[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 22 (Friday, February 1, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Page 1071]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-00679]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XG642
Fishing Capacity Reduction Program for the Southeast Alaska Purse
Seine Salmon Fishery
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of revised referendum voting period.
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SUMMARY: On December 3, 2018, NMFS issued a notice to announce the
voting period for the proposed second fishing capacity reduction
program loan in the Southeast Alaska Purse Seine Salmon Fishery and
inform persons of their eligibility to vote. This notice informs the
public of the revised referendum voting period due to the lapse in
appropriations. The referendum, if approved, will result in a loan of
$10.1 million and permanently retire an additional 36 permits from the
fishery.
DATES: The referendum voting period will now start on February 4, 2018
and end on March 6, 2019. Any votes not received by NMFS by 5 p.m. on
March 6, 2019, will not be counted.
ADDRESSES: Send questions about this notice to Michael A. Sturtevant,
Acting Chief, Financial Services Division, NMFS, Attn: SE Alaska Purse
Seine Salmon Buyback, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910
(see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elaine Saiz at (301) 427-8752, fax
(301) 713-1306, or [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Southeast Alaska purse seine salmon fishery is a commercial
fishery in Alaska state waters and adjacent Federal waters. It
encompasses the commercial taking of salmon with purse seine gear, and
participation is limited to fishermen designated by the Alaska
Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission (CFEC). Congress authorized a
$23.5 million loan to finance a fishing capacity reduction program in
the Southeast Alaska purse seine salmon fishery. NMFS published
proposed program regulations on May 23, 2011 (76 FR 29707), and final
program regulations on October 6, 2011 (76 FR 61986), to implement the
reduction program. Interested persons should review these documents for
further program details.
In 2012, NMFS conducted a referendum to determine the remaining
fishermen's willingness to repay a $13.1 million fishing capacity
reduction loan to remove 64 permits. After a majority of permit holders
approved the loan, NMFS disbursed payments to the successful bidders
and began collecting fees to repay the loan. Since only $13.1 million
was expended from the total loan amount, $10.4 million remains
available. This referendum, if approved, will result in a loan of $10.1
million and permanently retire an additional 36 permits from the
fishery.
In June, 2018, the Southeast Revitalization Association submitted a
capacity reduction plan to NMFS and NMFS approved the plan in November,
2018. As of November 16, 2018, there are 315 permits in the fishery
designated as S01A by CFEC. In accordance with the final regulations,
NMFS published the notice on December 3, 2018 (83 FR 62302). The
original voting period was to start January 15, 2019 and end on
February 14, 2019. Due to the lapse in appropriations we have revised
voting period to the new dates.
II. Referendum Voting Period
The referendum voting period will start February 4, 2019, and end
on March 6, 2019. Any votes not received by NMFS by 5 p.m. on March 6,
2019, will not be counted.
Dated: January 29, 2019.
Brian T. Pawlak,
CFO/Director, Office of Management and Budget, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-00679 Filed 1-31-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P