[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 230 (Thursday, December 1, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-29639]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: December 1, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
50 CFR Part 677

[Docket No. 940839-4328; I.D. 081294A]

 

North Pacific Fisheries Research Plan

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Final specifications for 1995.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: NMFS announces North Pacific Fisheries Research Plan (Research 
Plan) final specifications for calendar year 1995. The specifications 
will be used to calculate fees to be paid by participants in the Gulf 
of Alaska (GOA) groundfish fishery, Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands 
(BSAI) management area groundfish fishery, BSAI area king and Tanner 
crab fisheries, and Pacific halibut fishery in convention waters off 
Alaska (Research Plan fisheries) to fund an observer program to promote 
management, conservation, and scientific understanding of groundfish, 
halibut, and crab resources off Alaska.

EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 1995, through December 31, 1995.

ADDRESSES: The final report ``Establishing the Fee Percentage and 
Standard Exvessel Prices for 1995'' is available from the National 
Marine Fisheries Service, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kim S. Rivera, 907-586-7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Section 313 of the Magnuson Act, as amended by section 404 of the 
High Seas Driftnet Fisheries Enforcement Act, Public Law 102-582, 
authorizes the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) to 
prepare, in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce, a Research 
Plan for all fisheries under the Council's jurisdiction, except salmon 
fisheries. On September 6, 1994, NMFS published a final rule (59 FR 
46126) to implement the Research Plan. That rule requires that 
observers be stationed on certain fishing vessels and at U.S. fish 
processors participating in Research Plan fisheries. The requirements 
may be extended to the halibut fishery off Alaska. Observers will be 
deployed for the purpose of collecting data necessary for the 
conservation, management, and scientific understanding of fisheries 
under the Council's authority. The Research Plan also establishes a 
system of fees to pay for the costs of implementing the Research Plan, 
beginning January 1, 1995. The fees are based on the exvessel value of 
retained catch from Research Plan fisheries. NMFS published in the 
Federal Register on September 12, 1994 (59 FR 46816) proposed 
specifications establishing these values for 1995. The comment period 
ended on October 12, 1994. No written comments were received on the 
proposed specifications.

Changes From the Proposed Rule

    1. Standard Exvessel Prices. Prior to the September 15, 1994, 
meeting of the Council's Observer Oversight Committee (OOC), the draft 
report, ``Establishing the Fee Percentage and Standard Exvessel Prices 
for 1995,'' was revised based on recommendations made by the Council at 
its June 1994 meeting and on new exvessel price and program cost data. 
The OOC reviewed the revised draft and made its recommendations for the 
final fee percentage and standard exvessel prices. The draft report was 
revised for the September 1994 Council meeting. At that meeting, the 
Council: (1) Reviewed the information in the draft report; (2) received 
comments from the OOC, Advisory Panel (AP), Science and Statistical 
Committee (SSC), and the public; (3) adopted the recommendation of the 
OOC, AP, and SSC for a fee percentage of 2 percent; and (4) adopted the 
AP's recommendations for the final standard exvessel prices for 1995.
    The AP recommended reductions in 18 of the standard exvessel prices 
proposed in the draft report and an increase in one price. For many of 
the prices proposed in the draft report, the size of the sample of fish 
ticket data with exvessel price information was large enough to provide 
good lower bound estimates of the 1994 exvessel prices. The 1994 fish 
ticket data tend to provide lower bound estimates for two reasons. 
First, they typically have not been adjusted to reflect post-season 
bonuses. Second, no adjustment has been made for the lower prices paid 
for small fish that are used to produce meal and are considered to be 
discards for the purposes of the fee collection program. Therefore, the 
AP recommendations appeared to be very conservative.
    To determine whether the AP recommendations were lower than the 
exvessel prices expected for 1995, NMFS reexamined the groundfish fish 
ticket price data and contacted several dominant processors to clarify 
the expectations concerning exvessel prices for 1995. This review 
suggested that the AP recommendations tended to understate the 1994 
fish ticket prices and the price expectations for 1995 of the 
processors that were contacted. Therefore, the standard exvessel prices 
for groundfish established for 1995 by NMFS are based on 1994 
groundfish fish ticket data, instead of the AP recommendations, when 
the sample sizes are adequate. For BSAI pollock, 1994 fish ticket price 
data in combination with information from several dominant pollock 
processors were used to establish the standard exvessel prices. The 
processors indicated that the prices established for BSAI pollock are 
within their expected ranges for 1995. The standard exvessel prices 
established for halibut and crab are based on price projections 
provided by dominant processors for halibut and crab, respectively. The 
large reductions in the guideline harvest levels for the three largest 
crab fisheries have increased significantly the uncertainty concerning 
what the actual exvessel prices for crab will be in 1995.
    The final report ``Establishing the Fee Percentage and Standard 
Exvessel Prices for 1995'' and the Council recommendations for 1995 
standard exvessel prices indicate a net weight price for halibut. All 
of the other species standard exvessel prices are expressed as round-
weight prices. Regulations at Sec. 677.6(b)(iv) require a round-weight 
standard exvessel price be used to calculate the bimonthly fee 
assessment. As a result, the Council's recommended halibut net-weight 
price of $2.10/lb has been multiplied by the halibut product recovery 
rate (0.75) to arrive at the round-weight standard exvessel price 
($1.58/lb).
    2. Species or Species Group Designations. Standard exvessel prices 
are given for species or species groups in the Research Plan fisheries. 
Several of these designations have been revised to reflect the species 
or species group designations in the proposed 1995 annual BSAI and GOA 
groundfish specifications or to provide clarification. ``Flatfish'' and 
``other red rockfish'' have been removed; ``other species'', ``rex 
sole'', ``sharpchin rockfish'', and ``northern rockfish'' have been 
added. Chionocetes angulatus, C. tanneri, and Lithodes cousei have been 
added to the crab species, because they inadvertently were not included 
in the proposed rule.

1995 Final Research Plan Specifications

    Section 677.11(b) of the Research Plan regulations requires NMFS to 
consider comments received on the proposed specifications and, 
following consultation with the Council, and with the State of Alaska 
in the case of observer coverage levels in the crab fisheries, to 
publish final specifications for the upcoming calendar year in the 
Federal Register. These specifications include standard exvessel 
prices, total exvessel value, fee percentage, levels of observer 
coverage for Research Plan fisheries, and embarkment/disembarkment 
ports for observers.
    After considering comments received on the proposed specifications 
and, following consultation with the Council, NMFS established the 1995 
annual Research Plan specifications. The final report, ``Establishing 
the Fee Percentage and Standard Exvessel Prices for 1995'' contains 
details of the derivation of these final specifications, including 
sources of information and assumptions that are not repeated here. 
Copies of the revised report are available from NMFS (see ADDRESSES).
    Final specifications for calendar year 1995 are as follows:
     1. Standard exvessel prices. Standard exvessel prices are used to 
determine the annual fee percentage for the calendar year and are the 
basis for calculating bimonthly fee assessments. Standard exvessel 
prices for species harvested in Research Plan fisheries are based on:
    a. Exvessel price information by applicable season, area, gear, and 
processing sector for the most recent 12-month period for which data 
are available;
    b. Factors that are expected to change exvessel prices in the 
upcoming calendar year; and
    c. Any other relevant information that may affect expected exvessel 
prices during the calendar year.
    For 1995, the standard exvessel prices of species from Research 
Plan fisheries, based on best available information, are as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                            Price per   
                        Species                            pound, round 
                                                          weight ($/lb) 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Halibut................................................             1.58
Tanner crab:                                                            
  C. bairdi............................................             3.00
  C. opilio............................................             2.00
  C. angulatus.........................................             1.40
  C. tanneri...........................................             1.40
King crab:                                                              
  Bristol Bay red......................................             5.00
  Adak red.............................................             5.00
  Pribilof red.........................................             6.80
  Norton Sound red.....................................             2.20
  St. Matthew blue.....................................             4.30
  Dutch Harbor brown...................................             3.00
  Adak brown...........................................             3.00
  Lithodes cousei......................................             2.00
------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                          Groundfish, by Area and Gear                                          
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                               Bering Sea/      Gulf of Alaska Regulatory Areas 
                                                                Aleutians    -----------------------------------
                                                           ------------------  Western/Central       Eastern    
   Season\1\                      Species                                    -----------------------------------
                                                             Other    Trawl    Other    Trawl    Other    Trawl 
                                                              gear     gear     gear     gear     gear     gear 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.............  Arrowtooth flounder.......................    0.020    0.020    0.020    0.020    0.020    0.020
1.............  Atka mackerel.............................    0.090    0.090    0.090    0.090  .......  .......
1.............  Deep-water flatfish\2\....................  .......  .......    0.136    0.136    0.154    0.154
1.............  Demersal shelf rockfish\3\................  .......  .......    0.306    0.151    0.489    0.151
1.............  Flathead sole.............................    0.122    0.122    0.122    0.122    0.122    0.122
1.............  Greenland turbot..........................    0.210    0.210  .......  .......  .......  .......
1.............  Other flatfish\4\.........................    0.060    0.060  .......  .......  .......  .......
1.............  Other species\5\..........................    0.188    0.020    0.188    0.020    0.188    0.020
1.............  Other rockfish\6\.........................    0.484    0.120  .......  .......  .......  .......
1.............  Pacific ocean perch.......................    0.249    0.120    0.249    0.120    0.249    0.120
1.............  Pacific cod...............................    0.180    0.128    0.188    0.142    0.279    0.153
1.............  Pelagic shelf rockfish\7\.................  .......  .......    0.395    0.130    0.282    0.130
1.............  Pollock...................................    0.072    0.085    0.078    0.080    0.058    0.085
2.............  Pollock...................................    0.072    0.077    0.078    0.071    0.058    0.080
1.............  Rex sole..................................  .......  .......    0.196    0.196    0.217    0.217
1.............  Rock sole.................................    0.300    0.300  .......  .......  .......  .......
2.............  Rock sole.................................    0.060    0.060  .......  .......  .......  .......
1.............  Sablefish.................................    1.128    0.761    1.199    0.925    1.245    1.039
1.............  Shallow-water flatfish\8\.................  .......  .......    0.143    0.143    0.352    0.172
1.............  Sharpchin rockfish........................    0.104    0.104  .......  .......  .......  .......
1.............  Northern rockfish.........................    0.104    0.104    0.104    0.104    0.104    0.104
1.............  Shortraker/rougheye rockfish\9\...........    0.200    0.200    0.200    0.200    0.200    0.200
1.............  Slope rockfish\10\........................  .......  .......    0.350    0.104    0.252    0.104
1.............  Thornyhead rockfish.......................  .......  .......    0.482    0.258    0.531    0.258
1.............  Yellowfin sole............................    0.060    0.060  .......  .......  .......  .......
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\For both pollock and rock sole, season 1 is January-March and season 2 is the rest of the year. For all      
  remaining species, season 1 is the entire year.                                                               
\2\Deep-water flatfish in the GOA means Dover sole and Greenland turbot.                                        
\3\Demersal shelf rockfish in the GOA means Sebastes pinniger (canary), S. nebulosus (china), S. caurinus       
  (copper), S. maliger (quillback), S. helvomaculatus (rosethorn), S. nigrocinctus (tiger), and S. ruberrimus   
  (yelloweye).                                                                                                  
\4\Other flatfish in the BSAI means flatfish not including Pacific halibut, flathead sole, Greenland turbot,    
  rock sole, and yellowfin sole.                                                                                
\5\Other species in the BSAI and the GOA means sculpins, sharks, skates, eulachon, smelts, capelin, squid, and  
  octopus.                                                                                                      
\6\Other rockfish in the BSAI means all Sebastes and Sebastolobus species except for Pacific ocean perch,       
  sharpchin rockfish, northern rockfish, shortraker rockfish, and rougheye rockfish.                            
\7\Pelagic shelf rockfish in the GOA means Sebastes melanops (black), S. mystinus (blue), S. ciliatus (dusky),  
  S. entomelas (widow), and S. flavidus (yellowtail).                                                           
\8\Shallow-water flatfish in the GOA means flatfish not including deep-water flatfish, flathead sole, rex sole, 
  or arrowtooth flounder.                                                                                       
\9\Shortraker/rougheye rockfish means Sebastes borealis (shortraker) and S. aleutianus (rougheye).              
\10\Slope rockfish in the GOA means Sebastes aurora (aurora), S. melanostomus (blackgill), S. paucispinis       
  (bocaccio), S. goodei (chilipepper), S. crameri (darkblotch), S. elongatus (greenstriped), S. variegates      
  (harlequin), S. wilsoni (pygmy), S. proriger (redstripe), S. zacentrus (sharpchin), S. jordani (shortbelly),  
  S. brevispinis (silvergrey), S. diploproa (splitnose), S. saxicola (stripetail), S. miniatus (vermilion), S.  
  babcocki (redbanded), and S. reedi (yellowmouth).                                                             
Note: ``--'' for price indicates that for that area, that particular species or species group designation is not
  applicable.                                                                                                   

    2. Total exvessel value. The total exvessel value of Research Plan 
fisheries is calculated as the sum of the product of the standard 
exvessel prices established for the calendar year and projected 
retained catches, by species. For 1995, the estimate of the exvessel 
value of groundfish excludes one half of the value of retained catch 
delivered by catcher vessels 60 ft (18.3 m) length overall 
($160.6 million/2 = $80.3 million) because this retained catch is only 
subject to the processors' portion of the fee percentage.
    For 1995, projected total exvessel values of species from Research 
Plan fisheries, based on best available information, are as follows:

               Projected 1995 Retained Catch (Round Weight), Price, and Exvessel Value by Species               
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                  Retained                                      
                           Species                                catch\1\      Price\2\ ($/   Exvessel value\3\
                                                                (x1,000 lbs)         lb)           (x$1,000)    
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Halibut......................................................          58,667            1.58             92,400
Tanner crab:                                                                                                    
    C. bairdi................................................           7,500            3.00             22,500
    C. opilio................................................          55,700            2.00            111,400
King crab:                                                                                                      
    Bristol Bay red..........................................               0            5.00                  0
    Adak red.................................................           1,000            5.00              5,000
    Pribilof red.............................................           2,000            6.80             13,600
    Norton Sound red.........................................             300            2.20                660
    St. Matthew blue.........................................           3,000            4.30             12,900
    Dutch Harbor brown.......................................           1,200            3.00              3,600
    Adak brown...............................................           4,100            3.00             12,300
    Total crab...............................................          74,800                         \3\181,960
Groundfish:                                                                                                     
    Arrowtooth flounder......................................           3,475            0.02                 70
    Atka mackerel............................................         120,226            0.09             10,820
    Deep-water flatfish......................................           3,210            0.14                437
    Demersal shelf rockfish..................................           1,620            0.40                645
    Flathead sole............................................          14,468            0.12              1,765
    Greenland turbot.........................................          13,691            0.21              2,875
    Other flatfish...........................................           7,930            0.06                476
    Other species............................................           3,386            0.15                491
    Other rockfish...........................................             962            0.41                399
    Pacific ocean perch......................................          32,852            0.12              3,946
    Pacific cod..............................................         355,754            0.16             55,165
    Pelagic shelf rockfish...................................           5,877            0.15                860
    Pollock..................................................       2,744,282            0.08            218,471
    Rex sole.................................................           9,414            0.20              1,845
    Rock sole................................................          44,712            0.21              9,392
    Sablefish................................................          52,226            1.19             62,054
    Shallow-water flatfish...................................          13,685            0.14              1,958
    Sharpchin/northern.......................................           1,989            0.10                207
    Shortraker/rougheye......................................           4,677            0.20                935
    Slope rockfish...........................................          12,917            0.11              1,358
    Thornyhead rockfish......................................           1,803            0.36                645
    Yellowfin sole...........................................         146,685            0.06              8,801
     Total\4\ groundfish.....................................       3,595,840                         \3\383,616
    Research plan fisheries total\4\.........................                                    \5\$658,000,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\Retained catch for groundfish and crab species excludes catch from State waters.                             
\2\Exvessel prices for groundfish are weighted average prices across area, gear and season.                     
\3\The product of retained catch and price does not necessarily equal the exvessel value due to rounding of     
  retained catch and price.                                                                                     
\4\Totals do not necessarily equal sums of all species due to rounding of retained catch and price.             
\5\In millions.                                                                                                 

    3. Research Plan fee percentage. The Research Plan fee percentage 
for a calendar year must equal the lesser of 2 percent of the exvessel 
value of retained catch in the Research Plan fisheries or the fee 
percentage calculated using the following equation:

    Fee percentage = [100  x  (RRPC-FB-OF)/V]/(1-NPR),

where:
    RRPC is the projection of recoverable Research Plan costs for the 
coming year;
    FB is the projected end of the year balance of funds collected 
under the Research Plan;
    OF is the projection of other funding for the coming year;
    V is the projected exvessel value of retained catch in the Research 
Plan fisheries for the coming year; and
    NPR is the percent (expressed as a decimal) of fee assessments that 
are expected to result in nonpayment.
    For 1995, the best estimate of RRPC is $13.8 million. FB will be $0 
for 1995, because no balance of funds exist at the end of 1994 to apply 
against program costs in 1995. OF for 1995 is projected to be $2.6 
million, consisting of $2.1 million from NMFS and $0.5 million from the 
Alaska Department of Fish and Game. V for 1995 is estimated to be 
$577.7 million, as described under item 2 above. NPR is estimated at 3 
percent. Therefore, applying the formula above, the calculated fee 
percentage would be:

    [100 x ($13.8 million-$0-$2.6 million)/$577.7 million]/(1-.03) = 
2.0 percent.

    Because the calculated fee is equal to the maximum assessable fee, 
the fee percentage for 1995 is 2.0 percent.
    4. Observer coverage. For 1995, observer coverage levels in 
Research Plan fisheries are unchanged from 1994 and are set out at 
Sec. 677.10(a).
    5. Embarkment/disembarkment ports. For 1995, observer contractors 
and operators of vessels required to have observer coverage arrange for 
observer embarkment and disembarkment. NMFS is not involved in this 
arrangement. Therefore, specification of embarkment/disembarkment ports 
for 1995 is not necessary.
    During November 1994, NMFS distributed standard exvessel prices to 
participants in the Research Plan fisheries, as well as other 
information on the 1995 fee collection program, to facilitate industry 
planning for the 1995 implementation of the Research Plan. Except for 
halibut, the final standard exvessel prices specified in this action 
are unchanged from those distributed to Research Plan fishery 
participants. The halibut price has been revised to reflect a round-
weight price as described above.

Classification

    This action is taken under the authority of 50 CFR 677.11, as 
published at 59 FR 46126, September 6, 1994, and is exempt from review 
under E.O. 12866.

    Dated: November 28, 1994.
Gary Matlock,
Program Management Officer, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 94-29639 Filed 11-30-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P