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 Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648-XD712
 AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
 ACTION: Notification of standard prices and fee percentage.
 SUMMARY: NMFS publishes the standard ex-vessel prices and fee percentage for cost recovery under the Central Gulf of Alaska Rockfish Program. This action is intended to provide participants in a rockfish cooperative with the standard prices and fee percentage for the 2014 fishing year, which was authorized from May 1 through November 15. The fee percentage is 3.0 percent. The fee liability payments are due from each rockfish cooperative by February 15, 2015.
 DATES: Effective February 4, 2015.
 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Troie Zuniga, 907-586-7105.


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background The rockfish fisheries are conducted in Federal waters near Kodiak, AK, by trawl and longline vessels. Regulations implementing the Central Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Rockfish Program (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. The rockfish primary species are northern rockfish, Pacific ocean perch, and dusky rockfish. In 2012, dusky rockfish replaced the pelagic shelf rockfish species group in the GOA Groundfish Harvest Specifications (77 FR 15194, March 14, 2012). The rockfish secondary species include Pacific cod, rougheye rockfish, shortraker rockfish, sablefish, and thornyhead rockfish. Rockfish cooperatives began fishing under the Rockfish Program on May 1, 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 (MSA). Sections 303A and 304(d) of the MSA 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 MSA. Section 304(d)(2) of the MSA also limits the cost recovery fee so that it may not exceed 3 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 price, rather than actual price data provided by each rockfish cooperative quota (CQ) holder. Use of a standard ex-vessel price is allowed under sections 303A and 304(d)(2) of the MSA. 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. Regulations at § 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 opt-out vessels 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 § 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 February 15 of each year. Failure to pay on time will result in the permit holder's quota share becoming non-transferable and the person will be ineligible to receive any additional quota share by transfer. In addition, cooperative members will not receive any rockfish CQ the following year until full payment of the fee liability 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 methodology described in Federal regulations at § 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 (management 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 actual management 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 actual management costs and fishery value for that year, because, by regulation, the fee percentage is established in the first quarter of the calendar year based on the management costs and the fishery value of the previous calendar year. Using the fee percentage formula described above, the estimated percentage of management costs to value for the 2014 calendar year is 5.52 percent of the standard ex-vessel value; except the rockfish fee percentage amount must not exceed 3.0 percent pursuant to 16 U.S.C. 1854(d)(2)(B). Therefore, the 2014 fee liability percentage is set at 3.0 percent. This is an increase of 0.5 percent from the 2013 fee liability of 2.5 percent (79 FR 11766, March 3, 2014). The change in the fee percentage between 2013 and 2014 can be attributed to a decrease in the fishery value and an increase in NMFS management costs. NMFS incurred higher costs in 2014 for observer deployment and for data collection and analysis. Table 1—Standard Ex-Vessel Prices by Species for the 2014 Rockfish Program Season in Kodiak, Alaska
Species
Period ending
Standard 
                             ex-vessel  
                             price per poundDusky rockfish *
May 31
0.15June 30
0.16July 31
0.16August 31
0.18September 30
0.14October 31
0.17November 30
0.15( print page 6055)Northern rockfish
May 31
0.15June 30
0.15July 31
0.16August 31
0.17September 30
0.13October 31
0.17November 30
0.14Pacific cod
May 31
0.29June 30
0.30July 31
0.19August 31
0.24September 30
0.29October 31
0.26November 30
0.25Pacific ocean perch
May 31
0.17June 30
0.17July 31
0.17August 31
0.17September 30
0.16October 31
0.17November 30
0.17Rougheye rockfish
May 31
0.15June 30
0.22July 31
0.15August 31
0.16September 30
0.20Sablefish
May 31
2.74June 30
2.68July 31
2.94August 31
2.72September 30
2.77October 31
2.52November 30
2.68Shortraker rockfish
May 31
0.24June 30
0.17July 31
0.23August 31
0.20September 30
0.21Thornyhead rockfish
May 31
0.32June 30
0.56July 31
0.41August 31
0.21September 30
0.38* The pelagic shelf rockfish (PSR) species group has been changed to “dusky rockfish.”
 Authority:
                    16 U.S.C. 773 
                        *et seq.;*
                         1801 
                        *et seq.;*
                         3631 
                        *et seq.;*Pub. L. 108-447. Dated: January 29, 2015. Alan D. Risenhoover, Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.


[FR Doc. 2015-02100 Filed 2-3-15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-22-P