[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 236 (Tuesday, December 9, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73045-73048]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-28724]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD639


Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; North 
Pacific Halibut and Sablefish Individual Fishing Quota Cost Recovery 
Programs

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 individual fishing quota (IFQ) standard prices 
and fee percentage for the IFQ cost recovery program in the halibut and 
sablefish fisheries of the North Pacific. The fee percentage for 2014 
is 2.6%. This action is intended to provide holders of halibut and 
sablefish IFQ permits with the 2014 standard prices and fee percentage 
to calculate the required payment for IFQ cost recovery fees due by 
January 31, 2015.

DATES: Effective December 9, 2014.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Troie Zuniga, Fee Coordinator, 907-
586-7105.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    NMFS Alaska Region administers the halibut and sablefish individual 
fishing quota (IFQ) program in the North Pacific. The IFQ program is a 
limited access system authorized by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) and the Northern 
Pacific Halibut Act of 1982. Fishing under the IFQ program began in 
March 1995. Regulations implementing the IFQ program are set forth at 
50 CFR part 679.
    In 1996, the Magnuson-Stevens Act was amended to, among other 
things, require the Secretary of Commerce to ``collect a fee to recover 
the actual costs directly related to the management and enforcement of 
any . . . individual quota program.'' This requirement was further 
amended in 2006 to include collection of the actual costs of data 
collection, and to replace the reference to ``individual quota 
program'' with a more general reference to ``limited access privilege 
program'' at section 304(d)(2)(A). This section of the Magnuson-Stevens 
Act also specifies an upper limit on these fees, when the fees must be 
collected, and where the fees must be deposited.
    On March 20, 2000, NMFS published regulations implementing the IFQ 
cost recovery program (65 FR 14919), which are set forth at Sec.  
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 of the year following the 
year in which the IFQ landings were made. The dollar amount of the fee 
due

[[Page 73046]]

is determined by multiplying the annual IFQ fee percentage (3 percent 
or less) by the ex-vessel value of all IFQ landings made on a permit 
and summing the totals of each permit (if more than one).

Standard Prices

    The fee liability is based on the sum of all payments made to 
fishermen for the sale of the fish during the year. 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 and 
standard. Actual ex-vessel value is the amount of all compensation, 
monetary or non-monetary, that 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. IFQ permit holders 
have the option of using actual ex-vessel value if they can 
satisfactorily document it; otherwise, the standard ex-vessel value is 
used.
    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 IFQ 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) is the weight (in pounds) for 
an IFQ landing, calculated as the round weight for sablefish, and 
headed and gutted net weight for halibut. NMFS calculates the standard 
prices to closely reflect the variations in the actual ex-vessel values 
of IFQ halibut and IFQ sablefish landings by month and port or port-
group. The standard prices for IFQ halibut and IFQ sablefish are listed 
in the tables that follow the next section. Data from ports are 
combined as necessary to protect confidentiality.

Fee Percentage

    Section 304(d)(2)(B) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act specifies a 
maximum fee of 3 percent of the ex-vessel value of fish harvested under 
an IFQ program. NMFS annually sets a fee percentage for halibut and 
sablefish IFQ holders that is based on the actual annual costs 
associated with certain management and enforcement functions, as well 
as the standard ex-vessel value of the catch subject to the IFQ fee for 
the current year. The method used by NMFS to calculate the IFQ fee 
percentage is described at Sec.  679.45(d)(2)(ii).
    Regulations at Sec.  679.45(d)(3)(i) require NMFS to publish the 
IFQ fee percentage for the halibut and sablefish IFQ fisheries in the 
Federal Register during or before the last quarter of each year. For 
the 2014 halibut and sablefish IFQ fishing season, an IFQ permit holder 
is to use a fee liability percentage of 2.6% to calculate his or her 
fee for landed IFQ in pounds. The IFQ permit holder is responsible for 
submitting the fee liability payment to NMFS on or before January 31, 
2015.
    The 2014 fee liability percentage of 2.6% is a decrease of 0.2% 
from the 2013 fee liability of 2.8% (78 FR 77869, December 4, 2013). 
The decrease in the IFQ fee percentage in 2014 is due to an increase in 
the total standard ex-vessel value of the halibut and sablefish 
fisheries as a result of significantly higher ex-vessel prices which 
compensated for the lower catch limits in 2014. The NMFS management and 
enforcement costs for the IFQ program remained constant from 2013 to 
2014.

             Registered Buyer Standard Ex-Vessel Prices by Landing Location for 2014 IFQ Season \1\
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Halibut        Sablefish
               Landing location                           Period ending            standard ex-    standard ex-
                                                                                   vessel price    vessel price
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CORDOVA.......................................  March 31........................  ..............  ..............
                                                April 30........................  ..............  ..............
                                                May 31..........................            6.49  ..............
                                                June 30.........................  ..............  ..............
                                                July 31.........................            7.29  ..............
                                                August 31.......................            6.79  ..............
                                                September 30....................            6.57  ..............
                                                October 31......................            6.57  ..............
                                                November 30.....................            6.57  ..............
HOMER.........................................  March 31........................            6.29  ..............
                                                April 30........................            6.32  ..............
                                                May 31..........................            6.26            3.37
                                                June 30.........................            6.73            3.40
                                                July 31.........................            7.08  ..............
                                                August 31.......................            6.72            3.68
                                                September 30....................            6.51            3.66
                                                October 31......................            6.51            3.66
                                                November 30.....................            6.51            3.66
KETCHIKAN.....................................  March 31........................            6.10  ..............
                                                April 30........................            6.46  ..............
                                                May 31..........................            6.37  ..............
                                                June 30.........................            6.39  ..............
                                                July 31.........................            6.35  ..............
                                                August 31.......................            6.44  ..............
                                                September 30....................            6.80  ..............
                                                October 31......................            6.80  ..............
                                                November 30.....................            6.80  ..............
KODIAK........................................  March 31........................            6.01  ..............
                                                April 30........................            5.96            3.20
                                                May 31..........................            6.09            3.34
                                                June 30.........................            6.65            3.61
                                                July 31.........................            6.62            3.57
                                                August 31.......................            6.63            4.06
                                                September 30....................            6.54            3.97

[[Page 73047]]

 
                                                October 31......................            6.54            3.97
                                                November 30.....................            6.54            3.97
PETERSBURG....................................  March 31........................  ..............  ..............
                                                April 30........................  ..............  ..............
                                                May 31..........................  ..............  ..............
                                                June 30.........................            6.52  ..............
                                                July 31.........................            6.85  ..............
                                                August 31.......................  ..............  ..............
                                                September 30....................  ..............  ..............
                                                October 31......................  ..............  ..............
                                                November 30.....................  ..............  ..............
SEWARD........................................  March 31........................  ..............  ..............
                                                April 30........................  ..............  ..............
                                                May 31..........................  ..............  ..............
                                                June 30.........................  ..............  ..............
                                                July 31.........................            7.72  ..............
                                                August 31.......................  ..............  ..............
                                                September 30....................  ..............  ..............
                                                October 31......................  ..............  ..............
                                                November 30.....................  ..............  ..............
YAKUTAT.......................................  March 31........................  ..............  ..............
                                                April 30........................  ..............  ..............
                                                May 31..........................  ..............  ..............
                                                June 30.........................  ..............  ..............
                                                July 31.........................            6.92  ..............
                                                August 31.......................  ..............  ..............
                                                September 30....................  ..............  ..............
                                                October 31......................  ..............  ..............
                                                November 30.....................  ..............  ..............
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


 
                                                                                      Halibut        Sablefish
                  Port group                              Period ending            standard ex-    standard ex-
                                                                                   vessel price    vessel price
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BERING SEA \2\................................  March 31........................  ..............  ..............
                                                April 30........................  ..............  ..............
                                                May 31..........................            5.36            3.82
                                                June 30.........................            5.56            4.33
                                                July 31.........................            5.75  ..............
                                                August 31.......................            5.83            4.49
                                                September 30....................            5.87            3.99
                                                October 31......................            5.87            3.99
                                                November 30.....................            5.87            3.99
CENTRAL GULF \3\..............................  March 31........................            6.28            3.25
                                                April 30........................            6.21            3.29
                                                May 31..........................            6.25            3.40
                                                June 30.........................            6.57            3.52
                                                July 31.........................            6.78            3.55
                                                August 31.......................            6.63            3.84
                                                September 30....................            6.48            3.82
                                                October 31......................            6.48            3.82
                                                November 30.....................            6.48            3.82
SOUTHEAST \4\.................................  March 31........................            6.27            3.64
                                                April 30........................            6.26            3.31
                                                May 31..........................            6.41            3.51
                                                June 30.........................            6.47            3.76
                                                July 31.........................            6.74            3.70
                                                August 31.......................            6.89            3.92
                                                September 30....................            6.84            4.00
                                                October 31......................            6.84            4.00
                                                November 30.....................            6.84            4.00
ALL \5\.......................................  March 31........................            6.27            3.57
                                                April 30........................            6.22            3.32
                                                May 31..........................            6.19            3.44
                                                June 30.........................            6.35            3.68
                                                July 31.........................            6.57            3.68
                                                August 31.......................            6.48            3.99
                                                September 30....................            6.50            3.92
                                                October 31......................            6.50            3.92

[[Page 73048]]

 
                                                November 30.....................            6.50            3.92
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1.\ Note: In many instances prices have not been reported to comply with confidentiality guidelines that
  prevent price reports when there are fewer than three processors operating in a location during a month.
\2.\ 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.
\3.\ Landing Locations Within Port Group_Central Gulf of Alaska: Anchor Point, Anchorage, Alitak, 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, Whittier.
\4.\ 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.
\5.\ Landing Locations Within Port Group_All: For Alaska: All landing locations included in 2, 3, and 4. For
  California: Eureka, Fort Bragg, 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, Standwood, Other Washington. For Canada: Port Hardy, Port Edward, Prince Rupert, Vancouver,
  Haines Junction, Other Canada.


    Authority:  16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: December 3, 2014.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-28724 Filed 12-8-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P