Source: https://regulations.justia.com/regulations/fedreg/2015/12/31/2015-32946.html
Timestamp: 2017-12-14 21:00:19
Document Index: 339711352

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 660', '§ 660', '§ 660', '§ 660', '§ 660', '§ 660', '§ 660', '§ 660']

Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Trawl Rationalization Program; 2016 Cost Recovery, 81808-81809 [2015-32946] :: National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration :: Department Of Commerce :: Regulation Tracker :: Justia
Justia Regulation Tracker Department Of Commerce National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Trawl Rationalization Program; 2016 Cost Recovery, 81808-81809 [2015-32946]
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Trawl Rationalization Program; 2016 Cost Recovery, 81808-81809 [2015-32946]
Download as PDF tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES 81808 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 251 / Thursday, December 31, 2015 / Notices goals and objectives. Since the last management plan, the Reserve has built out its core programs and monitoring infrastructure; constructed several facilities including a L.E.E.D. certified Estuarine Research Center that serves as the reserve headquarters and includes laboratories, offices, classrooms, interpretative areas and dormitories; and built new partnerships with organizations along the Coastal Bend of Texas. On October 1, 2015, NOAA issued a notice of a thirty day public comment period for the Mission-Aransas Reserve revised plan (80 FR 59138). Responses to the written and oral comments received, and an explanation of how comments were incorporated into the final revised plan, are available in Appendix K to the revised plan (http://missionaransas.org/sites/default/ files/manerr/files/final_2015-2020_ manerr_management_plan_appendices_ dec_2015.pdf). With the approval of this management plan, the Mission-Aransas Reserve will increase their total acreage from 185,708 acres to 186,189. The change is attributable to the recent acquisitions of several parcels by Reserve partners, totaling 481 acres. All of the proposed additions are owned by existing Reserve partners and will be managed for longterm protection and conservation value. These parcels have high ecological value and will enhance the Reserve’s ability to provide increased opportunities for research, education, and stewardship. The revised management plan will serve as the guiding document for the expanded 186,189 acre Mission-Aransas Reserve for the next five years. The 2015–2020 Mission-Aransas, Texas Reserve Management Plan, which contains a more detailed description of the boundary change and acquired parcels, is available at (https:// sites.cns.utexas.edu/manerr/about/ management-plan). The impacts of the revised management plan have not changed and the initial Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) prepared at the time of designation is still valid. NOAA has made the determination that the revision of the management plan will not have a significant effect on the human environment and therefore qualifies for a categorical exclusion under NOAA Administrative Order 216–6. An environmental assessment will not be prepared. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matt Chasse at (301) 563–1198 or Erica Seiden at (301) 563–1172 of NOAA’s National Ocean Service, Stewardship VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:49 Dec 30, 2015 Jkt 238001 Division, Office for Coastal Management, 1305 East-West Highway, N/ORM5, 10th floor, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Dated: October 22, 2015. John King, Deputy Director, Office for Coastal Management, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. [FR Doc. 2015–32942 Filed 12–30–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–08–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648–XE380 Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Trawl Rationalization Program; 2016 Cost Recovery National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice; 2016 cost recovery fee percentages and mothership (MS) pricing. AGENCY: This action provides participants in the Pacific coast groundfish trawl rationalization program with the 2016 fee percentages and ‘‘MS pricing’’ needed to calculate the required payments for trawl rationalization program cost recovery fees due in 2016. For calendar year 2016, NMFS announces the following fee percentages by sector: 3.0 percent for the Shorebased Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program; 2.5 percent for the MS Coop Program; and 0.7 percent for the Catcher/Processer (C/P) Coop Program. For 2016, the MS pricing to be used as a proxy by the C/P Coop Program is: $0.11/lb for Pacific whiting. DATES: Effective January 1, 2016. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher Biegel, Cost Recovery Program Coordinator, (503) 231–6291, fax (503) 872–2737, email Christopher.Biegel@NOAA.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) requires NMFS to collect fees to recover the costs directly related to the management, data collection, and enforcement of a limited access privilege program (LAPP) (16 U.S.C. 1854(d)(2)), also called ‘‘cost recovery.’’ The Pacific coast groundfish trawl rationalization program is a LAPP, SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 implemented in 2011, and consists of three sectors: The Shorebased IFQ Program, the MS Coop Program, and the C/P Coop Program. In accordance with the MSA, and based on a recommended structure and methodology developed in coordination with the Pacific Fishery Management Council, NMFS began collecting mandatory fees of up to three percent of the ex-vessel value of groundfish from each sector (Shorebased IFQ Program, MS Coop Program, and C/P Coop Program) in 2014. NMFS collects the fees to recover the incremental costs of management, data collection, and enforcement of the trawl rationalization program. Additional background can be found in the cost recovery proposed and final rules, 78 FR 7371 (February 1, 2013) and 78 FR 75268 (December 11, 2013), respectively. The details of cost recovery for the groundfish trawl rationalization program are in regulation at 50 CFR 660.115 (trawl fishery cost recovery program), § 660.140 (Shorebased IFQ Program), § 660.150 (MS Coop Program), and § 660.160 (C/P Coop Program). By December 31 of each year, NMFS must announce the next year’s fee percentages, and the applicable MS pricing for the C/P Coop Program. NMFS calculated the 2016 fee percentages by sector using the best available information. For 2016, the fee percentages by sector, which must not exceed three percent of the ex-vessel value of fish harvested, are: • 3.0 percent for the Shorebased IFQ Program, • 2.5 percent for the MS Coop Program • 0.7 percent for the C/P Coop Program. To calculate the fee percentages, NMFS used the formula specified in regulation at § 660.115(b)(1), where the fee percentage by sector equals the lower of three percent or direct program costs (DPC) for that sector divided by total ex-vessel value (V) for that sector multiplied by 100 (Fee percentage = the lower of 3% or (DPC/V) × 100). ‘‘DPC,’’ as defined in the regulations at § 660.115(b)(1)(i), are the actual incremental costs for the previous fiscal year directly related to the management, data collection, and enforcement of each sector (Shorebased IFQ Program, MS Coop Program, and C/P Coop Program). Actual incremental costs means those net costs that would not have been incurred but for the implementation of the trawl rationalization program, including both increased costs for new requirements of the program and reduced costs resulting from any program efficiencies. Similar to E:\FR\FM\31DEN1.SGM 31DEN1 81809 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 251 / Thursday, December 31, 2015 / Notices previous years, NMFS only included the cost of employees’ time (salary and benefits) spent working on the program in calculating DPC rather than all incremental costs of management, data collection, and enforcement. NMFS is still evaluating how to incorporate additional costs and may, in coordination with the Pacific Fishery Management Council, do so in the future. ‘‘V’’, as specified at § 660.115(b)(1)(ii), is the total ex-vessel value, as defined at § 660.111, for each sector from the previous calendar year. To calculate ‘‘V’’ for use in determining 2016 fee percentages, electronic fish ticket data in the Pacific Fisheries Information Network (PacFIN) are used for the Shorebased IFQ Program. The MS Coop Program and the C/P Coop Program values are calculated using the average price of whiting derived from those reported on the MS Coop Program cost recovery form from calendar year 2014. This average price ($0.11) and the retained catch estimates (weight) from the observer data (as reported in PacFIN from NORPAC) were used to calculate the ‘‘V’’ for the MS and C/P Coop Programs. Ex-vessel values and amounts landed each year fluctuate, and the amount NMFS collects each year in cost recovery fees also fluctuate accordingly. When the cost recovery fees collected by NMFS are greater or less than the actual net incremental costs incurred for a given year, the fee percentage for the following year will be adjusted accordingly (as specified § 660.115(b)(1)(i)). It is expected that, in 2015, the Shorebased IFQ Program will have paid $292,051.99 less than the 2014 DPC used to calculate its 2015 fee percentage. As the Shorebased IFQ Program fee percentage for 2016 has FY 2014 DPC used for 2015 calculation tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Shorebased IFQ Program ........................................................... MS Coop Program ....................................................................... C/P Coop Program ...................................................................... The adjustments for the MS Coop and C/P Coop programs are included, and increase or reduce their DPC values which are shown below in the fee percentage calculations for that sector. Shorebased IFQ Program—3.0% = the lower of 3% or ($2,310,729.95/ $52,052,455) × 100 MS Coop Program—2.5% = the lower of 3% or ($372,976.40/$15,189,237) × 100 C/P Coop Program—0.7% = the lower of 3% or ($168,971.09/$25,219,201) × 100. MS pricing is the average price per pound that the C/P Coop Program will use to determine their fee amount due (MS pricing multiplied by the value of the aggregate pounds of all groundfish species harvested by the vessel registered to a C/P-endorsed limited entry trawl permit, multiplied by the C/ P fee percentage, equals the fee amount due). In past years, MS pricing was based on the average price per pound of Pacific whiting as reported in PacFIN from the Shorebased IFQ Program. In other words, data from the IFQ fishery was used as a proxy for the MS average price per pound to determine the ‘‘MS pricing’’ used in the calculation for the C/P sector’s fee amount due. For 2016 MS pricing, NMFS used values derived from those reported on the MS Coop Program cost recovery form from calendar year 2014 as this was VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:49 Dec 30, 2015 Jkt 238001 2015 Fees expected $1,546,740.00 $177,110.00 N/A determined to be the best information available. NMFS has calculated the 2016 MS pricing to be used as a proxy by the C/P Coop Program as: $0.11/lb for Pacific whiting. Cost recovery fees are submitted to NMFS by Fish buyers via Pay.gov (https://www.pay.gov/paygov/). Fish buyers registered with Pay.gov can login in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. Fish buyers not registered with Pay.gov can go to the cost recovery forms directly from the Web site below. Click on the link to Pacific Coast Groundfish Cost Recovery for your sector (IFQ, MS, or C/P): https://www. pay.gov/public/search/global?search String=pacific+cost+recovery&form Token=4e5bc6b4-6ba8-4db4-9850e73756a06775. As stated in the preamble to the cost recovery proposed and final rules, in the spring of each year, NMFS will release an annual report documenting the details and data used for the above calculations. The report will include information such as the fee percentage calculation, program costs, and exvessel value by sector. The annual report for fishing year 2013 and calculation for 2014 is available at: http:// www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/ publications/fishery_management/ trawl_program/analytical%20docs/cost_ recovery_annual_report_01.pdf. PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 already been capped at the maximum 3.0 percent, there will be no fee adjustment for that sector. It is expected that, in 2015, the MS Coop Program will have paid $82,642.35 less than the 2014 DPC used to calculate its 2015 fee percentage. Therefore, the MS Coop Program DPC used to calculate the 2016 fee percentage will be adjusted upward by $82,642.35. The adjustment to the C/P Coop program costs used to determine the 2015 fee percentage showed that NMFS anticipated collecting $15,295.71 more than the costs used to determine the 2015 fee, resulting in a fee percentage of negative 0.1. However, because a fee percentage cannot be negative, NMFS set the 2015 C/P Coop program cost recovery fee at 0.0 percent (79 FR 78400) and is now deducting $15,295.71 from the DPC used to calculate the 2016 fee percentage. $1,254,688.01 $94,467.65 $0.00 Adjustment for 2016 N/A $82,642.35 ($15,295.71) The annual report for fishing year 2015 and calculation for 2016 will be made available to the public electronically via the NMFS West Coast Region Groundfish Web site http://www. westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/fisheries/ groundfish_catch_shares/index.html. Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. Dated: December 28, 2015. Alan D. Risenhoover, Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2015–32946 Filed 12–30–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Title: Highly Migratory Species Tournament Registration and Reporting. OMB Control Number: 0648–0323. E:\FR\FM\31DEN1.SGM 31DEN1
[Pages 81808-81809]
[FR Doc No: 2015-32946]
RIN 0648-XE380
Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Trawl Rationalization Program; 2016
ACTION: Notice; 2016 cost recovery fee percentages and mothership (MS)
groundfish trawl rationalization program with the 2016 fee percentages
and ``MS pricing'' needed to calculate the required payments for trawl
rationalization program cost recovery fees due in 2016. For calendar
year 2016, NMFS announces the following fee percentages by sector: 3.0
percent for the Shorebased Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program; 2.5
percent for the MS Coop Program; and 0.7 percent for the Catcher/
Processer (C/P) Coop Program. For 2016, the MS pricing to be used as a
proxy by the C/P Coop Program is: $0.11/lb for Pacific whiting.
DATES: Effective January 1, 2016.
recover the costs directly related to the management, data collection,
and enforcement of a limited access privilege program (LAPP) (16 U.S.C.
1854(d)(2)), also called ``cost recovery.'' The Pacific coast
groundfish trawl rationalization program is a LAPP, implemented in
2011, and consists of three sectors: The Shorebased IFQ Program, the MS
Coop Program, and the C/P Coop Program. In accordance with the MSA, and
coordination with the Pacific Fishery Management Council, NMFS began
collecting mandatory fees of up to three percent of the
ex[hyphen]vessel value of groundfish from each sector (Shorebased IFQ
Program, MS Coop Program, and C/P Coop Program) in 2014. NMFS collects
the fees to recover the incremental costs of management, data
collection, and enforcement of the trawl rationalization program.
Additional background can be found in the cost recovery proposed and
final rules, 78 FR 7371 (February 1, 2013) and 78 FR 75268 (December
11, 2013), respectively. The details of cost recovery for the
groundfish trawl rationalization program are in regulation at 50 CFR
660.115 (trawl fishery cost recovery program), Sec.  660.140
(Shorebased IFQ Program), Sec.  660.150 (MS Coop Program), and Sec.
660.160 (C/P Coop Program).
percentages, and the applicable MS pricing for the C/P Coop Program.
NMFS calculated the 2016 fee percentages by sector using the best
available information. For 2016, the fee percentages by sector, which
must not exceed three percent of the ex-vessel value of fish harvested,
2.5 percent for the MS Coop Program
0.7 percent for the C/P Coop Program.
sector equals the lower of three percent or direct program costs (DPC)
for that sector divided by total ex-vessel value (V) for that sector
multiplied by 100 (Fee percentage = the lower of 3% or (DPC/V) x 100).
``DPC,'' as defined in the regulations at Sec.  660.115(b)(1)(i),
are the actual incremental costs for the previous fiscal year directly
related to the management, data collection, and enforcement of each
sector (Shorebased IFQ Program, MS Coop Program, and C/P Coop Program).
Actual incremental costs means those net costs that would not have been
incurred but for the implementation of the trawl rationalization
program, including both increased costs for new requirements of the
program and reduced costs resulting from any program efficiencies.
[[Page 81809]]
previous years, NMFS only included the cost of employees' time (salary
and benefits) spent working on the program in calculating DPC rather
than all incremental costs of management, data collection, and
enforcement. NMFS is still evaluating how to incorporate additional
costs and may, in coordination with the Pacific Fishery Management
Council, do so in the future.
previous calendar year. To calculate ``V'' for use in determining 2016
fee percentages, electronic fish ticket data in the Pacific Fisheries
Information Network (PacFIN) are used for the Shorebased IFQ Program.
The MS Coop Program and the C/P Coop Program values are calculated
using the average price of whiting derived from those reported on the
MS Coop Program cost recovery form from calendar year 2014. This
average price ($0.11) and the retained catch estimates (weight) from
the observer data (as reported in PacFIN from NORPAC) were used to
calculate the ``V'' for the MS and C/P Coop Programs.
Ex-vessel values and amounts landed each year fluctuate, and the
amount NMFS collects each year in cost recovery fees also fluctuate
accordingly. When the cost recovery fees collected by NMFS are greater
or less than the actual net incremental costs incurred for a given
year, the fee percentage for the following year will be adjusted
accordingly (as specified Sec.  660.115(b)(1)(i)).
It is expected that, in 2015, the Shorebased IFQ Program will have
paid $292,051.99 less than the 2014 DPC used to calculate its 2015 fee
percentage. As the Shorebased IFQ Program fee percentage for 2016 has
already been capped at the maximum 3.0 percent, there will be no fee
adjustment for that sector.
It is expected that, in 2015, the MS Coop Program will have paid
$82,642.35 less than the 2014 DPC used to calculate its 2015 fee
percentage. Therefore, the MS Coop Program DPC used to calculate the
2016 fee percentage will be adjusted upward by $82,642.35.
The adjustment to the C/P Coop program costs used to determine the
2015 fee percentage showed that NMFS anticipated collecting $15,295.71
more than the costs used to determine the 2015 fee, resulting in a fee
percentage of negative 0.1. However, because a fee percentage cannot be
negative, NMFS set the 2015 C/P Coop program cost recovery fee at 0.0
percent (79 FR 78400) and is now deducting $15,295.71 from the DPC used
to calculate the 2016 fee percentage.
FY 2014 DPC used for
2015 calculation        2015 Fees expected      Adjustment for 2016
Shorebased IFQ Program...............            $1,546,740.00            $1,254,688.01                      N/A
MS Coop Program......................              $177,110.00               $94,467.65               $82,642.35
C/P Coop Program.....................                      N/A                    $0.00             ($15,295.71)
The adjustments for the MS Coop and C/P Coop programs are included,
and increase or reduce their DPC values which are shown below in the
fee percentage calculations for that sector.
Shorebased IFQ Program--3.0% = the lower of 3% or ($2,310,729.95/
$52,052,455) x 100
MS Coop Program--2.5% = the lower of 3% or ($372,976.40/$15,189,237) x
C/P Coop Program--0.7% = the lower of 3% or ($168,971.09/$25,219,201) x
MS pricing is the average price per pound that the C/P Coop Program
the value of the aggregate pounds of all groundfish species harvested
by the vessel registered to a C/P-endorsed limited entry trawl permit,
multiplied by the C/P fee percentage, equals the fee amount due). In
past years, MS pricing was based on the average price per pound of
Pacific whiting as reported in PacFIN from the Shorebased IFQ Program.
In other words, data from the IFQ fishery was used as a proxy for the
MS average price per pound to determine the ``MS pricing'' used in the
calculation for the C/P sector's fee amount due. For 2016 MS pricing,
NMFS used values derived from those reported on the MS Coop Program
cost recovery form from calendar year 2014 as this was determined to be
the best information available. NMFS has calculated the 2016 MS pricing
to be used as a proxy by the C/P Coop Program as: $0.11/lb for Pacific
(https://www.pay.gov/paygov/). Fish buyers registered with Pay.gov can
login in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. Fish buyers not
registered with Pay.gov can go to the cost recovery forms directly from
the Web site below. Click on the link to Pacific Coast Groundfish Cost
Recovery for your sector (IFQ, MS, or C/P): https://www.pay.gov/public/search/global?searchString=pacific+cost+recovery&formToken=4e5bc6b4-6ba8-4db4-9850-e73756a06775.
report will include information such as the fee percentage calculation,
program costs, and ex-vessel value by sector. The annual report for
fishing year 2013 and calculation for 2014 is available at: http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/publications/fishery_management/trawl_program/analytical%20docs/cost_recovery_annual_report_01.pdf.
The annual report for fishing year 2015 and calculation for 2016
will be made available to the public electronically via the NMFS West
Coast Region Groundfish Web site http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/fisheries/groundfish_catch_shares/index.html.
[FR Doc. 2015-32946 Filed 12-30-15; 8:45 am]