Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries off West Coast States; Regulatory Amendment to Pacific Coast Groundfish Fisheries Trawl Rationalization Program for the Start of 2015, 75070-75072 [2014-29555]
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75070
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 242 / Wednesday, December 17, 2014 / Rules and Regulations
TABLE 1—2015 ANNUAL QUOTAS AND OPENING DATES FOR THE ATLANTIC SHARK FISHERIES—Continued
[All quotas and landings are dressed weight (dw), in metric tons (mt), unless specified otherwise]
Non-Blacknose
Small Coastal
Sharks.
Blacknose Sharks
No regional quotas
Non-Sandbar LCS
Research.
Sandbar Shark
Research.
Blue Sharks .........
Porbeagle Sharks
Pelagic Sharks
Other Than
Porbeagle or
Blue.
2014 Annual
quota
Preliminary 2014
landings 1
Adjustments
2015 Base annual
quota
2015 Final annual
quota
(A)
Management
group
Region
(B)
(C)
(D)
(D + C)
264.1 mt dw
(582,333 lb dw).
103.1 mt dw
(227,202 lb dw).
.............................
176.1 mt dw
(388,222 lb dw).
176.1 mt dw
(388,222 lb dw).
17.5 mt dw
(38,638 lb dw).
17.4 mt dw
(38,437 lb dw).
18.0 mt dw
(39,749 lb dw).
17.5 mt dw
(38,638 lb dw).
50.0 mt dw
(110,230 lb dw).
116.6 mt dw
(257,056 lb dw).
273.0 mt dw
(601,856 lb dw).
1.2 mt dw (2,820
lb dw).
488 mt dw
(1,075,856 lb
dw).
14.3 mt dw
(31,543 lb dw).
37.5 mt dw
(82,737 lb dw).
7.8 mt dw (17,157
lb dw).
2.5 mt dw (5,586
lb dw).
126.7 mt dw
(279,276 lb dw).
¥0.5 mt dw
(¥1,111 lb
dw) 4.
.............................
50.0 mt dw
(110,230 lb dw).
116.6 mt dw
(257,056 lb dw).
273.0 mt dw
(601,856 lb dw).
1.7 mt dw (3,748
lb dw).
488.0 mt dw
(1,075,856 lb
dw).
50.0 mt dw
(110,230 lb dw).
116.6 mt dw
(257,056 lb dw).
273.0 mt dw
(601,856 lb dw).
0.4 mt dw (982 lb
dw).
488.0 mt dw
(1,075,856 lb
dw).
.............................
.............................
¥1.3 mt dw
(¥2,766 lb dw).
.............................
Season opening
dates
January 1, 2015.
January 1, 2015.
Closed
5
January 1, 2015.
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with RULES
1 All landings except for the porbeagle shark landings are from January 1, 2014, through October 15, 2014, and are subject to change. Porbeagle shark landings
are from January 1, 2014, through December 10, 2014.
2 This adjustment accounts for underharvest in 2014. Therefore, the Gulf of Mexico blacktip shark adjusted quota will be 328.6 mt dw for the 2015 fishing season.
3 This adjustment accounts for overharvests from 2013 and 2014. In the final rule establishing the 2014 quotas (78 FR 70500; November 26, 2013), the 2013 Gulf
of Mexico aggregated LCS quota was overharvested by 6.2 mt dw (13,489 lb dw). After the final rule establishing the 2014 quotas published, late dealer reports indicated the quota was overharvested by an additional 0.1 mt dw (408 lb dw), for a total overharvest of 6.3 mt dw (13,897 lb dw). Recently, NMFS determined that the
2014 final rule overestimated the overharvest from 2013 by 1.3 mt dw (2,758 lb dw). In 2014, the Gulf of Mexico aggregated LCS quota was overharvested by 2.3 mt
dw (5,095 lb dw). Therefore, this final rule reduces the Gulf of Mexico aggregated LCS quota by 1.0 mt dw (2.3 mt dw overharvest in 2014—1.3 mt dw overestimated
from 2013). NMFS will adjust the 2015 base annual quota based on the updated overharvest estimates from 2013 and 2014.
4 This adjustment accounts for overharvest in 2012. After the final rule establishing the 2012 quotas published, late dealer reports indicated the blacknose shark
quota was overharvested by 3.5 mt dw (7,742 lb dw). In the final rule establishing the 2014 quotas, NMFS implemented a 5-year adjustment of the overharvest
amount by the percentage of landings in 2012. Thus, NMFS will reduce the Gulf of Mexico blacknose shark quota by 0.2 mt dw (437 lb dw) and the Atlantic
blacknose shark quota by 0.5 mt dw (1,111 lb dw) each year from 2014 through 2018. NMFS will reduce the 2015 base annual quota based on overharvest from
2012.
5 This closure accounts for overharvest in 2014. After the final rule establishing the 2015 quotas published, dealer reports indicated that the porbeagle quota was
overharvested by 1.3 mt dw (2,766 lb dw). Accounting for this large overharvest would result in a 2015 commercial quota of 0.4 mt dw (3,748¥2,766 lb dw = 982 lb
dw). It would be difficult to monitor such a small amount of quota and to timely assess when landings are projected to reach 80 percent of it in a way that allows
NMFS to close the fishery before overharvests would occur (i.e., when landings reach 0.3 mt dw or 786 lb dw; § 635.28(b)(1)).
During the closure, retention of
porbeagle sharks is prohibited for
persons fishing aboard vessels issued a
commercial shark limited access permit
(LAP) under § 635.4. However, persons
aboard a commercially-permitted vessel
that is also properly permitted to
operate as a charter vessel or headboat
for HMS and is engaged in a for-hire trip
could fish under the recreational
retention limits for sharks and ‘‘no sale’’
provisions (§ 635.22(a) and (c)). A shark
dealer issued a permit pursuant to
§ 635.4 may not purchase or receive
porbeagle sharks from a vessel issued an
Atlantic shark LAP, except that a
permitted shark dealer or processor may
possess porbeagle sharks that were
harvested, off-loaded, and sold, traded,
or bartered, prior to the effective date of
the closure and were held in storage.
Under this closure, a shark dealer issued
a permit pursuant to § 635.4 may, in
accordance with state regulations,
purchase or receive a porbeagle sharks
if the sharks were harvested, off-loaded,
and sold, traded, or bartered from a
vessel that fishes only in state waters
and that has not been issued an Atlantic
Shark LAP, HMS Angling permit, or
HMS Charter/Headboat permit pursuant
to § 635.4.
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15:46 Dec 16, 2014
Jkt 235001
Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B), the
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,
NOAA (AA), finds that providing prior
notice and public comment for this
action is impracticable and contrary to
the public interest because the fishery is
currently underway and any delay in
this action would result in further
overharvest of the quota and be
inconsistent with management
requirements and objectives. Similarly,
affording prior notice and opportunity
for public comment on this action is
contrary to the public interest because if
the quota is further exceeded, the stock
may be negatively affected and
fishermen ultimately could experience
reductions in the available quota and a
lack of fishing opportunities in future
seasons. For these reasons, the AA also
finds good cause to waive the 30-day
delay in effective date pursuant to 5
U.S.C. 553(d)(3). This action is required
under § 635.28(b)(2) and is exempt from
review under Executive Order 12866.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
PO 00000
Dated: December 12, 2014.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2014–29552 Filed 12–12–14; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 660
[Docket No. 140904753–4999–01]
RIN 0648–BE34
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions;
Fisheries off West Coast States;
Regulatory Amendment to Pacific
Coast Groundfish Fisheries Trawl
Rationalization Program for the Start of
2015
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Final rule.
AGENCY:
This action revises
regulations for the Pacific coast
SUMMARY:
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Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
E:\FR\FM\17DER1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 242 / Wednesday, December 17, 2014 / Rules and Regulations
groundfish fishery with an
implementation date of January 1, 2015.
Final implementation of the 2015–2016
biennial harvest specifications and
management measures will be delayed
beyond January 1, 2015. NMFS has
identified two issues that must be
addressed prior to January 1, 2015, to
prevent interruption of ongoing fisheries
and to allow harvest of the total
allowable and available groundfish.
This action addresses those issues by
revising groundfish regulations in two
ways. First, this action reinstates a
mechanism whereby NMFS can issue
interim groundfish allocations at the
beginning of the year in years when
annual groundfish harvest specifications
are not yet finalized, as is the case for
January 1, 2015. Second, this action
amends regulations to allow NMFS to
issue that portion of the allowable catch
currently allocated to an Adaptive
Management Program (AMP) to quota
shareholders until final criteria and a
process for distribution of the AMP
quota shares is developed and
implemented.
DATES: Effective December 17, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of the
Regulatory Impact Review (RIR) and
Regulatory Flexibility certification
analysis, categorical exclusion
memorandum, and Environmental
Assessment (EA) may be obtained from
the National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS) West Coast Regional office in
Seattle, at 7600 Sand Point Way
Northeast, Seattle, Washington 98115,
phone: 206–526–6150.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Miako Ushio, phone: 206–526–4644; or
email: Miako.Ushio@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with RULES
Electronic Access
This rule is accessible via the Internet
at the Office of the Federal Register Web
site at https://www.federalregister.gov.
Background information and documents
are available at the NMFS West Coast
Region Web site at https://
www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/
fisheries/groundfish/ and at
the Council’s Web site at https://
www.pcouncil.org.
Background
Biennial specifications for groundfish
harvest will not be available by January
1, 2015. This final rule resolves two
issues that must be addressed prior to
January 1, 2015, to prevent interruption
of ongoing fisheries and to allow harvest
of the total allowable and available
groundfish. First, this action reinstates
provisions allowing NMFS to issue
Pacific whiting and non-whiting
VerDate Sep<11>2014
15:46 Dec 16, 2014
Jkt 235001
groundfish species quota pounds (QP) to
current quota shareholders in the
Shorebased Individual Fishing Quota
Program based on conservative
estimates in years, such as 2015, when
harvest specifications of those species
are not known by January 1. Second, the
10 percent of non-whiting quota share
(QS) reserved for an AMP, that has not
yet been established, will continue to be
‘passed through’ to the fishery. This 10
percent will be issued to current QS
holders in proportion to their nonwhiting QS until implementation of
appropriate AMP regulations. NMFS is
extending the pro rata pass-through so
that the fish authorized for harvest
through the biennial specifications
process will continue to be available to
benefit the fishing industry, dependent
communities, and consumers.
This final rule implements the same
regulations that were described in detail
in the proposed rule that published on
October 10, 2014 (79 FR 61272). See the
preamble to the proposed rule for
additional background information on
the fishery and on the regulations
implemented in this final rule.
Comments and Responses
The proposed rule for this action
published in the Federal Register on
October 10, 2014 at 79 FR 61272, with
a comment period that closed on
November 10, 2014. NMFS received no
comments.
Classification
The Administrator, West Coast
Region, NMFS, had determined that the
regulations allowing NMFS to issue
interim allocations and to continue
issuance of AMP pounds to quota
shareholders in the Shorebased IFQ
Program, which this final rule
implements, are consistent with the
national standards of the MagnusonStevens Act and other applicable laws.
NMFS finds good cause to waive part
of the 30-day delay in effectiveness
pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3), so that
this final rule may become effective on
December 17, 2014. Leaving the 2014
harvest specifications and management
measures in place could cause harm to
some stocks because those management
measures are not based on the most
current scientific information; it could
also cause drastic management changes
later in the year to prevent exceeding
some lower 2015 harvest specifications
once they are implemented. Further, it
would be contrary to the public interest
to delay implementation of the AMP
pass-through, because making this
regulatory change allows harvest to
continue as intended by the Council,
consistent with the best scientific
PO 00000
Frm 00029
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
75071
information available. Delaying this rule
could cause economic harm to fishery
participants because inaccurate amounts
of QP could be issued pending
finalization of the 2015 harvest
specifications. This rule does not
impose any new requirements or
burdens on fishery participants, so there
is no need to allow additional time for
participants to make gear changes or
change their fishing practices. These
reasons constitute good cause under 5
U.S.C. 553(d)(3) to waive the 30-day
delay in effectiveness.
An Environmental Assessment (EA)
was prepared for the pass-through of
adaptive management quota pounds
portion of this proposed action, and can
be found on the NMFS’ Groundfish
Trawl Catch Share Web site at
www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/
fisheries/groundfish_catch_shares. In
approving the regulations allowing
NMFS to continue issuance of AMP
pounds to quota shareholders in the
Shorebased IFQ Program, NMFS issued
a Finding of No Significant Impact
(FONSI) identifying the selected
alternatives. A copy of the FONSI is
available from NMFS (see ADDRESSES).
The Chief Counsel for Regulation of
the Department of Commerce certified
to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the
Small Business Administration during
the proposed rule stage that this action
would not have a significant economic
impact on a substantial number of small
entities. The factual basis for the
certification was published in the
proposed rule and is not repeated here.
No comments were received regarding
this certification. As a result, a
regulatory flexibility analysis was not
required and none was prepared.
This rule has been determined to be
not significant for purposes of Executive
Order 12866.
List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 660
Fisheries, Fishing, Indian fisheries.
Dated: December 11, 2014.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for
Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
For the reasons set out in the
preamble, NMFS amends 50 CFR part
660 as follows:
PART 660—FISHERIES OFF WEST
COAST STATES
1. The authority citation for part 660
continues to read as follows:
■
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. and 16
U.S.C. 773 et seq.
2. In § 660.140, revise paragraphs
(d)(1)(ii)(A) introductory text,
■
E:\FR\FM\17DER1.SGM
17DER1
75072
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 242 / Wednesday, December 17, 2014 / Rules and Regulations
(d)(1)(ii)(A)(1) and (2), (d)(1)(ii)(B)(1)
and (2), and paragraph (l)(2) to read as
follows:
§ 660.140
Shorebased IFQ Program.
*
*
*
*
(d) * * *
(1) * * *
(ii) * * *
(A) Non-whiting QP annual suballocations. NMFS will issue QP for IFQ
species other than Pacific whiting and
Pacific halibut annually by multiplying
the QS permit owner’s QS for each such
IFQ species by that year’s shorebased
trawl allocation for that IFQ species.
Deposits to QS accounts for IFQ species
other than Pacific whiting and Pacific
halibut will be made on or about
January 1 each year. Until the
implementation of any regulatory
changes developed pursuant to the first
program review for the trawl
rationalization program, the resulting
AMP QP will be issued to all QS permit
owners in proportion to their nonwhiting QS.
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with RULES
*
VerDate Sep<11>2014
15:46 Dec 16, 2014
Jkt 235001
(1) In years where the groundfish
harvest specifications are known by
January 1, deposits to QS accounts for
IFQ species will be made on or about
January 1.
(2) In years where the groundfish
harvest specifications are not known by
January 1, NMFS will issue QP in two
parts. On or about January 1, NMFS will
deposit QP based on the shorebased
trawl allocation multiplied by the lower
end of the range of potential harvest
specifications for that year. After the
final harvest specifications are
established later in the year, NMFS will
deposit additional QP to the QS
account.
*
*
*
*
*
(B) * * *
(1) In years where the Pacific whiting
harvest specification is known by
January 1, deposits to QS accounts for
Pacific whiting will be made on or about
January 1.
(2) In years where the Pacific whiting
harvest specification is not known by
PO 00000
Frm 00030
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 9990
January 1, NMFS will issue Pacific
whiting QP in two parts. On or about
January 1, NMFS will deposit Pacific
whiting QP based on the shorebased
trawl allocation multiplied by the lower
end of the range of potential harvest
specifications for Pacific whiting for
that year. After the final Pacific whiting
harvest specifications are established
later in the year, NMFS will deposit
additional QP to QS accounts.
*
*
*
*
*
(l) * * *
(2) AMP QP pass through. The 10
percent of non-whiting QS will be
reserved for the AMP, but the resulting
AMP QP will be issued to all QS permit
owners in proportion to their nonwhiting QS until the implementation of
any regulatory changes developed
pursuant to the first program review for
the trawl rationalization program.
[FR Doc. 2014–29555 Filed 12–16–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
E:\FR\FM\17DER1.SGM
17DER1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 242 (Wednesday, December 17, 2014)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 75070-75072]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-29555]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 660
[Docket No. 140904753-4999-01]
RIN 0648-BE34
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries off West Coast States;
Regulatory Amendment to Pacific Coast Groundfish Fisheries Trawl
Rationalization Program for the Start of 2015
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Final rule.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This action revises regulations for the Pacific coast
[[Page 75071]]
groundfish fishery with an implementation date of January 1, 2015.
Final implementation of the 2015-2016 biennial harvest specifications
and management measures will be delayed beyond January 1, 2015. NMFS
has identified two issues that must be addressed prior to January 1,
2015, to prevent interruption of ongoing fisheries and to allow harvest
of the total allowable and available groundfish. This action addresses
those issues by revising groundfish regulations in two ways. First,
this action reinstates a mechanism whereby NMFS can issue interim
groundfish allocations at the beginning of the year in years when
annual groundfish harvest specifications are not yet finalized, as is
the case for January 1, 2015. Second, this action amends regulations to
allow NMFS to issue that portion of the allowable catch currently
allocated to an Adaptive Management Program (AMP) to quota shareholders
until final criteria and a process for distribution of the AMP quota
shares is developed and implemented.
DATES: Effective December 17, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of the Regulatory Impact Review (RIR) and
Regulatory Flexibility certification analysis, categorical exclusion
memorandum, and Environmental Assessment (EA) may be obtained from the
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) West Coast Regional office in
Seattle, at 7600 Sand Point Way Northeast, Seattle, Washington 98115,
phone: 206-526-6150.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Miako Ushio, phone: 206-526-4644; or
email: Miako.Ushio@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Electronic Access
This rule is accessible via the Internet at the Office of the
Federal Register Web site at https://www.federalregister.gov.
Background information and documents are available at the NMFS West
Coast Region Web site at https://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/fisheries/groundfish/ and at the Council's Web site at https://www.pcouncil.org.
Background
Biennial specifications for groundfish harvest will not be
available by January 1, 2015. This final rule resolves two issues that
must be addressed prior to January 1, 2015, to prevent interruption of
ongoing fisheries and to allow harvest of the total allowable and
available groundfish. First, this action reinstates provisions allowing
NMFS to issue Pacific whiting and non-whiting groundfish species quota
pounds (QP) to current quota shareholders in the Shorebased Individual
Fishing Quota Program based on conservative estimates in years, such as
2015, when harvest specifications of those species are not known by
January 1. Second, the 10 percent of non-whiting quota share (QS)
reserved for an AMP, that has not yet been established, will continue
to be `passed through' to the fishery. This 10 percent will be issued
to current QS holders in proportion to their non-whiting QS until
implementation of appropriate AMP regulations. NMFS is extending the
pro rata pass-through so that the fish authorized for harvest through
the biennial specifications process will continue to be available to
benefit the fishing industry, dependent communities, and consumers.
This final rule implements the same regulations that were described
in detail in the proposed rule that published on October 10, 2014 (79
FR 61272). See the preamble to the proposed rule for additional
background information on the fishery and on the regulations
implemented in this final rule.
Comments and Responses
The proposed rule for this action published in the Federal Register
on October 10, 2014 at 79 FR 61272, with a comment period that closed
on November 10, 2014. NMFS received no comments.
Classification
The Administrator, West Coast Region, NMFS, had determined that the
regulations allowing NMFS to issue interim allocations and to continue
issuance of AMP pounds to quota shareholders in the Shorebased IFQ
Program, which this final rule implements, are consistent with the
national standards of the Magnuson-Stevens Act and other applicable
laws.
NMFS finds good cause to waive part of the 30-day delay in
effectiveness pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3), so that this final rule
may become effective on December 17, 2014. Leaving the 2014 harvest
specifications and management measures in place could cause harm to
some stocks because those management measures are not based on the most
current scientific information; it could also cause drastic management
changes later in the year to prevent exceeding some lower 2015 harvest
specifications once they are implemented. Further, it would be contrary
to the public interest to delay implementation of the AMP pass-through,
because making this regulatory change allows harvest to continue as
intended by the Council, consistent with the best scientific
information available. Delaying this rule could cause economic harm to
fishery participants because inaccurate amounts of QP could be issued
pending finalization of the 2015 harvest specifications. This rule does
not impose any new requirements or burdens on fishery participants, so
there is no need to allow additional time for participants to make gear
changes or change their fishing practices. These reasons constitute
good cause under 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3) to waive the 30-day delay in
effectiveness.
An Environmental Assessment (EA) was prepared for the pass-through
of adaptive management quota pounds portion of this proposed action,
and can be found on the NMFS' Groundfish Trawl Catch Share Web site at
www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/fisheries/groundfish_catch_shares. In
approving the regulations allowing NMFS to continue issuance of AMP
pounds to quota shareholders in the Shorebased IFQ Program, NMFS issued
a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) identifying the selected
alternatives. A copy of the FONSI is available from NMFS (see
ADDRESSES).
The Chief Counsel for Regulation of the Department of Commerce
certified to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business
Administration during the proposed rule stage that this action would
not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small
entities. The factual basis for the certification was published in the
proposed rule and is not repeated here. No comments were received
regarding this certification. As a result, a regulatory flexibility
analysis was not required and none was prepared.
This rule has been determined to be not significant for purposes of
Executive Order 12866.
List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 660
Fisheries, Fishing, Indian fisheries.
Dated: December 11, 2014.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
For the reasons set out in the preamble, NMFS amends 50 CFR part
660 as follows:
PART 660--FISHERIES OFF WEST COAST STATES
0
1. The authority citation for part 660 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. and 16 U.S.C. 773 et seq.
0
2. In Sec. 660.140, revise paragraphs (d)(1)(ii)(A) introductory text,
[[Page 75072]]
(d)(1)(ii)(A)(1) and (2), (d)(1)(ii)(B)(1) and (2), and paragraph
(l)(2) to read as follows:
Sec. 660.140 Shorebased IFQ Program.
* * * * *
(d) * * *
(1) * * *
(ii) * * *
(A) Non-whiting QP annual sub-allocations. NMFS will issue QP for
IFQ species other than Pacific whiting and Pacific halibut annually by
multiplying the QS permit owner's QS for each such IFQ species by that
year's shorebased trawl allocation for that IFQ species. Deposits to QS
accounts for IFQ species other than Pacific whiting and Pacific halibut
will be made on or about January 1 each year. Until the implementation
of any regulatory changes developed pursuant to the first program
review for the trawl rationalization program, the resulting AMP QP will
be issued to all QS permit owners in proportion to their non-whiting
QS.
(1) In years where the groundfish harvest specifications are known
by January 1, deposits to QS accounts for IFQ species will be made on
or about January 1.
(2) In years where the groundfish harvest specifications are not
known by January 1, NMFS will issue QP in two parts. On or about
January 1, NMFS will deposit QP based on the shorebased trawl
allocation multiplied by the lower end of the range of potential
harvest specifications for that year. After the final harvest
specifications are established later in the year, NMFS will deposit
additional QP to the QS account.
* * * * *
(B) * * *
(1) In years where the Pacific whiting harvest specification is
known by January 1, deposits to QS accounts for Pacific whiting will be
made on or about January 1.
(2) In years where the Pacific whiting harvest specification is not
known by January 1, NMFS will issue Pacific whiting QP in two parts. On
or about January 1, NMFS will deposit Pacific whiting QP based on the
shorebased trawl allocation multiplied by the lower end of the range of
potential harvest specifications for Pacific whiting for that year.
After the final Pacific whiting harvest specifications are established
later in the year, NMFS will deposit additional QP to QS accounts.
* * * * *
(l) * * *
(2) AMP QP pass through. The 10 percent of non-whiting QS will be
reserved for the AMP, but the resulting AMP QP will be issued to all QS
permit owners in proportion to their non-whiting QS until the
implementation of any regulatory changes developed pursuant to the
first program review for the trawl rationalization program.
[FR Doc. 2014-29555 Filed 12-16-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
