Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska; North Pacific Halibut and Sablefish Individual Fishing Quota Cost Recovery Program
| Citation | 86 FR 74071 |
| Record Number | 2021-28292 |
| Published date | 29 December 2021 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration |
Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 247 (Wednesday, December 29, 2021)
[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\
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Halibut Sablefish
Landing location Period ending standard EX standard EX
vessel price vessel price
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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
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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
