Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Crab Rationalization Cost Recovery Program, 34119-34120 [2018-15468]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 139 / Thursday, July 19, 2018 / Notices reference for the groundfish and coastal pelagic species stock assessment review process for 2019 and 2020 and any other matters the SSC may be discussing at their upcoming September meeting in Seattle, WA. The webinar meeting is open to the public. DATES: The SSC Groundfish Subcommittee webinar will be held Thursday, August 2, 2018, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time or until business for the day has been completed. The SSC’s Groundfish Subcommittee meeting will be held by webinar. To attend the webinar, (1) join the meeting by visiting this link https:// www.gotomeeting.com/webinar, (2) enter the webinar ID: 722–907–851, and (3) enter your name and email address (required). After logging into the webinar, please (1) dial this TOLL number: 1–415–655–0052 (not a toll-free number); (2) enter the attendee phone audio access code: 667–817–359; and (3) then enter your audio phone pin (shown after joining the webinar). Note: We have disabled mic/speakers as an option and require all participants to use a telephone or cell phone to participate. Technical Information and System Requirements: PC-based attendees are required to use Windows® 7, Vista, or XP; Mac®-based attendees are required to use Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer; Mobile attendees are required to use iPhone®, iPad®, AndroidTM phone or Android tablet (see the https:// www.gotomeeting.com/webinar/ipadiphone-android-webinar-apps). You may send an email to Mr. Kris Kleinschmidt at Kris.Kleinschmidt@ noaa.gov or contact him at (503) 820– 2280, extension 411 for technical assistance. A public listening station will also be available at the Pacific Council office. Council address: Pacific Fishery Management Council, 7700 NE Ambassador Place, Suite 101, Portland, OR 97220. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. John DeVore, Staff Officer, Pacific Fishery Management Council; telephone: (503) 820–2413. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the SSC Groundfish Subcommittee meeting is to review a draft terms of reference for the groundfish and coastal pelagic species stock assessment review process for 2019 and 2020. The review will focus on proposed changes from the National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Fisheries Science Center. The SSC Groundfish Subcommittee may also address any other matters the SSC may sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES ADDRESSES: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:34 Jul 18, 2018 Jkt 244001 be discussing at their September meeting in Seattle, WA. No management actions will be decided by the SSC’s Groundfish Subcommittee. The SSC Groundfish Subcommittee members’ role will be development of recommendations and reports for consideration by the SSC and Pacific Council at the September meeting in Seattle, WA. Although nonemergency issues not contained in the meeting agendas may be discussed, those issues may not be the subject of formal action during these meetings. Action will be restricted to those issues specifically listed in this notice and any issues arising after publication of this notice that require emergency action under Section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, provided the public has been notified of the intent of the SSC Groundfish Subcommittee to take final action to address the emergency. Special Accommodations The meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Mr. Kris Kleinschmidt (503) 820–2411 at least 10 days prior to the meeting date. Dated: July 16, 2018. Tracey L. Thompson, Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2018–15455 Filed 7–18–18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648–XG279 Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Crab Rationalization Cost Recovery Program National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notification of fee percentage. AGENCY: NMFS publishes notification of a 1.85 percent fee for cost recovery under the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Crab Rationalization Program. This action is intended to provide holders of crab allocations with the fee percentage for the 2018/2019 crab fishing year so they can calculate the required payment for cost recovery fees that must be submitted by July 31, 2019. SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 34119 The Crab Rationalization Program Registered Crab Receiver permit holder is responsible for submitting the fee liability payment to NMFS on or before July 31, 2019. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kurt Iverson, (907) 586–7210. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DATES: Background NMFS Alaska Region administers the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Crab Rationalization Program (Program) in the North Pacific. Fishing under the Program began on August 15, 2005. Regulations implementing the Program can be found at 50 CFR part 680. The Program is a limited access system authorized by section 313(j) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). The Program includes a cost recovery provision to collect fees to recover the actual costs directly related to the management, data collection, and enforcement of the Program. The Program implemented under the authority of section 313(j) is consistent with the cost recovery provisions included under section 304(d)(2)(A) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. NMFS developed the cost recovery provision to conform to statutory requirements and to reimburse the agency for the actual costs directly related to the management, data collection, and enforcement of the Program. The cost recovery provision allows collection of 133 percent of the actual management, data collection, and enforcement costs up to 3 percent of the ex-vessel value of crab harvested under the Program. The Program provides that a proportional share of fees charged for management and enforcement be forwarded to the State of Alaska for its share of management and data collection costs for the Program. The cost recovery provision also requires the harvesting and processing sectors to each pay half the cost recovery fees. Catcher/processor quota shareholders are required to pay the full fee percentage for crab processed at sea. A crab allocation holder generally incurs a cost recovery fee liability for every pound of crab landed. The crab allocations include Individual Fishing Quota, Crew Individual Fishing Quota, Individual Processing Quota, Community Development Quota, and the Adak community allocation. The Registered Crab Receiver (RCR) permit holder must collect the fee liability from the crab allocation holder who is landing crab. Additionally, the RCR permit holder must collect his or her own fee liability for all crab delivered to E:\FR\FM\19JYN1.SGM 19JYN1 34120 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 139 / Thursday, July 19, 2018 / Notices the RCR. The RCR permit holder is responsible for submitting this payment to NMFS on or before July 31, in the year following the crab fishing year in which landings of crab were 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 Program’s cost recovery provision may be found in the implementing regulations at 50 CFR 680.44. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Fee Percentage SUMMARY: sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES Each year, NMFS calculates and publishes in the Federal Register the fee percentage according to the factors and methodology described at § 680.44(c)(2). The formula for determining the fee percentage is the ‘‘direct program costs’’ divided by ‘‘value of the fishery,’’ where ‘‘direct program costs’’ are the direct program costs for the Program for the previous fiscal year, and ‘‘value of the fishery’’ is the ex-vessel value of the catch subject to the crab cost recovery fee liability for the current year. Fee collections for any given year may be less than, or greater than, the actual costs and fishery value for that year, because, by regulation, the fee percentage is established in the first quarter of a crab fishery year based on the fishery value and the costs of the prior year. Based upon the fee percentage formula described above, the estimated percentage of costs to value for the 2017/2018 fishery was 1.85 percent. Therefore, the fee percentage will be 1.85 percent for the 2018/2019 crab fishing year. This is an increase of 0.28 percent from the 2017/2018 fee percentage of 1.57 percent (81 FR 32329, July 13, 2017). Although direct program costs for managing the fishery increased by 2.9 percent from 2016/2017 to 2017/ 2018, the increase in the fee percentage was more affected by a $24.0 million decrease in the value of the crab harvested under the Program. Similar to previous years, the largest direct program costs are incurred by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement. Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1862; Pub. L. 109– 241; Pub. L. 109–479. Dated: July 16, 2018. Jennifer M. Wallace, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2018–15468 Filed 7–18–18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:34 Jul 18, 2018 Jkt 244001 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sanctuary System Business Advisory Council: Public Meeting Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce (DOC). ACTION: Notice of open meeting. AGENCY: Notice is hereby given of a meeting of the Sanctuary System Business Advisory Council (council). The meeting is open to the public, and participants may provide comments at the appropriate time during the meeting. DATES: The meeting will be held Wednesday, August 22, 2018, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET, and an opportunity for public comment will be provided around 4:00 p.m. ET. Both these times and agenda topics are subject to change. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at JetBlue Airways Corporation, 27–01 Queens Plaza North, Long Island City, NY 11101. The meeting agenda, including times and topics, can be found here: https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/ management/bac/meetings.html. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: LeAnn Hogan, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, 1305 East West Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 (Phone: 240–533–0679; Fax: 301–713–0404; Email: LeAnn.Hogan@noaa.gov). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: ONMS serves as the trustee for a network of underwater parks encompassing more than 600,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes waters from Washington State to the Florida Keys, and from Lake Huron to American Samoa. The network includes a system of 13 national marine ¯ ¯ sanctuaries and Papahanaumokuakea and Rose Atoll marine national monuments. National marine sanctuaries protect our nation’s most vital coastal and marine natural and cultural resources, and through active research, management, and public engagement, sustain healthy environments that are the foundation for thriving communities and stable economies. One of the many ways ONMS ensures public participation in the designation and management of national marine sanctuaries is through the formation of advisory councils. The Sanctuary System Business Advisory Council (council) has been formed to provide advice and recommendations to the Director regarding the relationship of ONMS with the business community. Additional information on the council PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 can be found at https:// sanctuaries.noaa.gov/management/ac/ welcome.html. Matters to be Considered: The meeting will provide an opportunity for council members to hear news from across the National Marine Sanctuary System and review and comment on program initiatives. For a complete agenda, including times and topics, please visit https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/ management/bac/meetings.html. This meeting notice is being issued under Section 315 of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, 16 U.S.C. 1445A. Authority: 16 U.S.C. Sections 1431, et seq. (Federal Domestic Assistance Catalog Number 11.429 Marine Sanctuary Program) Dated: June 27, 2018. John Armor, Director, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. [FR Doc. 2018–15452 Filed 7–18–18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–NK–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648–XG361 Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice of a public meeting. AGENCY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will hold a public hearing via webinar to solicit public comments on Amendment 13—Spiny Lobster for Management in the Gulf of Mexico. DATES: The webinar will convene on Thursday, August 2, 2018, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., EDT. The webinar will begin at 6 p.m. and will conclude no later than 9 p.m. ADDRESSES: The public hearing will be held via webinar. Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 4701 W Spruce Street, Suite 200, Tampa, FL 33607; telephone: (813) 348– 1630. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Morgan Kilgour, Fishery Biologist, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; morgan.kilgour@gulfcouncil.org, telephone: (813) 348–1630. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The agenda for the following webinar is as SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\19JYN1.SGM 19JYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 139 (Thursday, July 19, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34119-34120]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-15468]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XG279


Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Bering Sea 
and Aleutian Islands Crab Rationalization Cost Recovery Program

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notification of fee percentage.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: NMFS publishes notification of a 1.85 percent fee for cost 
recovery under the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Crab Rationalization 
Program. This action is intended to provide holders of crab allocations 
with the fee percentage for the 2018/2019 crab fishing year so they can 
calculate the required payment for cost recovery fees that must be 
submitted by July 31, 2019.

DATES: The Crab Rationalization Program Registered Crab Receiver permit 
holder is responsible for submitting the fee liability payment to NMFS 
on or before July 31, 2019.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kurt Iverson, (907) 586-7210.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    NMFS Alaska Region administers the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands 
Crab Rationalization Program (Program) in the North Pacific. Fishing 
under the Program began on August 15, 2005. Regulations implementing 
the Program can be found at 50 CFR part 680.
    The Program is a limited access system authorized by section 313(j) 
of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
(Magnuson-Stevens Act). The Program includes a cost recovery provision 
to collect fees to recover the actual costs directly related to the 
management, data collection, and enforcement of the Program. The 
Program implemented under the authority of section 313(j) is consistent 
with the cost recovery provisions included under section 304(d)(2)(A) 
of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. NMFS developed the cost recovery provision 
to conform to statutory requirements and to reimburse the agency for 
the actual costs directly related to the management, data collection, 
and enforcement of the Program. The cost recovery provision allows 
collection of 133 percent of the actual management, data collection, 
and enforcement costs up to 3 percent of the ex-vessel value of crab 
harvested under the Program. The Program provides that a proportional 
share of fees charged for management and enforcement be forwarded to 
the State of Alaska for its share of management and data collection 
costs for the Program. The cost recovery provision also requires the 
harvesting and processing sectors to each pay half the cost recovery 
fees. Catcher/processor quota shareholders are required to pay the full 
fee percentage for crab processed at sea.
    A crab allocation holder generally incurs a cost recovery fee 
liability for every pound of crab landed. The crab allocations include 
Individual Fishing Quota, Crew Individual Fishing Quota, Individual 
Processing Quota, Community Development Quota, and the Adak community 
allocation. The Registered Crab Receiver (RCR) permit holder must 
collect the fee liability from the crab allocation holder who is 
landing crab. Additionally, the RCR permit holder must collect his or 
her own fee liability for all crab delivered to

[[Page 34120]]

the RCR. The RCR permit holder is responsible for submitting this 
payment to NMFS on or before July 31, in the year following the crab 
fishing year in which landings of crab were 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 Program's cost 
recovery provision may be found in the implementing regulations at 50 
CFR 680.44.

Fee Percentage

    Each year, NMFS calculates and publishes in the Federal Register 
the fee percentage according to the factors and methodology described 
at Sec.  680.44(c)(2). The formula for determining the fee percentage 
is the ``direct program costs'' divided by ``value of the fishery,'' 
where ``direct program costs'' are the direct program costs for the 
Program for the previous fiscal year, and ``value of the fishery'' is 
the ex-vessel value of the catch subject to the crab cost recovery fee 
liability for the current year. Fee collections for any given year may 
be less than, or greater than, the actual costs and fishery value for 
that year, because, by regulation, the fee percentage is established in 
the first quarter of a crab fishery year based on the fishery value and 
the costs of the prior year.
    Based upon the fee percentage formula described above, the 
estimated percentage of costs to value for the 2017/2018 fishery was 
1.85 percent. Therefore, the fee percentage will be 1.85 percent for 
the 2018/2019 crab fishing year. This is an increase of 0.28 percent 
from the 2017/2018 fee percentage of 1.57 percent (81 FR 32329, July 
13, 2017). Although direct program costs for managing the fishery 
increased by 2.9 percent from 2016/2017 to 2017/2018, the increase in 
the fee percentage was more affected by a $24.0 million decrease in the 
value of the crab harvested under the Program. Similar to previous 
years, the largest direct program costs are incurred by the Alaska 
Department of Fish and Game and the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1862; Pub. L. 109-241; Pub. L. 109-479.

    Dated: July 16, 2018.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-15468 Filed 7-18-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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