[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 40 (Tuesday, March 1, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10591-10593]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-04453]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XE458


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 2015 
fishing year, which was authorized from May 1 through November 15. The 
fee percentage is 3.0 percent. The fee liability payments were due from 
each rockfish cooperative by February 15, 2016.

DATES: Effective March 1, 2016.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Keeley Kent, 907-586-7228.

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 as 
quota share 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 limited access privilege program 
established under the provisions of section 303A of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). Sections 303A 
and 304(d) of the MSA require NMFS to collect fees to recover the 
actual costs directly related to the management, data collection and

[[Page 10592]]

analysis, and enforcement of any limited access privilege program. 
Therefore, NMFS is required to collect fees for the Rockfish Program 
under sections 303A and 304(d)(2) of the MSA. 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 are 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 
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 
will result in the permit holder's quota share becoming non-
transferable and the person will be ineligible to receive any 
additional quota share by transfer. In addition, cooperative members 
will 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 methods 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 Rockfish Program management, data 
collection and analysis, and enforcement costs (management costs) 
during the previous year by the total standard ex-vessel value of the 
rockfish primary species and rockfish secondary species for all 
rockfish CQ landings made during the previous year (fishery value). 
NMFS captures the actual management costs through an established 
accounting system that allows staff to track labor, travel, contracts, 
rent, and procurement. Fee collections in any given year may be less 
than, or greater than, the actual management 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 
management costs and the fishery value of the previous calendar year.
    Using the fee percentage formula described above, the estimated 
percentage of management costs to value for the 2015 calendar year is 
3.3 percent of the standard ex-vessel value; except the rockfish fee 
percentage amount must not exceed 3.0 percent pursuant to MSA section 
304(d)(2)(B). Therefore, the 2015 fee liability percentage is set at 
3.0 percent. The fee liability percentage for 2015 remains the same as 
the 2014 fee liability percentage (80 FR 6053, February 4, 2015). 
Management costs were similar between 2014 and 2015, with slightly 
increased costs attributable to software upgrades needed to maintain 
the catch accounting system.

   Table 1--Standard Ex-Vessel Prices by Species for the 2015 Rockfish
                    Program Season in Kodiak, Alaska
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                                                           Standard ex-
              Species                   Period ending      vessel price
                                                           per pound ($)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dusky rockfish *..................  May 31..............            0.16
                                    June 30.............            0.18
                                    July 31.............            0.17
                                    August 31...........            0.17
                                    September 30........            0.17
                                    October 31..........            0.17
                                    November 30.........            0.17
Northern rockfish.................  May 31..............            0.15
                                    June 30.............            0.17
                                    July 31.............            0.16
                                    August 31...........            0.18
                                    September 30........            0.16
                                    October 31..........            0.17
                                    November 30.........            0.26
Pacific cod.......................  May 31..............            0.28
                                    June 30.............            0.27
                                    July 31.............            0.27
                                    August 31...........            0.31
                                    September 30........            0.27
                                    October 31..........            0.27
                                    November 30.........            0.30
Pacific ocean perch...............  May 31..............            0.19
                                    June 30.............            0.19
                                    July 31.............            0.18
                                    August 31...........            0.17

[[Page 10593]]

 
                                    September 30........            0.19
                                    October 31..........            0.19
                                    November 30.........            0.19
Rougheye rockfish.................  May 31..............            0.23
                                    June 30.............            0.22
                                    July 31.............            0.18
                                    August 31...........            0.17
                                    September 30........            0.15
                                    October 31..........            0.15
                                    November 30.........            0.17
Sablefish.........................  May 31..............            2.63
                                    June 30.............            2.68
                                    July 31.............            2.76
                                    August 31...........            3.57
                                    September 30........            2.67
                                    October 31..........            4.56
                                    November 30.........            2.96
Shortraker rockfish...............  May 31..............            0.16
                                    June 30.............            0.20
                                    July 31.............            0.15
                                    August 31...........            0.15
                                    September 30........            0.15
                                    October 31..........            0.18
                                    November 30.........            0.17
Thornyhead rockfish...............  May 31..............            0.31
                                    June 30.............            0.35
                                    July 31.............            0.35
                                    August 31...........            0.40
                                    September 30........            0.33
                                    October 31..........            0.59
                                    November 30.........            0.67
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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; Pub. L. 111-281.

    Dated: February 25, 2016.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-04453 Filed 2-29-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P