[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 236 (Thursday, December 7, 2000)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 76578-76581]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-31032]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 679
[Docket No. 991207325-0063-02; I.D. 112700C]
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; A Cost
Recovery Program for the Individual Fishing Quota Program
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notification of standard prices and fee percentage for North
Pacific halibut and sablefish Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) cost
recovery program.
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SUMMARY: The National Marine Fisheries Service publishes IFQ standard
prices and notification of adjustment of the IFQ fee percentage for the
IFQ Cost Recovery Program in the halibut and sablefish fisheries of the
North Pacific. This action is intended to provide holders of halibut
and sablefish IFQs with information to calculate the payments required
for IFQ cost recovery fees due by January 31, 2001.
DATES: The IFQ cost recovery fees for calendar year 2000 are due on or
before January 31, 2001.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristie Balovich, Fee Coordinator,
907-586-7344.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
NMFS, Alaska Region, administers the halibut and sablefish IFQ
programs in the North Pacific. The IFQ Programs are limited access
systems authorized by section 303(b) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) and the Northern
Pacific Halibut Act of 1982. Fishing under the IFQ Programs began in
March 1995. Regulations implementing the IFQ Program are set forth at
50 CFR part 679.
In 1996, the Magnuson-Stevens Act, section 304(d)(2)(A), was
amended (Pub.L. 104-297) to require the Secretary of Commerce to
``collect a fee to recover the actual costs directly related to the
management and enforcement of any . . . individual fishing quota
program.'' Section 304(d)(2)(B) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act specifies
an upper limit on these fees, when the fees must be collected, and
where the fees must be deposited. Section 303(d)(4) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Act allows NMFS to
[[Page 76579]]
reserve up to 25 percent of the fees collected for use in an IFQ loan
program to aid in financing the purchase of IFQ or of quota share (QS)
by entry-level and small-vessel fishermen.
NMFS published, on December 27, 1999 (64 FR 72302), a proposed rule
to implement the IFQ Cost Recovery Program and published the final rule
on March 20, 2000 (65 FR 14919). The final regulations implementing the
IFQ Cost Recovery Program are set forth at 50 CFR 679.45.
Under the regulations, an IFQ permit holder incurs a cost recovery
fee liability for every pound of IFQ halibut and IFQ sablefish that is
landed on his or her IFQ permit(s). The IFQ permit holder is
responsible for self-collecting the fee liability for all IFQ halibut
and IFQ sablefish landings on his or her permit(s). The IFQ permit
holder is also responsible for submitting a fee liability payment to
NMFS on or before the due date of January 31 following the year in
which the IFQ landings were made. The dollar amount of the fee due is
determined by multiplying the annual IFQ fee percentage (3 percent or
less) by the ex-vessel value of each IFQ landing made on a permit and
summing the totals of each permit (if more than one).
Fee Percentage
Three percent of the ex-vessel value of IFQ halibut and IFQ
sablefish harvested is the maximum fee amount allowed by section
304(d)(2)(B) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Regulations at Sec.
679.45(d) allow the Administrator, Alaska Region, NMFS (Regional
Administrator) to reduce the fee percentage if actual management and
enforcement costs could be recovered through a lesser percentage. In
this event, the Regional Administrator will publish a notification of
any adjustment of the IFQ fee percentage in the Federal Register
pursuant to Sec. 679.45(d)(4).
For 2000, the Regional Administrator has determined that a fee of
1.8 percent (0.018) is necessary to recover the actual management and
enforcement costs. Therefore, the Regional Administrator is adjusting
the cost recovery fee applicable to years 2000 IFQ landings from 3
percent (0.03) to 1.8 percent (0.018).
Standard Prices
The fee liability is based on the sum of all payments of monetary
worth made to fishermen for the sale of the fish. This includes any
retro-payments (e.g., bonuses, delayed partial payments, post-season
payments) made to the IFQ permit holder for previously landed IFQ
halibut or sablefish).
For purposes of calculating IFQ cost recovery fees, NMFS
distinguishes between two types of ex-vessel value, ``actual ex-vessel
value'' and ``standard ex-vessel value.'' ``Actual ex-vessel value'' is
the amount of money an IFQ permit holder received as payment for his or
her IFQ fish sold. ``Standard ex-vessel value'' is the default value on
which to base fee liability calculations. However, IFQ permit holders
have the option of using ``actual ex-vessel value'' if they can
satisfactorily document those values.
Regulations at Sec. 679.45(c)(2)(i) require the Regional
Administrator to publish IFQ standard prices during the last quarter of
each calendar year. These standard prices are used, along with
estimates of IFQ halibut and sablefish landings, to calculate standard
values. The standard prices are described in U.S. dollars, per IFQ
equivalent pound, for IFQ halibut and IFQ sablefish landings made
during the year. IFQ equivalent pound(s) means the weight amount,
recorded in pounds, for an IFQ landing and calculated as round weight
for sablefish and as headed and gutted (``net'') weight for halibut.
NMFS calculates the standard prices to reflect, as closely as possible,
by month and port or port-group, the variations in the actual ex-vessel
values of IFQ halibut and IFQ sablefish landings. The standard prices
for IFQ halibut and IFQ sablefish are listed in the following table.
Data from ports are combined as necessary to protect confidentiality of
data submissions.
REGISTERED BUYER STANDARD EX-VESSEL PRICES BY LANDING LOCATION FOR 2000 IFQ SEASON
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Sablefish
Halibut standard standard ex-
Landing location Period ending ex-vessel price vessel
price
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CORDOVA....................................... March 31........................ * *
April 30........................ $2.50 *
May 31.......................... $2.52 $2.63
June 30......................... $2.24 *
July 31......................... $2.47 *
August 31....................... $2.50 *
September 30.................... * *
October 31...................... * *
November 30..................... * *
DUTCH HARBOR.................................. March 31........................ * *
April 30........................ * *
May 31.......................... $2.32 $2.79
June 30......................... $2.18 $2.87
July 31......................... $2.25 *
August 31....................... $2.26 $2.11
September 30.................... $2.27 *
October 31...................... $2.27 *
November 30..................... $2.27 *
HOMER......................................... March 31........................ $2.86 *
April 30........................ $2.61 $2.45
May 31.......................... $2.62 $2.31
June 30......................... $2.53 *
July 31......................... $2.65 $2.08
August 31....................... $2.59 *
September 30.................... $2.61 $2.20
October 31...................... $2.61 $2.20
November 30..................... $2.61 $2.20
[[Page 76580]]
KODIAK........................................ March 31........................ $2.86 *
April 30........................ $2.48 $2.06
May 31.......................... $2.51 $2.17
June 30......................... $2.33 *
July 31......................... $2.36 *
August 31....................... $2.46 *
September 30.................... $2.49 $2.40
October 31...................... $2.49 $2.40
November 30..................... $2.49 $2.40
PETERSBURG.................................... March 31........................ $2.80 *
April 30........................ $2.52 *
May 31.......................... $2.58 *
June 30......................... $2.41 $2.23
July 31......................... $2.51 *
August 31....................... $2.56 *
September 30.................... $2.60 *
October 31...................... $2.60 *
November 30..................... $2.60 *
SEWARD........................................ March 31........................ $2.95 $2.40
April 30........................ $2.49 $2.49
May 31.......................... $2.51 $2.36
June 30......................... $2.41 $2.22
July 31......................... $2.48 $2.26
August 31....................... $2.55 *
September 30.................... $2.52 *
October 31...................... $2.52 *
November 30..................... $2.52 *
SITKA......................................... March 31........................ * *
April 30........................ $2.50 *
May 31.......................... $2.55 *
June 30......................... $2.55 *
July 31......................... $2.58 *
August 31....................... * *
September 30.................... * *
October 31...................... * *
November 30..................... * *
\1\BERING SEA................................. March 31........................ * *
April 30........................ $2.39 $2.35
May 31.......................... $2.21 $2.26
June 30......................... $2.16 $2.26
July 31......................... $2.20 $2.01
August 31....................... $2.22 $2.03
September 30.................... $2.22 $2.10
October 31...................... $2.22 $2.10
November 30..................... $2.22 $2.10
\2\CENTRAL GULF............................... March 31........................ $2.89 $2.50
April 30........................ $2.53 $2.48
May 31.......................... $2.51 $2.35
June 30......................... $2.41 $2.26
July 31......................... $2.51 $2.09
August 31....................... $2.49 $2.25
September 30.................... $2.52 $2.39
October 31...................... $2.52 $2.39
November 30..................... $2.52 $2.39
\3\SOUTHEAST.................................. March 31........................ $2.83 $3.09
April 30........................ $2.56 $2.62
May 31.......................... $2.60 $2.43
June 30......................... $2.51 $2.23
July 31......................... $2.50 $2.21
August 31....................... $2.61 $2.34
September 30.................... $2.63 $2.40
October 31...................... $2.63 $2.40
November 30..................... $2.63 $2.40
[[Page 76581]]
\4\ALL-ALASKA................................. March 31........................ $2.86 $2.76
April 30........................ $2.54 $2.56
May 31.......................... $2.50 $2.37
June 30......................... $2.38 $2.25
July 31......................... $2.38 $2.11
August 31....................... $2.41 $2.25
September 30.................... $2.48 $2.35
October 31...................... $2.48 $2.35
November 30..................... $2.48 $2.35
\5\ALL........................................ March 31........................ $2.86 $2.76
April 30........................ $2.54 $2.56
May 31.......................... $2.50 $2.37
June 30......................... $2.38 $2.25
July 31......................... $2.38 $2.11
August 31....................... $2.41 $2.25
September 30.................... $2.48 $2.35
October 31...................... $2.48 $2.35
November 30..................... $2.48 $2.35
................................ ................. ...........
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\1\Landing locations Within Port Group - Bering Sea: Adak, Akutan, Akutan Bay, Atka, Bristol Bay, Chefornak,
Dillingham, Captains Bay, Dutch Harbor, Egegik, Ikatan Bay, Hooper Bay, King Cove, King Salmon, Kipnuk,
Mekoryuk, Naknek, Nome, Quinhagak, Savoonga, St. George, St. Lawrence, St. Paul, Togiak, Toksook Bay, Tununak,
Beaver Inlet, Ugadaga Bay, Unalaska.
\2\Landing Locations Within Port Group - Central Gulf of Alaska: Anchor Point, Anchorage, Chignik, Cordova,
Eagle River, False Pass, West Anchor Cove, Girdwood, Chinitna Bay, Halibut Cove, Homer, Kasilof, Kenai, Kenai
River, Alitak, Kodiak, Port Bailey, Nikiski, Ninilchik, Old Harbor, Palmer, Sand Point, Seldovia, Resurrection
Bay, Seward, Valdez.
\3\Landing Locations Within Port Group - Southeast Alaska: Angoon, Baranof Warm Springs, Craig, Edna Bay, Elfin
Cove, Excursion Inlet, Gustavus, Haines, Hollis, Hoonah, Hyder, Auke Bay, Douglas, Tee Harbor, Juneau, Kake,
Ketchikan, Klawock, Metlakatla, Pelican, Petersburg, Portage Bay, Port Alexander, Port Graham, Port
Protection, Point Baker, Sitka, Skagway, Tenakee Springs, Thorne Bay, Wrangell, Yakutat.
\4\Landing Locations Within Port Group - All Alaska: All landing locations included in 1, 2, and 3.
\5\Landing Locations Within Port Group - All Alaska: All landing locations included in 1, 2, and 3. Other
California. For Oregon: Astoria, Aurora, Lincoln City, Newport, Warrenton, Other Oregon. For Washington:
Anacortes, Bellevue, Bellingham, Nagai Island, Edmonds, Everett, Granite Falls, Ilwaco, La Conner, Port
Angeles, Port Orchard, Port Townsend, Ranier, Fox Island, Mercer Island, Seattle, Stanwood, Other Washington.
For Canada: Port Hardy, Port Edward, Prince Rupert, Vancouver, Haines Junction, Other Canada.
\*\Data not available or not presented to protect confidentiality of data submissions.
This action is required by Sec. 679.45 and is exempt from review
under Executive Order 12866.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: November 30, 2000.
Clarence Pautzke,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 00-31032 Filed 12-06-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE: 3510-22-S