[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 29, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74071-74074]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-28292]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XB545]


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

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 the 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 2021 is 2.3 percent. This action is intended to 
provide holders of halibut and sablefish IFQ permits with the 2021 
standard prices and fee percentage to calculate the required payment 
for IFQ cost recovery fees due by January 31, 2022.

DATES: The standard prices and fee percentages are valid on December 
29, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Charmaine Weeks, Fee Coordinator, 907-
586-7231.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    NMFS Alaska Region administers the 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 (Halibut 
Act). 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 Sec.  304(d)(2)(A) of the Act. 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 at Sec.  679.45 to 
implement cost recovery for the IFQ Program (65 FR 14919). Under the 
regulations, an IFQ permit holder must pay a cost recovery fee for 
every pound of IFQ halibut and sablefish that is landed on their IFQ 
permit(s). The IFQ permit holder is responsible for self-collecting the 
fee for all IFQ halibut and sablefish landings on their permit(s). The 
IFQ permit holder is also responsible for submitting IFQ fee 
payments(s) to NMFS on or before January 31 of the year following the 
year in which the IFQ landings were made. The total dollar amount of 
the fee 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 Sec.  679.45(d)(1) and (d)(3)(i), 
NMFS publishes this notice of the fee percentage for the IFQ halibut 
and sablefish fisheries in the Federal Register during or prior to the 
last quarter of each year.

Standard Prices

    The fee 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. 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.
    Section 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 is 
converted to IFQ equivalent pound(s) as specified in Sec.  
300.65(c)(5)(ii)(E). 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 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 
halibut and sablefish IFQ 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 percentage of 
management costs to fishery value for the 2021 calendar year is 2.3 
percent of the standard ex-vessel value. An IFQ permit holder is to use 
the fee percentage of 2.3 percent to calculate their fee for IFQ 
equivalent pound(s) landed during the 2021 halibut and sablefish IFQ 
fishing season. An IFQ permit holder is responsible for submitting the 
2021 IFQ fee payment to NMFS on or before January 31, 2022. Payment 
must be made in accordance with the payment methods set forth in Sec.  
679.45(a)(4)(iv). Payment can be made using credit card, debit card, or 
electronic check via the pay.gov program. NMFS does not accept credit

[[Page 74072]]

card information by phone or in-person for fee payments.
    The 2021 fee percentage of 2.3 percent is less than the 2020 fee 
percentage of 3.0 percent (85 FR 82442, December 18, 2020). Between 
2020 and 2021 there was a net decrease in management costs and a net 
increase in fishery value. Management costs decreased by approximately 
10 percent while fishery value increased by approximately 66 percent. 
The net increase in value was due to higher ex-vessel prices and 
landings for both halibut and sablefish IFQ fisheries.

       Table 1--Registered Buyer Standard Ex-Vessel Prices by Landing Location for the 2021 IFQ Season \1\
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Halibut        Sablefish
             Landing location                           Period ending               standard EX     standard EX
                                                                                   vessel price    vessel price
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOMER
                                            March 31............................            5.73
                                            April 30............................            5.99            1.95
                                            May 31..............................            6.07            1.89
                                            June 30.............................            6.73            1.82
                                            July 31.............................            7.70            1.84
                                            August 31...........................            6.97            1.70
                                            September 30........................            7.20            2.19
                                            October 31..........................            7.20            2.19
                                            November 30.........................            7.20            2.19
                                            December 31.........................            7.20            2.19
KETCHIKAN
                                            March 31............................
                                            April 30............................            5.84
                                            May 31..............................            6.18
                                            June 30.............................            6.10
                                            July 31.............................
                                            August 31...........................
                                            September 30........................            6.78
                                            October 31..........................            6.78
                                            November 30.........................            6.78
                                            December 31.........................            6.78
KODIAK
                                            March 31............................            5.28
                                            April 30............................            5.49            1.55
                                            May 31..............................            5.68            1.60
                                            June 30.............................            6.03            1.76
                                            July 31.............................            6.28            1.92
                                            August 31...........................            6.32            1.78
                                            September 30........................            6.48            1.88
                                            October 31..........................            6.48            1.88
                                            November 30.........................            6.48            1.88
                                            December 31.........................            6.48            1.88
PETERSBURG
                                            March 31............................
                                            April 30............................            5.66
                                            May 31..............................            5.77
                                            June 30.............................            6.40
                                            July 31.............................            6.63
                                            August 31...........................            6.59
                                            September 30........................            6.84
                                            October 31..........................            6.84
                                            November 30.........................            6.84
                                            December 31.........................            6.84
SEWARD
                                            March 31............................  ..............            1.76
                                            April 30............................            6.03            1.58
                                            May 31..............................            6.09            1.68
                                            June 30.............................
                                            July 31.............................            7.32
                                            August 31...........................
                                            September 30........................
                                            October 31..........................
                                            November 30.........................
                                            December 31.........................
SITKA
                                            March 31............................            5.59            2.02
                                            April 30............................            5.77            2.08
                                            May 31..............................            5.62            2.24
                                            June 30.............................            6.07            2.33
                                            July 31.............................            6.74
                                            August 31...........................            6.50            2.01
                                            September 30........................            6.65            2.26
                                            October 31..........................            6.65            2.26

[[Page 74073]]

 
                                            November 30.........................            6.65            2.26
                                            December 31.........................            6.65            2.26
PORT GROUP BERING SEA \2\
                                            March 31............................
                                            April 30............................
                                            May 31..............................            5.02            1.77
                                            June 30.............................            5.35            1.70
                                            July 31.............................            5.56            1.57
                                            August 31...........................            5.79            2.00
                                            September 30........................            5.96            1.85
                                            October 31..........................            5.96            1.85
                                            November 30.........................            5.96            1.85
                                            December 31.........................            5.96            1.85
PORT GROUP CENTRAL GOA \3\
                                            March 31............................            5.64            1.68
                                            April 30............................            5.89            1.54
                                            May 31..............................            5.95            1.63
                                            June 30.............................            6.38            1.75
                                            July 31.............................            7.25            1.79
                                            August 31...........................            6.85            2.07
                                            September 30........................            7.20            1.92
                                            October 31..........................            7.20            1.92
                                            November 30.........................            7.20            1.92
                                            December 31.........................            7.20            1.92
PORT GROUP SE ALASKA \4\
                                            March 31............................            5.65            2.01
                                            April 30............................            5.79            1.88
                                            May 31..............................            5.80            2.07
                                            June 30.............................            6.12            2.08
                                            July 31.............................            6.69            1.99
                                            August 31...........................            6.60            1.98
                                            September 30........................            6.73            2.19
                                            October 31..........................            6.73            2.19
                                            November 30.........................            6.73            2.19
                                            December 31.........................            6.73            2.19
ALL-ALASKA \5\
                                            March 31............................            5.64            1.95
                                            April 30............................            5.83            1.68
                                            May 31..............................            5.82            1.78
                                            June 30.............................            6.17            1.84
                                            July 31.............................            6.59            1.78
                                            August 31...........................            6.48            2.03
                                            September 30........................            6.86            2.03
                                            October 31..........................            6.86            2.03
                                            November 30.........................            6.86            2.03
                                            December 31.........................            6.86            2.03
ALL \5\
                                            March 31............................            5.64            1.95
                                            April 30............................            5.83            1.68
                                            May 31..............................            5.82            1.78
                                            June 30.............................            6.17            1.84
                                            July 31.............................            6.59            1.78
                                            August 31...........................            6.51            2.03
                                            September 30........................            6.86            2.03
                                            October 31..........................            6.86            2.03
                                            November 30.........................            6.86            2.03
                                            December 31.........................            6.86            2.03
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Note: In many instances, prices are not shown in order to comply with confidentiality guidelines when there
  are fewer than three processors operating in a location during a month. Additionally, landings at different
  harbors in the same general location (e.g., ``Juneau, Douglas, and Auke Bay'') have been combined to report
  landings to the main port (e.g., ``Juneau'').
2. Landing Locations Within Port Group--Bering Sea: Akutan, Dillingham, Dutch Harbor/Unalaska, King Cove, King
  Salmon, Naknek, Nome, Savoonga, St. Lawrence Island, St. Paul, Togiak.
3. Landing Locations Within Port Group--Central Gulf of Alaska: Alitak, Cordova, Homer, Kenai, Kodiak, Sand
  Point, Seward, Valdez, Whittier.
4. Landing Locations Within Port Group--Southeast Alaska: Craig, Elfin Cove, Haines, Hoonah, Juneau, Kake,
  Ketchikan, Pelican, Petersburg, Port Alexander, Sitka, Wrangell, Yakutat.
5. Landing Locations Within Port Group--All: For Alaska: All landing locations included in 2, 3, and 4. For
  Washington: Bellingham, Seattle.


[[Page 74074]]

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

    Dated: December 23, 2021.
Peter Cooper,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-28292 Filed 12-28-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P