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 Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648-XF878
 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 2017 fishing year, which was authorized from May 1 through November 15. The fee percentage is 2.04 percent. The fee payments are due from each rockfish cooperative on or before February 15, 2018.
 DATES: Valid on: January 22, 2018.
 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carl Greene, 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. Each year, NMFS issues rockfish primary and secondary species cooperative quota (CQ) to rockfish quota share holders to authorize harvest of these 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 (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 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. 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 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 § 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 § 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, because, by regulation, the fee percentage is established in the first quarter of the calendar year based on the program 
                    ( print page 2965)
                    costs and the fishery value of the previous calendar year. Using the fee percentage formula described above, the estimated percentage of program costs to value for the 2017 calendar year is 2.04 percent of the standard ex-vessel value. The fee percentage for 2017 is a decrease from the 2016 fee percentage of 2.54 percent (82 FR 5533, January 18, 2017). Program costs for 2017 were 46 percent lower than in 2016, with the majority of the reduction coming from personnel, overhead, and contracting costs. Table 1—Standard Ex-Vessel Prices by Species for the 2017 Rockfish Program Season in Kodiak, Alaska
Species
Period ending
Standard
                             ex-vessel 
                             price per 
                             poundDusky rockfish *
May 31
$0.16June 30
0.16July 31
0.16August 31
0.16September 30
0.16October 31
0.16November 30
0.16Northern rockfish
May 31
0.15June 30
0.14July 31
0.15August 31
0.15September 30
0.15October 31
0.15November 30
0.15Pacific cod
May 31
0.36June 30
0.35July 31
0.35August 31
0.35September 30
0.35October 31
0.35November 30
0.35Pacific ocean perch
May 31
0.18June 30
0.18July 31
0.18August 31
0.18September 30
0.18October 31
0.18November 30
0.18Rougheye rockfish
May 31
0.20June 30
0.20July 31
0.20August 31
0.20September 30
0.20October 31
0.20November 30
0.15Sablefish
May 31
3.80June 30
3.27July 31
3.37August 31
3.37September 30
3.61October 31
3.07November 30
3.12Shortraker rockfish
May 31
0.21June 30
0.21July 31
0.21August 31
0.21September 30
0.21October 31
0.21November 30
0.21Thornyhead rockfish
May 31
0.39June 30
0.35July 31
0.36August 31
0.36September 30
0.38October 31
0.37November 30
0.32* The pelagic shelf rockfish species group has been changed to “dusky rockfish.”
 ( print page 2966)
                    Authority:
                    16 U.S.C. 773 
                        *et seq.;*
                         1801 
                        *et seq.;*
                         3631 
                        *et seq.;*Pub. L. 108-447; Pub. L. 111-281. Dated: January 17, 2018. Alan D. Risenhoover, Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.


[FR Doc. 2018-01009 Filed 1-19-18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-22-P