c)(3) scientific research and education institution--Cascadia Research Collective (CRC). CRC has received grants and contracts, primarily from government agencies, to pursue research in a variety of areas. NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office provided an ESA Species Recovery Grant in FY19 to design, launch, and maintain a false killer whale sightings website (www.falsekillerwhales.org).

Authority for this CSC Project: ESA Section 6 Cooperative Agreement Species Recovery Grant

Purpose of this CSC Project: The on-water photos and videos of false killer whales voluntarily submitted by citizen scientists help build a photo-identification database (designed and maintained by CRC) so CRC can monitor the health, size, and characteristics of the population. The collection of information from a small number of citizen scientists further supports CRC's on-water sightings information (thousands of photos and videos that they capture annually). This information is then analyzed, peer-reviewed, and published. NOAA Fisheries PIRO and PIFSC use the information to monitor the status and health of the endangered main Hawaiian Islands insular false killer whale so that we can work to recover this population.

Type(s) of Information Collected and From Whom It Is Collected: When commercial and recreational boaters and fishers opportunistically encounter the rare false killer whale found in Hawaiian waters, they are encouraged to take high-resolution photos and videos of the animals using their personal smartphone or other camera. They are then asked, after returning to shore, to upload the photos/videos to a website, including date, time, location, and observations of the encounter (e.g., number or animals, what they were doing--traveling, feeding, resting).

Use of the Information: The information is used for research purposes such as frequency of resightings of individual whales; the health of an individual whale, pod or group size; with which animals individuals typically associate; etc. This information helps to determine such things as abundance and trend of the population, social dynamics of the group, if individual whales have any injuries from fishing or predators, and how they are healing. Ultimately, this information is used to conserve and recover this endangered population.

Method(s) of Information Collection: Users submit information electronically via their smartphone or computer to a website (www.falsekillerwhales.org).

Affected Public: Individuals including individual commercial or recreational boaters or fishers that are out on the water and happen to encounter the rare false killer whale.

Estimated Average Annual Number of Participants: 40

Estimated Average Annual Number of Responses per Participant: 1

Estimated Average Minutes per Response: 5

Estimated Average Annual Burden Hours: 3

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

Estimated Average Annual Costs to the Federal Government: $0

Estimated Average Annual Number of Federal Government Employees (FTEs): 0.00

Recruitment and Retention Methods for Voluntary Participants (SSA item 1): No specific number of voluntary participants is required. However, NOAA Fisheries, CRC, and the State of Hawaii use outreach methods to encourage all boaters and ocean-users to capture opportunistic photos and videos of false killer whales. Outreach methods include social media posts and word-of-mouth at outreach and education events.

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): Collection of information is ad hoc, opportunistic, and year round; therefore, there is no schedule. No official reports are prepared; however, this information is summarized in the semi-annual ESA section 6 grant report and in any presentations given by CRC.

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

1. Report a Sighting

2. News

3. Brochures

4. Activities

5. Maps

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: Krista Graham