[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 23 (Friday, February 2, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7379-7381]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-02067]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XD674]


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 (GOA) 
Rockfish Program (Rockfish Program). This action is intended to provide 
participants in a rockfish cooperative with the standard prices and fee 
percentage for the 2023 fishing year, which was authorized from May 1 
through November 15. The fee percentage is 3.00 percent. The fee 
payments are due from each rockfish cooperative on or before February 
15, 2024.

DATES: Valid on: February 2, 2024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Charmaine Weeks, 907-586-7105.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The rockfish fisheries are conducted in Federal waters near Kodiak, 
Alaska by trawl and longline vessels. Regulations implementing the 
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. Each year, NMFS issues rockfish 
primary and secondary species cooperative quota (CQ) to rockfish quota 
shareholders to authorize harvest of these species. The rockfish 
primary species are northern rockfish, Pacific Ocean perch, and dusky 
rockfish. The rockfish secondary species include Pacific cod, rougheye 
rockfish, shortraker rockfish, sablefish, and thornyhead rockfish. 
Rockfish cooperatives began fishing under the Rockfish Program in 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 (Magnuson-Stevens Act). 
Sections 303A and 304(d) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act require NMFS to 
collect fees to recover the actual costs directly related to the 
management, data collection and 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 Magnuson-Stevens Act. Section 304(d)(2) of the Magnuson-Stevens 
Act also limits the cost recovery fee so that it may not exceed 3.00 
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 prices, rather than actual price data provided by each rockfish 
CQ holder. Use of standard ex-vessel prices is allowed under sections 
303A and 304(d)(2) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. 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. Rockfish processors that receive and purchase 
landings of rockfish CQ groundfish must submit, on an annual basis, a 
volume and value report for the period May 1 to November 15 (50 CFR 
679.5(r)(10)(ii)).
    Regulations at 50 CFR 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 trawl vessels that opt out of joining a cooperative 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 50 
CFR 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 or before February 15 of each year. Failure to pay 
on time will result in the permit holder's rockfish quota share 
becoming non-transferable, and the person will be ineligible to receive 
any additional rockfish quota share by transfer. In addition, 
cooperative members will not receive any rockfish CQ the following year 
until full payment of the fee 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 50 CFR 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 (direct program 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 direct program 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 direct program costs and fishery value for 
that year, as the fee percentage is established by regulation in the 
first quarter of the calendar year based on the program costs and the

[[Page 7380]]

fishery value of the previous calendar year.
    Using the fee percentage formula described above, the estimated 
percentage of program costs to value for the 2023 calendar year is 3.59 
percent of the standard ex-vessel value; since this is higher than the 
regulatory cap, the fee percentage is the capped 3.00 percent. Program 
costs for 2023 increased by 11.40 percent compared to 2022 costs; 
however, the fishery value decreased approximately 21.30 percent 
resulting in a higher fee percentage. Similar to 2022, the majority of 
2023 costs were a result of direct personnel and contract costs.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Species                     Month          Average price/lb
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Dusky Rockfish..................  May................              $0.14
                                  June...............               0.11
                                  July...............               0.12
                                  Aug................               0.12
                                  September..........               0.12
                                  October............               0.10
                                  November...........               0.12
Northern Rockfish...............  May................               0.14
                                  June...............               0.13
                                  July...............               0.13
                                  Aug................               0.13
                                  September..........               0.13
                                  October............               0.13
                                  November...........               0.13
Pacific Cod.....................  May................               0.37
                                  June...............               0.37
                                  July...............               0.33
                                  Aug................               0.33
                                  September..........               0.33
                                  October............               0.28
                                  November...........               0.33
Pacific Ocean Perch.............  May................               0.14
                                  June...............               0.14
                                  July...............               0.13
                                  Aug................               0.13
                                  September..........               0.13
                                  October............               0.09
                                  November...........               0.13
Rougheye Rockfish...............  May................               0.11
                                  June...............               0.10
                                  July...............               0.10
                                  Aug................               0.10
                                  September..........               0.10
                                  October............               0.10
                                  November...........               0.10
Sablefish.......................  May................               0.75
                                  June...............               0.81
                                  July...............               0.69
                                  Aug................               0.69
                                  September..........               0.69
                                  October............               0.69
                                  November...........               0.69
Shortraker Rockfish.............  May................               0.13
                                  June...............               0.19
                                  July...............               0.15
                                  Aug................               0.15
                                  September..........               0.15
                                  October............               0.15
                                  November...........               0.15
Thornyhead Rockfish.............  May................               0.40
                                  June...............               0.40
                                  July...............               0.39
                                  Aug................               0.39
                                  September..........               0.39
                                  October............               0.39
                                  November...........               0.39
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[[Page 7381]]

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 773 et seq.; 1801 et seq.; 3631 et seq.; Pub. 
L. 108-447; Pub. L. 111-281.

    Dated: January 29, 2024.
Everett Wayne Baxter,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-02067 Filed 2-1-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P