[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 41 (Monday, March 3, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11766-11768]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-04636]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD119


Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Groundfish 
of the Gulf of Alaska; Central Gulf of Alaska Rockfish Program

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

ACTION: Notification of standard prices and fee percentage.

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SUMMARY: NMFS publishes the standard ex-vessel prices and fee 
percentage for cost recovery under the Central Gulf of Alaska Rockfish 
Program. This action is intended to provide participants in a rockfish 
cooperative with the standard prices and fee percentage for the 2013 
fishing year, which was authorized from May 1 through November 15. The 
fee percentage is 2.5 percent. The fee liability payments were due from 
each rockfish cooperative by February 15, 2014.

DATES: Effective March 3, 2014.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Troie Zuniga, 907-586-7255.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The rockfish fisheries are conducted in Federal waters near Kodiak, 
AK, by trawl and longline vessels. Regulations implementing the Central 
Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Rockfish Program (Rockfish Program) are set forth 
at 50 CFR part 679. Exclusive harvesting privileges are allocated under 
the Rockfish Program for rockfish primary and secondary species. The 
rockfish primary species are northern rockfish, Pacific ocean perch, 
and dusky rockfish. In 2012, dusky rockfish replaced the pelagic shelf 
rockfish species group in the GOA Groundfish Harvest Specifications (77 
FR 15194, March 14, 2012). The rockfish secondary species include 
Pacific cod, rougheye rockfish, shortraker rockfish, sablefish, and 
thornyhead rockfish. Rockfish cooperatives began fishing under the 
Rockfish Program on May 1, 2012.
    The Rockfish Program is a type of limited access privilege program 
established under the provisions of section 303A of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). Section 303A 
requires that NMFS collect fees for limited access programs to recover 
the actual costs directly related to management, data collection and 
analysis, and enforcement activities. Section 304(d)(2) of the MSA 
requires that NMFS collect fees for the Rockfish Program equal to the 
actual costs directly related to management, enforcement, and data 
collection (management costs). Section 304(d)(2) of the MSA also limits 
the cost recovery fee so that it may not exceed 3 percent of the ex-
vessel value of the fish harvested under the Rockfish Program.

Standard Prices

    NMFS calculates cost recovery fees based on standard ex-vessel 
value price, rather than actual price data provided by each rockfish 
cooperative quota (CQ) holder. Use of a standard ex-vessel price is 
allowed under sections 303A and 304(d)(2) of the MSA. NMFS generates a 
standard ex-vessel price for each rockfish primary and secondary 
species on a monthly basis to determine the average price paid per 
pound for all shoreside processors receiving rockfish primary and 
secondary species CQ.
    Regulations at Sec.  679.85(b)(2) require the Regional 
Administrator to publish rockfish standard ex-vessel values during the 
first quarter of each calendar year. The standard prices are described 
in U.S. dollars per pound for rockfish primary and secondary species CQ 
landings made during the previous year.

Fee Percentage

    NMFS assesses a fee on the standard ex-vessel value of rockfish 
primary species and rockfish secondary species CQ harvested by rockfish 
cooperatives in the Central GOA and waters adjacent to the Central GOA 
when rockfish primary species caught by a cooperative is deducted from 
the Federal total allowable catch. The rockfish entry level longline 
fishery and opt-out vessels are not subject to cost recovery fees 
because those participants do not receive rockfish CQ. Specific details 
on the Rockfish Program's cost recovery provision may be found in the

[[Page 11767]]

implementing regulations set forth at Sec.  679.85.
    NMFS informs--by letter--each rockfish cooperative of the fee 
percentage applied to the previous year's landings and the total amount 
due. Fees are due on February 15 of each year. Failure to pay on time 
would result in the permit holder's quota share becoming non-
transferable and the person would be ineligible to receive any 
additional quota share by transfer. In addition, cooperative members 
would not receive any rockfish CQ the following year until full payment 
of the fee liability is received by NMFS.
    NMFS calculates and publishes in the Federal Register the fee 
percentage in the first quarter of each year according to the factors 
and methodology described in Federal regulations at Sec.  679.85(c)(2). 
NMFS determines the fee percentage that applies to landings made in the 
previous year by dividing the total actual costs during the previous 
year by the total value of the rockfish primary species and rockfish 
secondary species for all rockfish CQ landings made during the previous 
year. NMFS captures the actual cost of managing the fishery through an 
established accounting system that allows staff to track labor, travel, 
and procurement. Fee collections in any given year may be less than, or 
greater than, the actual costs and fishery value for that year, 
because, by regulation, the fee percentage is established in the first 
quarter of the calendar year based on the fishery value and the costs 
of the previous calendar year. The rockfish fee percentage amount must 
not exceed 3.0 percent pursuant to 16 U.S.C. 1854(d)(2)(B). This is the 
second year of fee collection under the Rockfish Program.
    Using the fee percentage formula described above, the estimated 
percentage of costs to value for the 2013 calendar year is 2.5 percent 
of the standard ex-vessel value. The 2013 fee liability percentage of 
2.5 is an increase of 1.1 percent from the 2012 fee liability of 1.4 
percent (78 FR 14076, March 4, 2013). The change in the fee percentage 
between 2012 and 2013 can be attributed primarily to a decrease in the 
standard ex-vessel value and volume of rockfish and to a lesser extent 
an increase in NMFS management and enforcement costs.


      Table 1--Standard Ex-Vessel Prices by Species for the 2013 Rockfish Program Season in Kodiak, Alaska.
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                                                                                            Standard ex-vessel
                    Species                                   Period ending                  price per pound
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Dusky rockfish*................................  May 31................................                     0.17
                                                 June 30...............................                     0.15
                                                 July 31...............................                     0.15
                                                 August 31.............................                     0.00
                                                 September 30..........................                     0.15
                                                 October 31............................                     0.15
                                                 November 30...........................                     0.18
Northern rockfish..............................  May 31................................                     0.17
                                                 June 30...............................                     0.15
                                                 July 31...............................                     0.15
                                                 August 31.............................                     0.00
                                                 September 30..........................                     0.15
                                                 October 31............................                     0.15
                                                 November 30...........................                     0.17
Pacific cod....................................  May 31................................                     0.24
                                                 June 30...............................                     0.23
                                                 July 31...............................                     0.24
                                                 September 30..........................                     0.20
                                                 October 31............................                     0.23
                                                 November 30...........................                     0.22
Pacific ocean perch............................  May 31................................                     0.21
                                                 June 30...............................                     0.28
                                                 July 31...............................                     0.20
                                                 August 31.............................                     0.00
                                                 September 30..........................                     0.19
                                                 October 31............................                     0.20
                                                 November 30...........................                     0.20
Rougheye rockfish..............................  May 31................................                     0.16
                                                 June 30...............................                     0.00
                                                 July 31...............................                     0.23
                                                 August 31.............................                     0.00
                                                 September 30..........................                     0.25
                                                 October 31............................                     0.17
                                                 November 30...........................                     0.20
Sablefish......................................  May 31................................                     2.37
                                                 June 30...............................                     2.12
                                                 July 31...............................                     2.37
                                                 August 31.............................                     0.00
                                                 September 30..........................                     2.09
                                                 October 31............................                     1.70
                                                 November 30...........................                     2.20
Shortraker rockfish............................  May 31................................                     0.20
                                                 June 30...............................                     0.23
                                                 July 31...............................                     0.22
                                                 August 31.............................                     0.00
                                                 September 30..........................                     0.26
                                                 October 31............................                     0.28

[[Page 11768]]

 
                                                 November 30...........................                     0.23
Thornyhead rockfish............................  May 31................................                     0.49
                                                 June 30...............................                     0.32
                                                 July 31...............................                     0.15
                                                 August 31.............................                     0.00
                                                 September 30..........................                     0.46
                                                 October 31............................                     0.59
                                                 November 30...........................                     0.35
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*The pelagic shelf rockfish (PSR) species group has been changed to ``dusky rockfish.''


    Authority:  16 U.S.C. 773 et seq.; 1801 et seq.; 3631 et seq.; 
Pub. L. 108-447.

    Dated: February 26, 2014.
James P. Burgess,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-04636 Filed 2-28-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P