[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 233 (Wednesday, December 4, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72869-72872]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-29023]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XC937
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 2013
is 2.8%. This action is intended to provide holders of halibut and
sablefish IFQ permits with the 2013 standard prices and fee percentage
to calculate the required payment for IFQ cost recovery fees due by
January 31, 2014.
DATES: Effective December 4, 2013.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Troie Zuniga, Fee Coordinator, 907-
586-7231.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
NMFS Alaska Region administers the halibut and sablefish individual
fishing quota (IFQ) programs in the North Pacific. The IFQ programs are
limited access systems authorized by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) and the Northern
Pacific Halibut Act of 1982.
[[Page 72870]]
Fishing under the IFQ programs 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 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 sablefish and
halibut 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 2013 sablefish and halibut IFQ fishing season, an IFQ permit holder
is to use a fee liability percentage of 2.8% 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,
2014.
The 2013 fee liability percentage of 2.8% is an increase of 0.7%
from the 2012 fee liability of 2.1% (77 FR 71783, December 4, 2012).
The IFQ fee percentage increase in 2013 is due to a decline in the
total standard ex-vessel value of the halibut and sablefish fisheries
as a result of lower ex-vessel prices and catch limits in 2013. The
NMFS management and enforcement costs for the IFQ program remained
constant from 2012 to 2013.
Registered Buyer Standard Ex-Vessel Prices by Landing Location for 2013 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....................................... February 28..................... .............. ..............
March 31........................ .............. ..............
April 30........................ .............. ..............
May 31.......................... .............. ..............
June 30......................... .............. ..............
July 31......................... 5.62 ..............
August 31....................... 5.54 ..............
September 30.................... 5.27 ..............
October 31...................... 5.27 ..............
November 30..................... 5.27 ..............
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HOMER......................................... February 28..................... .............. ..............
March 31........................ 5.24 ..............
April 30........................ 5.23 2.80
May 31.......................... 5.31 2.66
June 30......................... 5.31 2.72
July 31......................... 5.65 2.87
August 31....................... 5.38 2.79
September 30.................... 5.20 2.72
[[Page 72871]]
October 31...................... 5.20 2.72
November 30..................... 5.20 2.72
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KETCHIKAN..................................... February 28..................... .............. ..............
March 31........................ .............. ..............
April 30........................ 5.41 ..............
May 31.......................... 5.22 ..............
June 30......................... .............. ..............
July 31......................... 5.05 ..............
August 31....................... 5.11 ..............
September 30.................... 5.12 ..............
October 31...................... 5.12 ..............
November 30..................... 5.12 ..............
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KODIAK........................................ February 28..................... .............. ..............
March 31........................ 4.92 ..............
April 30........................ 4.67 2.92
May 31.......................... 4.76 2.81
June 30......................... 4.74 2.79
July 31......................... 5.10 2.93
August 31....................... 4.93 2.86
September 30.................... 5.02 2.84
October 31...................... 5.02 2.84
November 30..................... 5.02 2.84
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PETERSBURG.................................... February 28..................... .............. ..............
March 31........................ .............. ..............
April 30........................ .............. ..............
May 31.......................... 5.23 ..............
June 30......................... 5.31 ..............
July 31......................... .............. ..............
August 31....................... .............. ..............
September 30.................... .............. ..............
October 31...................... .............. ..............
November 30..................... .............. ..............
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SEWARD........................................ February 28..................... .............. ..............
March 31........................ 5.26 ..............
April 30........................ 5.27 2.92
May 31.......................... .............. ..............
June 30......................... .............. ..............
July 31......................... .............. ..............
August 31....................... .............. ..............
September 30.................... .............. ..............
October 31...................... .............. ..............
November 30..................... .............. ..............
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Halibut Sablefish
Port group Period ending standard ex- standard ex-
vessel price vessel price
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BERING SEA \2\................................ February 28..................... .............. ..............
March 31........................ .............. ..............
April 30........................ 3.61 2.71
May 31.......................... 4.07 2.71
June 30......................... 4.06 2.68
July 31......................... 4.23 2.71
August 31....................... 4.44 2.77
September 30.................... 4.48 2.87
October 31...................... 4.48 2.87
November 30..................... 4.48 2.87
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CENTRAL GULF \3\.............................. February 28..................... .............. ..............
March 31........................ 2.66 2.91
April 30........................ 5.13 2.90
May 31.......................... 5.10 2.77
June 30......................... 5.12 2.78
July 31......................... 5.43 2.89
August 31....................... 5.26 2.80
September 30.................... 5.11 2.85
October 31...................... 5.11 2.85
[[Page 72872]]
November 30..................... 5.11 2.85
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SOUTHEAST \4\................................. February 28..................... .............. ..............
March 31........................ 5.45 2.77
April 30........................ 5.26 2.78
May 31.......................... 5.17 2.89
June 30......................... 5.15 2.89
July 31......................... 5.30 2.92
August 31....................... 5.45 3.03
September 30.................... 5.44 3.05
October 31...................... 5.44 3.05
November 30..................... 5.44 3.05
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ALL \5\....................................... February 28..................... .............. ..............
March 31........................ 3.78 2.77
April 30........................ 5.13 2.84
May 31.......................... 5.06 2.80
June 30......................... 4.97 2.81
July 31......................... 5.11 2.87
August 31....................... 5.13 2.87
September 30.................... 5.05 2.93
October 31...................... 5.05 2.93
November 30..................... 5.05 2.93
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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: November 27, 2013.
Emily H. Menashes,
Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-29023 Filed 12-3-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P