Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2006/08/04/E6-12647/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-cost-recovery-program-for-north-pacific-halibut
Timestamp: 2020-01-19 07:12:27
Document Index: 362996259

Matched Legal Cases: ['§\u2009680', '§\u2009679', '§\u2009680', '§\u2009680', '§\u2009680', '§\u2009679', '§\u2009680', '§\u2009680']

Federal Register :: Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Cost Recovery Program for North Pacific Halibut, Sablefish, and Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Crab Individual Fishing Quota Programs
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/E6-12647 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/E6-12647
NMFS developed the Crab Rationalization cost recovery program to conform with statutory requirements and to partially compensate the agency for the unique added costs of management and enforcement of the Crab Rationalization Program. Key provisions of the Crab Rationalization cost recovery program include (1) a new definition and application of “fee liability"; (2) the establishment of a Registered Crab Receiver (RCR) permit system to streamline management and reporting; (3) the establishment of a “crab fishing year” for biological and administrative purposes; and (4) a new administrative process that requires the collection and submission of fees by RCRs rather than requiring separate billings to each person that receives a crab allocation (crab allocation holder). The crab allocations include IFQ, Crew IFQ, Individual Processing Quota (IPQ), Community Development Quota (CDQ), and the Adak community allocation.Start Printed Page 44232
In the crab rationalization fishery, a crab allocation holder generally incurs a cost recovery fee liability for every pound of crab landed. The RCR permit holder must collect the fee liability of the crab allocation holder landing crab. Additionally, the RCR permit holder must self-collect his or her own fee liability for all crab delivered to the RCR. The RCR permit holder is responsible for submitting this payment to NMFS on or before the due date of July 31, following the crab fishing year in which payment for the crab is made. The dollar amount of the fee due is determined by multiplying the fee percentage (not to exceed 3 percent) by the ex-vessel value of crab debited from the allocation. Specific details on the Crab Rationalization cost recovery program may be found in the implementing regulations for the Crab Rationalization Program set forth at § 680.44, and published March 2, 2005, at 70 FR 10174.
This final rule amends the existing regulations at §§ 679.45 and 680.44 addressing the methods by which NMFS calculates fee percentages and provides notice under the cost recovery provisions of the Halibut and Sablefish IFQ Program and Crab Rationalization Program. Calculation of the fee percentage under this action becomes a ministerial duty conducted by NMFS. This action does not affect the ex-vessel value determination under either program nor does it affect the current structure or administration of the standard prices calculated for the Halibut and Sablefish IFQ Program or the Catcher/Processor ex-vessel values calculated for the Crab Rationalization Program. NMFS makes minor changes to the current fee regulations to ensure full compliance with the APA (5 U.S.C. 501 et seq., 701 et seq.) while improving administrative efficiency.
The principal elements of this amendment are described and explained in detail in the preamble to the proposed rule and are not repeated here. This final rule is substantively the same as the proposed rule published May 8, 2006 (71 FR 26728). However, this final rule corrects an incorrect cross-reference at § 680.44(g) by changing the reference citation for § 680.5(f) to § 680.5(g).
2. In § 679.45 paragraph (d) is revised to read as follows:
4. In § 680.44 paragraphs (a)(2)(iii), (c)(1) through (3), and (g) are revised; paragraph (c)(4) is removed; and paragraph (c)(5) is redesignated as paragraph (c)(4) to read as follows:
(iii) NMFS will provide a summary to all RCR permit holders during the last quarter of the crab fishing year. The summary will explain the fee liability determination including the current fee percentage, details of raw crab pounds debited from CR allocations by permit, Start Printed Page 44233port or port-group, species, date, and prices.
(g) Fee submission form. An RCR must submit an RCR permit holder fee submission form according to § 680.5(g).