[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 241 (Wednesday, December 16, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78172-78175]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-31624]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XE339


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: Notice of standard prices and fee percentage.

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SUMMARY: NMFS publishes individual fishing quota (IFQ) standard prices 
and fee percentage for cost recovery for the IFQ Program for the 
halibut and sablefish fisheries of the North Pacific (IFQ Program). The 
fee percentage for 2015 is 3.0 percent. This action is intended to 
provide holders of halibut and sablefish IFQ permits with the 2015 
standard prices and fee percentage to calculate the required payment 
for IFQ cost recovery fees due by January 31, 2016.

DATES: Effective December 16, 2015.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristie Balovich, 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

[[Page 78173]]

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 
purposes, 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). Section 304(d)(2) 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 in Sec.  679.45 
implementing cost recovery for the IFQ Program (65 FR 14919). 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 IFQ fee liability payment(s) 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 total dollar amount of the fee 
due is determined by multiplying the NMFS published fee percentage by 
the ex-vessel value of all IFQ landings made on the permit(s) during 
the IFQ fishing year. As required by regulations at Sec.  679.45(d)(1) 
and (d)(3)(i), NMFS publishes this notice of the fee percentage for the 
halibut and sablefish IFQ fisheries in the Federal Register during or 
before the last quarter of each year.

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 used to calculate the fee liability. 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.
    The regulation at Sec.  679.45(b)(3)(iii) requires 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 ex-vessel 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. According to Sec.  679.2, IFQ equivalent 
pound(s) means the weight amount, recorded in pounds, and calculated as 
round weight for sablefish and headed and gutted weight for halibut, 
for an IFQ landing. The weight of halibut in pounds landed as guided 
angler fish (GAF) is converted to IFQ equivalent pound(s) as specified 
in Sec.  300.65(c) of this title. 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

    NMFS calculates the fee percentage each year according to the 
factors and methods described in Federal regulations at Sec.  
679.45(d)(2). NMFS determines the fee percentage that applies to 
landings made in the previous year by dividing the total costs directly 
related to the management, data collection, and enforcement of the IFQ 
Program (management costs) during the previous year by the total 
standard ex-vessel value of IFQ halibut and IFQ sablefish landings made 
during the previous year (fishery value). NMFS captures the actual 
management costs associated with certain management, data collection, 
and enforcement functions through an established accounting system that 
allows staff to track labor, travel, contracts, rent, and procurement. 
NMFS calculates the fishery value as described under the section, 
Standard Prices.
    Using the fee percentage formula described above, the estimated 
percentage of management costs to fishery value for the 2015 calendar 
year is 3.0 percent of the standard ex-vessel value. An IFQ permit 
holder is to use the fee liability percentage of 3.0 percent to 
calculate his or her fee for IFQ equivalent pound(s) landed during the 
2015 halibut and sablefish IFQ fishing season. An IFQ permit holder is 
responsible for submitting the 2015 IFQ fee liability payment to NMFS 
on or before January 31, 2016. Payment must be made in accordance with 
the payment methods set forth in 679.45(a)(4). NMFS will no longer 
accept credit card information by phone or in-person for fee payments. 
NMFS has determined that the practice of accepting credit card 
information by phone or in-person no longer meets agency standards for 
protection of personal financial information.
    The 2015 fee liability percentage of 3.0 percent is an increase of 
0.4 percent from the 2014 fee liability of 2.6 percent (79 FR 73045, 
December 9, 2014). The change in the fee percentage between 2014 and 
2015 can be attributed to a 23.5 percent increase in management costs. 
NMFS, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), and the 
International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) incurred higher costs 
in 2015 due to addition of staff (NOAA Office of Law Enforcement), 
additional costs to maintain the interagency Internet-based landings 
system used for the IFQ Program (NMFS and ADF&G), and increased costs 
for the port sampling program (IPHC). The value of halibut and 
sablefish harvests under the IFQ Program also increased by 4 percent 
from 2014 to 2015. This increase in value of the fishery offset some of 
the increase in management costs, which limited the change in the fee 
percentage between 2014 and 2015.

[[Page 78174]]



       Table 1--Registered Buyer Standard Ex-Vessel Prices by Landing Location for the 2015 IFQ Season \1\
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                                                                                      Halibut        Sablefish
               Landing location                           Period ending            standard  ex-   Standard Ex-
                                                                                   vessel price    vessel  price
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CORDOVA.......................................  ................................  ..............  ..............
                                                March 31........................  ..............  ..............
                                                April 30........................            6.26  ..............
                                                May 31..........................            6.30  ..............
                                                June 30.........................  ..............  ..............
                                                July 31.........................            7.22  ..............
                                                August 31.......................            6.80  ..............
                                                September 30....................  ..............  ..............
                                                October 31......................  ..............  ..............
                                                November 30.....................  ..............  ..............
HOMER.........................................  ................................  ..............  ..............
                                                March 31........................  ..............  ..............
                                                April 30........................            6.58  ..............
                                                May 31..........................            6.56            3.67
                                                June 30.........................            6.63            3.59
                                                July 31.........................            6.85  ..............
                                                August 31.......................            6.86            4.14
                                                September 30....................            6.79            3.71
                                                October 31......................            6.79            3.71
                                                November 30.....................            6.79            3.71
KETCHIKAN.....................................  ................................  ..............  ..............
                                                March 31........................  ..............  ..............
                                                April 30........................            6.48  ..............
                                                May 31..........................            6.45  ..............
                                                June 30.........................            6.46  ..............
                                                July 31.........................            6.50  ..............
                                                August 31.......................            6.57  ..............
                                                September 30....................            7.04  ..............
                                                October 31......................            7.04  ..............
                                                November 30.....................            7.04  ..............
KODIAK........................................  ................................  ..............  ..............
                                                March 31........................            6.24  ..............
                                                April 30........................            6.19            3.58
                                                May 31..........................            6.35            3.56
                                                June 30.........................            6.46            3.50
                                                July 31.........................            6.55            3.98
                                                August 31.......................            6.57            3.92
                                                September 30....................            6.54            3.81
                                                October 31......................            6.54            3.81
                                                November 30.....................            6.54            3.81
PETERSBURG....................................  ................................  ..............  ..............
                                                March 31........................  ..............  ..............
                                                April 30........................  ..............  ..............
                                                May 31..........................            6.49  ..............
                                                June 30.........................            6.58  ..............
                                                July 31.........................            6.54  ..............
                                                August 31.......................            6.79  ..............
                                                September 30....................            6.84  ..............
                                                October 31......................            6.84  ..............
                                                November 30.....................            6.84  ..............
PORT GROUP BERING SEA \2\.....................  ................................  ..............  ..............
                                                March 31........................  ..............  ..............
                                                April 30........................            4.91  ..............
                                                May 31..........................            5.79            2.75
                                                June 30.........................            5.39            3.68
                                                July 31.........................            5.59            2.87
                                                August 31.......................            6.00            3.10
                                                September 30....................            5.75            3.28
                                                October 31......................            5.75            3.28
                                                November 30.....................            5.75            3.28
PORT GROUP CENTRAL GULF \3\...................  ................................  ..............  ..............
                                                March 31........................            6.27            3.68
                                                April 30........................            6.37            3.73
                                                May 31..........................            6.42            3.64
                                                June 30.........................            6.53            3.57
                                                July 31.........................            6.83            3.89
                                                August 31.......................            6.72            3.90
                                                September 30....................            6.65            3.85
                                                October 31......................            6.65            3.85

[[Page 78175]]

 
                                                November 30.....................            6.65            3.85
PORT GROUP SOUTHEAST \4\......................  ................................  ..............  ..............
                                                March 31........................            6.46            3.62
                                                April 30........................            6.50            3.71
                                                May 31..........................            6.50            4.07
                                                June 30.........................            6.59            4.17
                                                July 31.........................            6.58            4.19
                                                August 31.......................            6.80            4.41
                                                September 30....................            6.77            4.13
                                                October 31......................            6.77            4.13
                                                November 30.....................            6.77            4.13
ALL \5\.......................................  ................................  ..............  ..............
                                                March 31........................            6.41            3.63
                                                April 30........................            6.37            3.72
                                                May 31..........................            6.38            3.77
                                                June 30.........................            6.33            3.77
                                                July 31.........................            6.55            3.79
                                                August 31.......................            6.54            3.89
                                                September 30....................            6.52            3.91
                                                October 31......................            6.52            3.91
                                                November 30.....................            6.52            3.91
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\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 11, 2015.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-31624 Filed 12-15-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P