Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Trawl Rationalization Program; 2024 Cost Recovery Fee Notice, 86116-86117 [2023-27188]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
86116
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 237 / Tuesday, December 12, 2023 / Notices
provide the public with real-time data,
the Department of Commerce must
collect and provide timely aggregated
summaries about these imports. The
Aluminum Import License is the tool
used to collect the necessary
information. The Census Bureau
currently collects import data and
disseminates aggregate information
about aluminum imports. However, the
time required to collect, process, and
disseminate this information through
Census can take up to 45 days after
importation of the product, giving
interested parties and the public far less
time to respond to injurious sales.
Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations.
Frequency: On occasion
Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: 13 U.S.C. 301(a) and
302.
This information collection request
may be viewed at www.reginfo.gov.
Follow the instructions to view the
Department of Commerce collections
currently under review by OMB.
Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be
submitted within 30 days of the
publication of this notice on the
following website www.reginfo.gov/
public/do/PRAMain. Find this
particular information collection by
selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day
Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or
by using the search function and
entering either the title of the collection
or the OMB Control Number 0625–0279.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of
the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs,
Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2023–27249 Filed 12–11–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XD560]
Fisheries Off West Coast States;
Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery;
Trawl Rationalization Program; 2024
Cost Recovery Fee Notice
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice. 2024 cost recovery fee
percentages and average mothership
cooperative program pricing.
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
AGENCY:
This action provides
participants in the Pacific Coast
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:03 Dec 11, 2023
Jkt 262001
Groundfish Trawl Rationalization
Program with the 2024 cost recovery fee
percentages and the average mothership
(MS) price per pound to be used in the
catcher/processor (C/P) Co-operative
(Co-op) program to calculate the fee
amount for the upcoming calendar year.
For the 2024 calendar year, NMFS
announces the following fee percentages
by sector specific program: 3 percent for
the Shorebased Individual Fishing
Quota (IFQ) Program; 0.1 percent for the
C/P Co-op Program; and 1.8 percent for
the MS Co-op Program. For 2024, the
MS pricing to be used as a proxy by the
C/P Co-op Program is $0.11 per pound
for Pacific whiting.
DATES: This action is effective January 1,
2024.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Christopher Biegel, (206) 247–8252,
christopher.biegel@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section
304(d)(2)(A) of the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (MSA) authorizes and requires
NMFS to collect fees to recover the costs
directly related to the management, data
collection and analysis, and
enforcement connected to and in
support of a limited access privilege
program (LAPP) (16 U.S.C. 1854(d)(2)),
also called ‘‘cost recovery.’’ Cost
recovery fees recover the actual costs
directly related to the management, data
collection and analysis, and
enforcement of the programs (MSA
section 303A(e), 16 U.S.C. 1853a(e)).
Section 304(d)(2)(B) of the MSA
mandates that cost recovery fees not
exceed 3 percent of the annual ex-vessel
value of fish harvested by a program
subject to a cost recovery fee, and that
the fee be collected either at the time of
landing, filing of a landing report, or
sale of such fish during a fishing season
or in the last quarter of the calendar year
in which the fish is harvested.
The Pacific Coast Groundfish Trawl
Rationalization Program is a LAPP,
implemented in 2011, and consists of
three sector-specific programs: the
Shorebased IFQ Program, the MS Co-op
Program, and the C/P Co-op Program. In
accordance with the MSA, and based on
a recommended structure and
methodology developed in coordination
with the Pacific Fishery Management
Council (Council), NMFS began
collecting mandatory fees of up to three
percent of the ex-vessel value of
groundfish from each program
(Shorebased IFQ Program, MS Co-op
Program, and C/P Co-op Program) in
2014. NMFS collects the fees to recover
the incremental costs of management,
data collection and analysis, and
enforcement of the Groundfish Trawl
PO 00000
Frm 00013
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Rationalization Program. Additional
background can be found in the cost
recovery proposed rule (78 FR 7371,
February 1, 2013) and final rule (78 FR
75268, December 11, 2013). 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 Co-op Program), and
§ 660.160 (C/P Co-op Program).
By December 31 of each year, NMFS
announces the next year’s fee
percentages and the applicable MS
pricing for the C/P Co-op 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
3 percent or direct program costs (DPC)
for that sector divided by total ex-vessel
value (V) for that sector multiplied by
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 analysis, and
enforcement of each program
(Shorebased IFQ Program, MS Co-op
Program, and C/P Co-op Program).
Actual incremental costs means those
net costs that would not have been
incurred but for the implementation of
the Groundfish Trawl Rationalization
Program, including both increased costs
for new requirements of the program
and reduced costs resulting from any
program efficiencies or adjustments to
costs from previous years.
‘‘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 determine
the ex-vessel value for the Shorebased
IFQ Program, NMFS used the ex-vessel
value for calendar year 2022 as reported
in the Pacific Fisheries Information
Network from Shorebased IFQ
electronic fish tickets as this was the
most recent complete set of data. To
determine the ex-vessel value for the
MS Co-op Program and the C/P Co-op
Program, NMFS used the retained catch
estimates (weight) for each sector as
reported in the North Pacific Observer
Program database multiplied by the
average price of Pacific whiting as
reported by participants in the MS Coop program for 2022.
The fee calculations for the 2024 fee
percentages are described below.
IFQ Program:
• 3.5 percent = ($1,927,301.37/
$54,406,343.00) × 100.
E:\FR\FM\12DEN1.SGM
12DEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 237 / Tuesday, December 12, 2023 / Notices
Dated: December 6, 2023.
Everett Wayne Baxter,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
C/P Co-op Program:
• 0.1 percent = ($29,364.40/
$33,367,530.60) × 100.
MS Co-op Program:
[FR Doc. 2023–27188 Filed 12–11–23; 8:45 am]
• 1.8 percent = ($280,187.19/
$15,425,857.68) × 100.
However, the calculated fee
percentage cannot exceed the statutory
limit of 3 percent. The IFQ Program fee
calculation (3.5 percent) exceeds this
limit, therefore, the 2024 fee percentage
for the IFQ Program is 3 percent. The
final 2024 fee percentages are 3.0
percent for the IFQ Program, 0.1 percent
for the C/P Co-op Program, and 1.8
percent for the MS Co-op Program.
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
MS Average Pricing
MS pricing is the average price per
pound that the C/P Co-op Program will
use to determine the fee amount due for
that sector. The C/P sector value is
calculated by multiplying the retained
catch estimates (weight) of Pacific
whiting harvested by the vessel
registered to a C/P-endorsed limited
entry trawl permit by the MS pricing.
NMFS has calculated the 2024 MS
pricing to be used as a proxy by the CP
Co-op Program as: $0.11 per pound for
Pacific whiting.
Cost recovery fees are submitted to
NMFS by fish buyers via Pay.gov
(https://www.pay.gov). Fees are only
accepted in Pay.gov by credit/debit card
or bank transfers. Cash or checks cannot
be accepted. Fish buyers registered with
Pay.gov can login in the upper righthand corner of the screen. Fish buyers
not registered with Pay.gov can go to the
cost recovery forms directly from the
website below. The links to the Pay.gov
forms for each program (IFQ, MS, or
C/P) are listed below:
• IFQ: https://www.pay.gov/public/
form/start/58062865;
• MS: https://www.pay.gov/public/
form/start/58378422; and
• C/P: https://www.pay.gov/public/
form/start/58102817.
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 fee
percentage calculations. Annual reports
are available at: https://
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/west-coast/
sustainable-fisheries/west-coastgroundfish-trawl-catch-shareprogram#cost-recovery.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.; 16
U.S.C.773 et seq.; 16 U.S.C. 7001 et seq.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:03 Dec 11, 2023
Jkt 262001
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget for Review
and Approval; Comment Request;
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species
Scientific Research, Exempted Fishing,
and Exempted Activity Submissions
National Oceanic &
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
AGENCY:
Notice of information collection,
request for comment.
ACTION:
The Department of
Commerce, in accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA), invites the general public and
other Federal agencies to comment on
proposed, and continuing information
collections, which helps us assess the
impact of our information collection
requirements and minimize the public’s
reporting burden. The purpose of this
notice is to allow for 60 days of public
comment preceding submission of the
collection to the Office of Management
and Budget.
SUMMARY:
To ensure consideration,
comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received
on or before February 12, 2024.
DATES:
Interested persons are
invited to submit written comments to
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer,
at Adrienne.thomas@noaa.gov. Please
reference OMB Control Number 0648–
0471 in the subject line of your
comments. Do not submit Confidential
Business Information or otherwise
sensitive or protected information.
ADDRESSES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection
activities should be directed to Cliff
Hutt, Fisheries Management Specialist,
National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS), Highly Migratory Species
(HMS) Management Division, 1315 EastWest Highway, SSMC3, Silver Spring,
MD 20910; 301–427–8503; or cliff.hutt@
noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
PO 00000
Frm 00014
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
86117
I. Abstract
Atlantic highly migratory species
(HMS) fisheries are managed under the
2006 Consolidated HMS Fishery
Management Plan (FMP) and its
amendments, pursuant to the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
(Magnuson-Stevens Act; 16 U.S.C. 1801
et seq.) and consistent with the Atlantic
Tunas Convention Act (ATCA; 16 U.S.C.
971 et seq.). The implementing
regulations for HMS fisheries are found
at 50 CFR part 635.
Issuance of exempted fishing permits
(EFPs), scientific research permits
(SRPs), display permits, letters of
acknowledgment (LOAs), and shark
research fishery permits is necessary for
the collection of HMS for public display
and scientific research that requires
exemption from regulations (e.g.,
seasons, prohibited species, authorized
gear, minimum sizes) that otherwise
may prohibit such collection. Display
permits are issued for the collection of
HMS for the purpose of public display,
and a limited number of shark research
fishery permits are issued for the
collection of fishery-dependent data for
future stock assessments and
cooperative research with commercial
fishermen to meet the shark research
objectives of the Agency.
Regulations at 50 CFR 600.745 and 50
CFR 635.32 govern scientific research
activity, exempted fishing, and
exempted educational activities with
respect to HMS. Since the MagnusonStevens Act does not include scientific
research within the definition of
‘‘fishing,’’ scientific research is exempt
from this statute, and NMFS does not
issue EFPs for bona fide research
activities (e.g., research conducted from
a research vessel and not a commercial
or recreational fishing vessel) involving
species that are only regulated under the
Magnuson-Stevens Act (e.g., most
species of sharks) and not under ATCA.
NMFS requests copies of scientific
research plans for these activities and
indicates concurrence by issuing a LOA
to researchers to indicate that the
proposed activity meets the definition of
scientific research and is therefore
exempt from regulation.
Scientific research is not exempt from
regulation under ATCA. NMFS issues
SRPs for collection of species managed
under this statute (i.e., tunas, swordfish,
billfish, and some shark species), which
authorize researchers to collect HMS
from bona fide research vessels (e.g.,
NMFS or university research vessel).
NMFS will issue an EFP when research/
collection involving such species occurs
E:\FR\FM\12DEN1.SGM
12DEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 237 (Tuesday, December 12, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 86116-86117]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-27188]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XD560]
Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish
Fishery; Trawl Rationalization Program; 2024 Cost Recovery Fee Notice
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice. 2024 cost recovery fee percentages and average
mothership cooperative program pricing.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This action provides participants in the Pacific Coast
Groundfish Trawl Rationalization Program with the 2024 cost recovery
fee percentages and the average mothership (MS) price per pound to be
used in the catcher/processor (C/P) Co-operative (Co-op) program to
calculate the fee amount for the upcoming calendar year. For the 2024
calendar year, NMFS announces the following fee percentages by sector
specific program: 3 percent for the Shorebased Individual Fishing Quota
(IFQ) Program; 0.1 percent for the C/P Co-op Program; and 1.8 percent
for the MS Co-op Program. For 2024, the MS pricing to be used as a
proxy by the C/P Co-op Program is $0.11 per pound for Pacific whiting.
DATES: This action is effective January 1, 2024.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher Biegel, (206) 247-8252,
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 304(d)(2)(A) of the
Magnuson[hyphen]Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA)
authorizes and requires NMFS to collect fees to recover the costs
directly related to the management, data collection and analysis, and
enforcement connected to and in support of a limited access privilege
program (LAPP) (16 U.S.C. 1854(d)(2)), also called ``cost recovery.''
Cost recovery fees recover the actual costs directly related to the
management, data collection and analysis, and enforcement of the
programs (MSA section 303A(e), 16 U.S.C. 1853a(e)). Section
304(d)(2)(B) of the MSA mandates that cost recovery fees not exceed 3
percent of the annual ex-vessel value of fish harvested by a program
subject to a cost recovery fee, and that the fee be collected either at
the time of landing, filing of a landing report, or sale of such fish
during a fishing season or in the last quarter of the calendar year in
which the fish is harvested.
The Pacific Coast Groundfish Trawl Rationalization Program is a
LAPP, implemented in 2011, and consists of three sector-specific
programs: the Shorebased IFQ Program, the MS Co-op Program, and the C/P
Co-op Program. In accordance with the MSA, and based on a recommended
structure and methodology developed in coordination with the Pacific
Fishery Management Council (Council), NMFS began collecting mandatory
fees of up to three percent of the ex-vessel value of groundfish from
each program (Shorebased IFQ Program, MS Co-op Program, and C/P Co-op
Program) in 2014. NMFS collects the fees to recover the incremental
costs of management, data collection and analysis, and enforcement of
the Groundfish Trawl Rationalization Program. Additional background can
be found in the cost recovery proposed rule (78 FR 7371, February 1,
2013) and final rule (78 FR 75268, December 11, 2013). 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 Co-op
Program), and Sec. 660.160 (C/P Co-op Program).
By December 31 of each year, NMFS announces the next year's fee
percentages and the applicable MS pricing for the C/P Co-op Program. To
calculate the fee percentages, NMFS used the formula specified in
regulation at Sec. 660.115(b)(1), where the fee percentage by sector
equals the lower of 3 percent or direct program costs (DPC) for that
sector divided by total ex-vessel value (V) for that sector multiplied
by 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 analysis, and
enforcement of each program (Shorebased IFQ Program, MS Co-op Program,
and C/P Co-op Program). Actual incremental costs means those net costs
that would not have been incurred but for the implementation of the
Groundfish Trawl Rationalization Program, including both increased
costs for new requirements of the program and reduced costs resulting
from any program efficiencies or adjustments to costs from previous
years.
``V,'' as specified at Sec. 660.115(b)(1)(ii), is the total ex-
vessel value, as defined at Sec. 660.111, for each sector from the
previous calendar year. To determine the ex-vessel value for the
Shorebased IFQ Program, NMFS used the ex-vessel value for calendar year
2022 as reported in the Pacific Fisheries Information Network from
Shorebased IFQ electronic fish tickets as this was the most recent
complete set of data. To determine the ex-vessel value for the MS Co-op
Program and the C/P Co-op Program, NMFS used the retained catch
estimates (weight) for each sector as reported in the North Pacific
Observer Program database multiplied by the average price of Pacific
whiting as reported by participants in the MS Co-op program for 2022.
The fee calculations for the 2024 fee percentages are described
below.
IFQ Program:
3.5 percent = ($1,927,301.37/$54,406,343.00) x 100.
[[Page 86117]]
C/P Co-op Program:
0.1 percent = ($29,364.40/$33,367,530.60) x 100.
MS Co-op Program:
1.8 percent = ($280,187.19/$15,425,857.68) x 100.
However, the calculated fee percentage cannot exceed the statutory
limit of 3 percent. The IFQ Program fee calculation (3.5 percent)
exceeds this limit, therefore, the 2024 fee percentage for the IFQ
Program is 3 percent. The final 2024 fee percentages are 3.0 percent
for the IFQ Program, 0.1 percent for the C/P Co-op Program, and 1.8
percent for the MS Co-op Program.
MS Average Pricing
MS pricing is the average price per pound that the C/P Co-op
Program will use to determine the fee amount due for that sector. The
C/P sector value is calculated by multiplying the retained catch
estimates (weight) of Pacific whiting harvested by the vessel
registered to a C/P-endorsed limited entry trawl permit by the MS
pricing. NMFS has calculated the 2024 MS pricing to be used as a proxy
by the CP Co-op Program as: $0.11 per pound for Pacific whiting.
Cost recovery fees are submitted to NMFS by fish buyers via Pay.gov
(https://www.pay.gov). Fees are only accepted in Pay.gov by credit/
debit card or bank transfers. Cash or checks cannot be accepted. Fish
buyers registered with Pay.gov can login in the upper right-hand corner
of the screen. Fish buyers not registered with Pay.gov can go to the
cost recovery forms directly from the website below. The links to the
Pay.gov forms for each program (IFQ, MS, or C/P) are listed below:
IFQ: https://www.pay.gov/public/form/start/58062865;
MS: https://www.pay.gov/public/form/start/58378422; and
C/P: https://www.pay.gov/public/form/start/58102817.
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 fee percentage
calculations. Annual reports are available at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/west-coast/sustainable-fisheries/west-coast-groundfish-trawl-catch-share-program#cost-recovery.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.; 16 U.S.C.773 et seq.; 16 U.S.C.
7001 et seq.
Dated: December 6, 2023.
Everett Wayne Baxter,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-27188 Filed 12-11-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
