31530 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 100 / Tuesday, May 24, 2022 / Notices 

Commissioners receive no 

compensation for their services. 

Nomination Process 

NMFS is soliciting nominations for 

non-Federal Commissioner positions 

listed below. As explained in the 

Background Section, the purpose of this 

action is to develop a pool of qualified 

candidates, who can be considered, as 

the need arises, for recommendations 

for U.S. Commissioner vacancies or for 

designation as Alternate 

Commissioners. Pursuant to the RFMO 

statutes described below, there may be 

‘‘up to’’ a certain number of non-Federal 

U.S. Commissioners. There is no limit 

though on the number of nominees that 

may be submitted for consideration. 

Successful nominees will be considered 

for appointment by the appropriate 

authority and, pending such action by 

that authority, may receive an interim 

designation by the Department of State, 

as needed and appropriate. Separate 

from any nominations received per this 

notice, NMFS and/or its federal agency 

partners may also independently make 

Commissioner recommendations. 

Current Commissioners that are 

interested in being included in the pool 

of qualified candidates may, but are not 

required to, indicate as such through 

self-nomination or nomination by 

someone else. 

• IATTC: Up to three U.S. 

Commissioners who are not an officer or 

employee of the Department of 

Commerce. Not more than two U.S. 

Commissioners may be appointed who 

reside in a State other than a State 

whose vessels maintain a substantial 

fishery in the area of the Convention. 

Nomination packages for these positions 

should provide details of the nominee’s 

knowledge and experience relative to 

highly migratory fish stocks in the 

eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, as well as 

current state of residence. 

• ICCAT: Up to two U.S. 

Commissioners who are not salaried 

employees of any State or political 

subdivision thereof, or the Federal 

Government. Nomination packages for 

these positions should provide details of 

the nominee’s knowledge and 

experience relative to commercial and/ 

or recreational fishing, in particular for 

tuna, tuna-like species and other highly 

migratory species, in the Atlantic 

Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, or Caribbean 

Sea. 

• IPHC: Up to two U.S. 

Commissioners who are not officials of 

NOAA. Nomination packages for these 

positions should provide details of the 

nominee’s knowledge and experience 

relative to Pacific halibut, as well as 

current state of residence. 

• NAFO: One U.S. Commissioner 

who is not an official of the 

Government. Nomination packages for 

this position should provide details of 

the nominee’s knowledge and 

experience relative to the fishery 

resources to which the Convention 

applies, specifically as it relates to 

representing the commercial fishing 

industry. 

• NASCO: Up to two U.S. 

Commissioners who are not officials of 

the U.S. Government. Nomination 

packages for these positions should 

provide details of the nominee’s 

knowledge and experience relative to 

the conservation and management of 

salmon of U.S. origin. 

• NPAFC: Up to two U.S. 

Commissioners who are not officials of 

the U.S. Government. Nomination 

packages for these positions should 

provide details of the nominee’s 

knowledge and experience relative to 

the anadromous stocks and ecologicallyrelated species of the North Pacific 

Ocean, as well as current state of 

residence. Note that to be considered for 

appointment, individuals must be a 

resident of the State of Alaska or the 

State of Washington. 

• SPRFMO: One U.S. Commissioner 

who is knowledgeable or experienced 

concerning fishery resources in the 

South Pacific Ocean, and who is not an 

official of the U.S. Government or the 

selected Commissioner representative of 

the Western Pacific Fishery 

Management Council. Nomination 

packages for this position should 

provide details of the nominee’s 

knowledge and experience relative to 

the fishery resources in the South 

Pacific Ocean. 

• WCPFC: Up to two U.S. 

Commissioners who are not officers or 

employees of the Department of 

Commerce or the selected 

Commissioner representative of the 

Western Pacific Fishery Management 

Council or Pacific Fishery Management 

Council. Nomination packages for this 

position should provide details of the 

nominee’s knowledge and experience 

relative to highly migratory fish stocks 

in the Western and Central Pacific 

Ocean. 

Nomination packages submitted to 

recommend that an individual (not an 

official of the U.S. Government) be 

considered for the pool of 

Commissioner/Alternate Commissioner 

candidates should note the relevant 

RFMO(s) for consideration and include 

a resume or curriculum vitae that 

documents that individual’s 

qualifications and state of residence. 

Self-nominations are acceptable. Letters 

of recommendation/support are useful 

but not required. Nomination packages 

will be evaluated by NOAA, in 

consultation with the Department of 

State and other federal agency partners 

as appropriate, on a case-by-case basis 

by officials who are familiar with the 

requirements, duties, and 

responsibilities of the respective 

positions. 

Evaluations will consider the 

aggregate of an individual’s prior 

experience and knowledge of the 

specific fisheries concerned, any 

applicable residency or other legal 

requirements, and any letters of 

recommendation provided. 

Dated: May 18, 2022. 

Alexa Cole, 

Director, Office of International Affairs, 

Trade, and Commerce, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2022–11159 Filed 5–23–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XC023] 

Fishing Capacity Reduction Program 

for the Southeast Alaska Purse Seine 

Salmon Fishery 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration, 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of fee rate adjustment 

change. 

SUMMARY: NMFS issues this notice to 

inform the public that there will be an 

increase of the fee rate required to repay 

the reduction loan financing the 

Southeast Alaska Purse Seine Salmon 

Fishing Capacity reduction program. 

Effective June 1, 2022, NMFS is 

increasing the Loan B fee rate to 2.5 

percent of landed value to ensure timely 

repayment of the loan. The fee rate for 

Loan A will remain unchanged at 1 

percent of landed value. The increased 

fee rate is due to the decrease in 

projected value of the Southeast Alaska 

Purse Seine Salmon catch for 2022. 

DATES: The Southeast Alaska Purse 

Seine Salmon Fishing Capacity loan 

program fee rate increase will begin 

with landings on June 1, 2022. The first 

due date for fee payments with the 

increased rate will be July 15, 2022. 

ADDRESSES: Send questions about this 

notice to Michael A. Sturtevant, 

Program Manager, Financial Services 

Division, National Marine Fisheries 

Service, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver 

Spring, MD 20910–3282. 


jspears on DSK121TN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 100 / Tuesday, May 24, 2022 / Notices 31531 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Michael A. Sturtevant, (301) 427–8782. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The Southeast Alaska Purse Seine 

Salmon Fishery is a commercial fishery 

in Alaska State waters and adjacent 

Federal waters. It encompasses the 

commercial taking of salmon with purse 

seine gear and participation is limited to 

fishermen designated by the Alaska 

Commercial Fisheries Entry 

Commission (CFEC). 

The Fishing Capacity Reduction 

Program was established under the 

Consolidations Act of 2005 (Section 209 

of Title II of Division B of Pub. L. 108– 

447). This Federal law was subsequently 

amended by Section 121 of Public Law 

109–479 (the Magnuson-Stevens 

Reauthorization Act of 2006) codified at 

16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. The authority for 

the SRA to conduct this program under 

Alaska law is AS 16.40.250. 

Based on these Federal and state 

measures, the NMFS established 

regulations in the Federal Register, (76 

FR 61986; October 6, 2011), to 

administer and implement the program. 

The purpose of the program and this 

plan is to permanently reduce the 

number of limited entry fishing permits 

issued by the Alaska Commercial 

Fisheries Entry Commission (CFEC) for 

the Fishery thereby promoting economic 

efficiency and improving the 

conservation and management of the 

Fishery. 

Congress authorized a $23.5 million 

dollar loan to finance a fishing capacity 

reduction program in the Southeast 

Alaska Purse Seine Salmon Fishery. 

NMFS published proposed program 

regulations on May 23, 2011 (76 FR 

29707) and final program regulations on 

October 6, 2011 (76 FR 61986) to 

implement the reduction program. 

In 2012, NMFS conducted a 

referendum to determine the remaining 

fishermen’s willingness to repay a $13.1 

million fishing capacity reduction loan 

to remove 64 permits. After a majority 

of permit holders approved the loan, 

NMFS disbursed payments to the 

successful bidders and began collecting 

fees to repay the loan. Since only $13.1 

million was expended from the total 

loan amount, $10.4 million in funds 

remained available. 

In 2018, the SRA informed NMFS that 

they wished to access the remaining 

loan amounts to undertake a second 

buyback. To implement this next 

buyback, the SRA, on behalf of the 

reduction fishery, was required to draft 

and submit a reduction plan to NMFS. 

On June 21, 2018, the SRA submitted a 

reduction plan to access $10.1 million 

of the remaining $10.4 million in funds 

to remove 36 permits. NMFS approved 

the proposed second fishing capacity 

reduction plan in November 2018. 

NMFS published a notice of eligible 

voters on December 3, 2018 (83 FR 

62302) informing the public of the 

permanent permit holders eligible to 

vote in the referendum and informing 

the eligible voters of the referendum 

voting period. 

Purpose 

The purpose of this notice is to 

announce the current fee rates for the 

reduction fishery in accordance with the 

framework rule at 50 CFR 600.1013(b). 

Section 600.1013(b) directs NMFS to 

recalculate the fee to a rate that will be 

reasonably necessary to ensure 

reduction loan repayment within the 

specified 40-year term. 

For the 2022 fishing season, the fee 

rate for both Loan A and Loan B was 

one percent of the landed value and any 

subsequent bonus payment. Loan A is 

currently 13 years ahead of the 

scheduled amortization and will remain 

well ahead so we are leaving the rate at 

1 percent of gross value of salmon sold. 

Loan B is 1.5 years behind the 

scheduled amortization and currently 

owes more than the original loan 

amount. Beginning June 1, 2022, the 

Loan B fee rate will be increased from 

1 percent to 2.5 percent of gross value 

of salmon sold and is projected to be 

current at the end of the 2022 season. 

Fish buyers may continue to use 

Pay.gov to disburse collected fee 

deposits at: http://www.pay.gov/ 

paygov/. Please visit the NOAA 

Fisheries website for additional 

information at: https://

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/alaska/fundingand-financial-services/southeast-alaskapurse-seine-salmon-fishery-buybackprogram. 

Notice 

The new fee rate for the Southeast 

Alaska Purse Seine Salmon Fishery will 

begin on June 1, 2022. 

From and after this date, all subsector 

members paying fees on the Southeast 

Alaska Purse Seine Salmon Fishery 

shall begin paying program fees at the 

revised rate. 

Fee collection and submission shall 

follow previously established methods 

in § 600.1013 of the framework rule and 

in the final fee rule published in the 

Federal Register on October 6, 2011 (76 

FR 61985). 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1861 et seq.; Pub. 

L. 108–447. 

Dated: May 9, 2022. 

Brian T. Pawlak, 

Chief Financial Officer/Chief Administrative 

Officer, Director, Office of Management and 

Budget, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2022–11065 Filed 5–23–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XC053] 

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management 

Council; Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of hybrid meeting open 

to the public offering both in-person and 

virtual options for participation. 

SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery 

Management Council (Council) will 

hold a four-day meeting to consider 

actions affecting the Gulf of Mexico 

fisheries in the exclusive economic zone 

(EEZ). 

DATES: The meeting will convene 

Tuesday, June 21 through Thursday, 

June 23, 2022 at 8 a.m.–5:15 p.m., EDT, 

and Friday, June 24, 2022 at 8 a.m.–4:30 

p.m., EDT. 

ADDRESSES: 

Meeting address: The meeting will 

take place at the Crowne Plaza at Bell 

Tower Shops, located at 13051 Bell 

Tower Drive, Fort Myers, FL 33907. 

Please note, in-person meeting 

attendees will be expected to follow any 

current COVID–19 safety protocols as 

determined by the Council, hotel and 

the City of Ft. Myers, if any. Such 

precautions may include masks, room 

capacity restrictions, and/or social 

distancing. If you prefer to ‘‘listen in’’, 

you may access the log-on information 

by visiting our website at 

www.gulfcouncil.org. 

Council address: Gulf of Mexico 

Fishery Management Council, 4107 W 

Spruce Street, Suite 200, Tampa, FL 

33607; telephone: (813) 348–1630. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

Carrie Simmons, Executive Director, 

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management 

Council; telephone: (813) 348–1630. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Tuesday, June 21, 2022; 8 a.m.–5:15 

p.m., EDT 

The meeting will begin with the 

Habitat Protection and Restoration 

Committee reviewing and discussing the 


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