50 CFR § 679.90-679.95 - Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska - Amendment 80 Program

836 50 CFR Ch. VI (10–1–22 Edition) § 679.90 from a rockfish CQ allocation to cal culate the rockfish cost recovery fee li ability for any retroactive payments for that rockfish primary species and rockfish secondary species. (5) Fee liability determination for a rockfish CQ holder. (i) All rockfish CQ holders will be subject to a fee liability for any rockfish primary species and rockfish secondary species CQ debited from a rockfish CQ allocation during a calendar year. (ii) The rockfish fee liability assessed to a rockfish CQ holder will be based on the proportion of the standard ex-ves sel value of rockfish primary species and rockfish secondary species debited from a rockfish CQ holder relative to all rockfish CQ holders during a cal endar year as determined by NMFS. (iii) NMFS will provide a fee liability summary letter to all CQ permit hold ers during the first quarter of the year following the calendar year in which the rockfish CQ landings were made. The summary will explain the fee li ability determination including the current fee percentage, details of rock fish primary species and rockfish sec ondary species CQ pounds debited from rockfish CQ allocations by permit, spe cies, date, and prices. (d) Underpayment of fee liability. (1) Pursuant to § 679.81(f), no rockfish CQ holder will receive any rockfish CQ until the rockfish CQ holder submits a complete application. A complete ap plication shall include full payment of an applicant’s complete rockfish cost recovery fee liability. (2) If a rockfish CQ holder fails to submit full payment for rockfish cost recovery fee liability by the date de scribed in paragraph (a)(3) of this sec tion, the Regional Administrator may: (i) At any time thereafter send an IAD to the CQ permit holder stating that the CQ permit holder’s estimated fee liability, as indicated by his or her own submitted information, is the rockfish cost recovery fee liability due from the CQ permit holder. (ii) Disapprove any application to transfer rockfish CQ to or from the CQ permit holder in accordance with § 679.81(g). (3) If a rockfish CQ holder fails to submit full payment by the rockfish cost recovery fee liability payment deadline described at paragraph (a)(3) of this section: (i) No CQ permit will be issued to that rockfish CQ holder for that cal endar year; and (ii) No rockfish CQ will be issued based on the rockfish QS held by the members of that rockfish cooperative to any other CQ permit for that cal endar year. (4) Upon final agency action deter mining that a CQ permit holder has not paid his or her rockfish cost recovery fee liability, the Regional Adminis trator may continue to prohibit issuance of a CQ permit for any subse quent calendar years until NMFS re ceives the unpaid fees. If payment is not received by the 30th day after the final agency action, the agency may pursue collection of the unpaid fees. (e) Over payment. Upon issuance of final agency action, payment sub mitted to NMFS in excess of the rock fish cost recovery fee liability deter mined to be due by the final agency ac tion will be returned to the CQ permit holder unless the permit holder re quests the agency to credit the excess amount against the permit holder’s fu ture rockfish cost recovery fee liabil ity. Payment processing fees may be deducted from any fees returned to the CQ permit holder. (f) Appeals. A CQ permit holder who receives an IAD for incomplete pay ment of a rockfish fee liability may ap peal the IAD pursuant to 50 CFR 679.43. (g) Annual report. Each year, NMFS will publish a report describing the rockfish program cost recovery fee pro gram. [76 FR 81277, Dec. 27, 2011, as amended at 86 FR 11904, Mar. 1, 2021] Subpart H—Amendment 80 Program SOURCE: 72 FR 52726, Sept. 14, 2007, unless otherwise noted. § 679.90 Allocation, use, and transfer of Amendment 80 QS permits. Regulations under this subpart were developed by NMFS to implement the Amendment 80 Program. Additional regulations that implement specific portions of the Amendment 80 Program VerDate Sep<11>2014 08:57 Jan 13, 2023 Jkt 256248 PO 00000 Frm 00846 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\50\50V13.TXT PC31sf ra tti ni o n LA P JZ K W 1R 2 w ith $ $ JO B 837 Fishery Conservation and Management § 679.90 are set out at § 679.2 Definitions, § 679.4 Permits, § 679.5 Recordkeeping and re porting (R&R), § 679.7 Prohibitions, § 679.20 General limitations, § 679.21 Pro hibited species bycatch management, § 679.27 Improved Retention/Improved Utilization Program, § 679.28 Equip ment and operational requirements, § 679.31 CDQ and PSQ reserves, § 679.50 Groundfish Observer Program applica ble through December 31, 2007, and § 679.64 Harvesting sideboard limits in other fisheries. (a) Issuance of Amendment 80 QS per mits—(1) General. NMFS will issue an Amendment 80 QS permit to a person who is eligible to receive Amendment 80 QS units as described in paragraph (a)(2) of this section and based on: (i) The information contained in an approved application for Amendment 80 QS as described in paragraph (b) of this section; (ii) The information contained in the Amendment 80 official record as de scribed in paragraph (c) of this section; (iii) The Amendment 80 QS permit al location procedures as described in paragraph (d) of this section; and (iv) In consideration of any use caps as described in § 679.92(a). (2) Eligibility to receive an Amendment 80 QS permit—(i) Owner of an Amend ment 80 vessel. A person may receive an Amendment 80 QS permit based on the legal landings of an Amendment 80 ves sel if: (A) That person owns that Amend ment 80 vessel at the time of applica tion for Amendment 80 QS as dem onstrated on an abstract of title or USCG documentation; (B) That person holds an Amendment 80 LLP license at the time of applica tion for Amendment 80 QS; (C) That person is a U.S. citizen; (D) That person submits a timely ap plication for Amendment 80 QS that is approved by NMFS as described in paragraph (b) of this section; and (E) A person is not eligible to receive an Amendment 80 QS permit based on the legal landings of that Amendment 80 vessel under the provisions of para graph (a)(2)(ii) of this section. (ii) Holder of an Amendment 80 LLP li cense. A person may receive an Amend ment 80 QS permit based on the legal landings of an Amendment 80 vessel if: (A) At the time of application for Amendment 80 QS that person holds the LLP license originally assigned to that Amendment 80 vessel and that Amendment 80 vessel has suffered an actual total loss, constructive total loss, or is permanently ineligible to re ceive a fishery endorsement under 46 U.S.C. 12108; (B) The actual total loss, construc tive total loss, or permanent ineligi bility of that Amendment 80 vessel to receive a fishery endorsement under 46 U.S.C. 12108 has been clearly and unam biguously established and documented in written form in the application for Amendment 80 QS and that documenta tion is accepted by NMFS; (C) The express terms of a written contract clearly and unambiguously provide that the owner(s) of that Amendment 80 vessel transferred all rights and privileges to use the Amend ment 80 legal landings from that Amendment 80 vessel to the person holding the LLP license originally as signed to that Amendment 80 vessel; (D) That person is a U.S. citizen; and (E) That person has submitted a timely application for Amendment 80 QS that is approved by NMFS as de scribed in paragraph (b) of this section. (b) Application for Amendment 80 QS— (1) Submission. A person who wishes to receive an Amendment 80 QS permit must submit a timely and complete ap plication for Amendment 80 QS. Once a person submits a timely and complete application for Amendment 80 QS that is approved by NMFS, an application for Amendment 80 QS is not required to be resubmitted. An application for Amendment 80 QS may only be sub mitted to NMFS using any one of the following methods: (i) Mail: Regional Administrator, c/o Restricted Access Management Pro gram, NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802–1668; (ii) Fax: 907–586–7354; or (iii) Hand delivery or carrier: NMFS, Room 713, 709 West 9th Street, Juneau, AK 99801. (2) Application forms. Application forms are available through the inter net on the NMFS Alaska Region Web site at http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov, or by contacting NMFS at 800–304–4846, Option 2. VerDate Sep<11>2014 08:57 Jan 13, 2023 Jkt 256248 PO 00000 Frm 00847 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\50\50V13.TXT PC31sf ra tti ni o n LA P JZ K W 1R 2 w ith $ $ JO B 838 50 CFR Ch. VI (10–1–22 Edition) § 679.90 (3) Deadline. A completed application for Amendment 80 QS must be received by NMFS no later than 1700 hours A.l.t. on October 15 of the year prior to the fishing year for which the applicant is applying, or if sent by U.S. mail, post marked by that time. Applications re ceived or postmarked after the dead line will not be eligible to receive an Amendment 80 QS permit for the up coming fishing year. (4) Contents of application. A com pleted application must contain the following information: (i) Applicant identification. (A) The ap plicant’s name, NMFS person ID (if ap plicable), tax ID number, permanent business mailing address, business tele phone number, business fax number, and e-mail (if available); (B) Indicate (YES or NO) if the appli cant is a U.S. citizen; if YES, enter his or her date of birth; (C) Indicate (YES or NO) if the appli cant is a U.S. corporation, partnership, association, or other business entity; if YES, enter the date of incorporation; (D) Indicate (YES or NO) if the appli cant is a successor-in-interest to a de ceased individual or to a non-indi vidual no longer in existence, if YES attach evidence of death or dissolution; (E) Indicate whether the applicant is applying as the owner of an Amend ment 80 vessel or the holder of an LLP license originally assigned to an Amendment 80 vessel; (F) For an applicant claiming Amendment 80 legal landings associ ated with an Amendment 80 vessel, enter the following information for each Amendment 80 vessel: USCG docu mentation number of vessel on which Amendment 80 legal landings were caught and processed, vessel name, ADF&G vessel registration number, and LLP license held by that person at the time of application; (G) If an Amendment 80 vessel has suffered an actual total loss, construc tive total loss, or is permanently ineli gible to receive a fishery endorsement under 46 U.S.C. 12108, provide clear and unambiguous documentation in writ ten form that the Amendment 80 vessel has suffered an actual total loss, con structive total loss, or is permanently ineligible to receive a fishery endorse ment under 46 U.S.C. 12108; and (H) If applicable, a copy of the ex press terms of a written contract held by the applicant that clearly and un ambiguously indicates that the owner of the Amendment 80 vessel that has suffered has an actual total loss, con structive total loss, or is permanently ineligible to receive a fishery endorse ment under 46 U.S.C. 12108 has trans ferred all rights and privileges to use Amendment 80 legal landings and any resulting Amendment 80 QS or exclu sive harvest privilege from that Amendment 80 vessel to the person holding the LLP license originally as signed to that Amendment 80 vessel. (ii) Applicant signature and certifi cation. The applicant must sign and date the application certifying that all information is true, correct, and com plete to the best of his or her knowl edge and belief. If the application is completed by a designated representa tive, then explicit authorization for the designated representative signed by the applicant must accompany the applica tion. (5) Application evaluation. The Re gional Administrator will evaluate ap plications received as specified in this paragraph (b)(5) of this section and compare all claims in an application with the information in the Amend ment 80 official record. Application claims that are consistent with infor mation in the Amendment 80 official record will be approved by the Regional Administrator. Application claims that are inconsistent with the Amendment 80 official record, unless verified by documentation, will not be approved. An applicant who submits inconsistent claims, or an applicant who fails to submit the information specified in paragraph (b)(4) of this section, will be provided a single 30-day evidentiary pe riod in which to submit the specified information, submit evidence to verify his or her inconsistent claims, or sub mit a revised application with claims consistent with information in the Amendment 80 official record. An ap plicant who submits claims that are in consistent with information in the Amendment 80 official record has the burden of proving that the submitted VerDate Sep<11>2014 08:57 Jan 13, 2023 Jkt 256248 PO 00000 Frm 00848 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\50\50V13.TXT PC31sf ra tti ni o n LA P JZ K W 1R 2 w ith $ $ JO B 839 Fishery Conservation and Management § 679.90 claims are correct. Any claims that re main inconsistent or that are not ac cepted after the 30-day evidentiary pe riod will be denied, and the applicant will be notified by an IAD of his or her appeal rights under § 679.43. (6) Appeals. If an applicant is notified by an IAD that inconsistent claims made by the applicant have been de nied, that applicant may appeal that IAD under the provisions described at § 679.43. (c) Amendment 80 official record—(1) Use of the Amendment 80 official record. The Amendment 80 official record will contain all information used by the Re gional Administrator to determine eli gibility to participate in the Amend ment 80 Program, assign QS, and any other privileges or limits for the Amendment 80 Program. (2) Amendment 80 official record pre sumed to be correct. The Amendment 80 official record is presumed to be cor rect. An applicant to participate in the Amendment 80 Program has the burden to prove otherwise. (3) Documentation is used to establish the amount of Amendment 80 legal land ings. Only Amendment 80 legal landings as defined in § 679.2 will be used to as sign Amendment 80 QS units to an Amendment 80 QS permit unless an Amendment 80 vessel has no Amend ment 80 legal landings, in which case Amendment 80 QS units will be allo cated to the Amendment 80 QS permit derived from that Amendment 80 vessel according to the procedures established under paragraphs (d)(1)(iii) and (iv) of this section. (4) Assignment of Amendment 80 legal landings. An Amendment 80 legal land ing is assigned only to the Amendment 80 vessel that was used to make that Amendment 80 legal landing. (d) Assigning an Amendment 80 QS per mit to an Amendment 80 QS holder—(1) Amendment 80 QS units derived from an Amendment 80 vessel and issued to an Amendment 80 QS holder. NMFS will assign a specific amount of Amendment 80 QS units to each Amendment 80 QS permit based on the Amendment 80 legal landings of each Amendment 80 vessel for each Amend ment 80 species in each management area for that Amendment 80 species as listed in Table 32 to this part, using in formation from the Amendment 80 offi cial record according to the following procedures: (i) All Amendment 80 species. (A) For each Amendment 80 species, sum the Amendment 80 legal landings for each Amendment 80 vessel in all manage ment areas for that Amendment 80 spe cies listed in Table 32 to this part for each calendar year from 1998 through 2004. (B) Select the five calendar years that yield the highest amount of Amendment 80 legal landings of that Amendment 80 species in all manage ment areas for that Amendment 80 spe cies listed in Table 32 to this part, in cluding zero metric tons if necessary. (C) Sum the Amendment 80 legal landings of the highest five years for an Amendment 80 species. This yields the Highest Five Years for that Amendment 80 species. (D) Divide the Highest Five Years for an Amendment 80 species in paragraph (d)(1)(i)(C) of this section for an Amendment 80 vessel by the sum of all Highest Five Years for all Amendment 80 vessels for that Amendment 80 spe cies based on the Amendment 80 offi cial record for that Amendment 80 spe cies as presented in the following equa tion: Highest Five Years/S All Highest Five Years × 100 = Percentage of the Total. The result (quotient) of this equation is the Percentage of the Total for that Amendment 80 vessel for that Amend ment 80 species. (ii) Aleutian Islands Pacific ocean perch and BSAI Pacific cod. Multiply the Percentage of the Total for that Amendment 80 vessel for Aleutian Is lands Pacific ocean perch and BSAI Pa cific cod as calculated in paragraph (d)(1)(i)(D) of this section by the Amendment 80 initial QS pool for Aleu tian Islands Pacific ocean perch and BSAI Pacific cod as set forth in Table 32 to this part. This yields the number of Amendment 80 QS units for that Amendment 80 vessel for Aleutian Is lands Pacific ocean perch and BSAI Pa cific cod Pacific cod. (iii) BSAI rock sole and BSAI yellowfin sole. (A) If an Amendment 80 vessel did VerDate Sep<11>2014 08:57 Jan 13, 2023 Jkt 256248 PO 00000 Frm 00849 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\50\50V13.TXT PC31sf ra tti ni o n LA P JZ K W 1R 2 w ith $ $ JO B 840 50 CFR Ch. VI (10–1–22 Edition) § 679.90 not have any Amendment 80 legal land ings during 1998 through 2004, that Amendment 80 vessel will receive 0.5 percent of the Percentage of the Total for BSAI rock sole and BSAI yellowfin sole as calculated in paragraph (d)(1)(i)(D) of this section. (B) All Amendment 80 vessels that did have Amendment 80 legal landings will have the Percentage of the Total assigned to that Amendment 80 vessel as calculated in paragraph (d)(1)(i)(D) of this section adjusted to account for the assignment of the Percentage of the Total to Amendment 80 vessels under paragraph (d)(1)(iii)(A) of this section for BSAI rock sole and BSAI yellowfin sole as presented in the fol lowing equation: Percentage of the Total for that Amendment 80 vessel × (100-S Per centage of the Total assigned to all Amendment 80 vessels under para graph (d)(1)(iii)(A) of this section) = Adjusted Percentage of the Total for that Amendment 80 vessel. (C) Multiply the Adjusted Percentage of the Total for that Amendment 80 vessel by the Amendment 80 initial QS pool for BSAI rock sole and BSAI yel lowfin sole as set forth in Table 32 to this part. This yields the number of Amendment 80 QS units for that Amendment 80 vessel for BSAI rock sole or BSAI yellowfin sole. (iv) BSAI flathead sole. (A) If an Amendment 80 vessel did not have any Amendment 80 legal landings during 1998 through 2004, that Amendment 80 vessel will receive 0.1 percent of the Percentage of the Total for BSAI flat head sole as calculated in paragraph (d)(1)(i)(D) of this section. (B) All Amendment 80 vessels that did have Amendment 80 legal landings during 1998 through 2004 will have the Percentage of the Total assigned to that Amendment 80 vessel as cal culated in paragraph (d)(1)(i)(D) of this section adjusted to account for the as signment of the Percentage of the Total to Amendment 80 vessels under paragraph (d)(1)(iv)(A) of this section for BSAI flathead sole as presented in the following equation: Percentage of the Total for that Amendment 80 vessel × (100-S Per centage of the Total assigned to all Amendment 80 vessels under para graph (d)(1)(iv)(A) of this section) = Adjusted Percentage of the Total for that Amendment 80 vessel. (C) Multiply the Adjusted Percentage of the Total for that Amendment 80 vessel by the Amendment 80 initial QS pool for BSAI flathead sole as set forth in Table 32 to this part. This yields the number of Amendment 80 QS units for that Amendment 80 vessel for BSAI flathead sole. (v) BSAI Atka mackerel. (A) Multiply the Percentage of the Total for that Amendment 80 vessel as calculated in paragraph (d)(1)(i)(D) of this section by the Amendment 80 initial QS pool for BSAI Atka mackerel as set forth in Table 32 to this part. This yields the number of Amendment 80 QS units for that Amendment 80 vessel for BSAI Atka mackerel. (B) If an Amendment 80 vessel is an Amendment 80 non-mackerel vessel, determine the percentage of the Amendment 80 QS pool that is assigned to each Atka mackerel management area listed in Table 32 to this part in each year from 1998 through 2004 for that Amendment 80 non-mackerel ves sel based on the percentage of Amend ment 80 legal landings in that Atka mackerel management area from 1998 through 2004 for that Amendment 80 non-mackerel vessel. (C) The sum of the Amendment 80 QS units allocated to all Amendment 80 non-mackerel vessels is the Total Amendment 80 non-mackerel QS pool. (D) The sum of the Amendment 80 QS units allocated to all Amendment 80 mackerel vessels is the Total Amend ment 80 mackerel QS pool. (2) Assigning Amendment 80 QS units to an Amendment 80 permit. Once the Re gional Administrator determines the amount of Amendment 80 QS units to be issued for an Amendment 80 species derived from an Amendment 80 vessel based on the criteria described in para graphs (b) through (d) of this section, NMFS will assign that amount of Amendment 80 QS units for each Amendment 80 species as an Amend ment 80 QS permit to the Amendment 80 QS holder as follows: (i) Amendment 80 vessel owner. NMFS will issue an Amendment 80 QS permit for each Amendment 80 vessel to the VerDate Sep<11>2014 08:57 Jan 13, 2023 Jkt 256248 PO 00000 Frm 00850 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\50\50V13.TXT PC31sf ra tti ni o n LA P JZ K W 1R 2 w ith $ $ JO B 841 Fishery Conservation and Management § 679.91 owner of that Amendment 80 vessel if that person submitted a timely and complete Application for Amendment 80 QS that was approved by NMFS under paragraph (a)(2)(i) of this sec tion; or (ii) Amendment 80 LLP/QS license. NMFS will issue an Amendment 80 QS permit as an endorsement on an Amendment 80 LLP license to the hold er of an LLP license originally as signed to an Amendment 80 vessel list ed in Column A of Table 31 to this part, under the provisions of § 679.4(k)(7), if that person submitted a timely and complete Application for Amendment 80 QS that was approved by NMFS under paragraph (a)(2)(ii) of this sec tion. (e) Transfers of Amendment 80 QS per mits—(1) Non-severability of Amendment 80 QS permits. (i) An Amendment 80 QS holder may not transfer an Amend ment 80 QS permit to another person unless all Amendment 80 QS units for all Amendment 80 species on that Amendment 80 QS permit are trans ferred in their entirety to the same person at the same time; and (ii) If an Amendment 80 QS permit is assigned to an Amendment 80 LLP li cense originally assigned to an Amend ment 80 vessel, that Amendment 80 LLP license is designated as an Amend ment 80 LLP/QS license. A person may not separate the Amendment 80 QS per mit from that Amendment 80 LLP/QS license. (2) Transfer of an Amendment 80 LLP/ QS license. A person holding an Amend ment 80 LLP/QS license may transfer that Amendment 80 LLP/QS license to another person only under the provi sions of § 679.4(k)(7). (3) Transfers of Amendment 80 QS per mits. (i) A person holding an Amend ment 80 QS permit assigned to an Amendment 80 vessel may transfer that Amendment 80 QS permit to an other person, to the LLP license origi nally assigned to an Amendment 80 vessel, or to a vessel approved by NMFS as an Amendment 80 replace ment vessel in accordance with § 679.4(o)(4) by submitting an Applica tion to Transfer an Amendment 80 QS permit that is approved by NMFS under the provisions of paragraph (f) of this section. (ii) A person holding an Amendment 80 LLP license that is designated as an Amendment 80 LLP/QS license may designate a vessel approved as an Amendment 80 replacement vessel by submitting an Application For Trans fer License Limitation Program Groundfish/Crab License that is ap proved by NMFS under the provisions of paragraph (f) of this section. (4) Assigning an Amendment 80 QS per mit to an Amendment 80 LLP license. An Amendment 80 vessel owner holding an Amendment 80 QS permit assigned to an Amendment 80 vessel may transfer that Amendment 80 QS permit to the LLP license originally assigned to that Amendment 80 vessel only by submit ting an application to transfer an Amendment 80 QS permit that is ap proved by NMFS under the provisions of paragraph (f) of this section. (f) Application to Transfer Amendment 80 QS. A person holding an Amendment 80 QS permit who wishes to transfer the Amendment 80 QS permit to the LLP license originally assigned to the Amendment 80 vessel, or transfer the Amendment 80 QS permit to another person, or transfer the Amendment 80 QS permit to an Amendment 80 re placement vessel must submit to NMFS a complete Application to Transfer an Amendment 80 QS permit. The holder of an Amendment 80 LLP/ QS license may designate the replace ment vessel on the LLP license by using the Application for Transfer Li cense Limitation Program Groundfish/ Crab License. An application must con tain the information specified on the form, with all required fields accu rately completed and all required docu mentation attached. This application must be submitted to NMFS using the methods described on the application. [72 FR 52726, Sept. 14, 2007, as amended at 76 FR 40633, July 11, 2011; 77 FR 59871, Oct. 1, 2012] § 679.91 Amendment 80 Program an nual harvester privileges. (a) Assigning an Amendment 80 QS per mit to an Amendment 80 cooperative or Amendment 80 limited access fishery—(1) General. (i) Each calendar year, each Amendment 80 QS permit, associated Amendment 80 vessel, and Amendment 80 LLP license must be assigned to an VerDate Sep<11>2014 08:57 Jan 13, 2023 Jkt 256248 PO 00000 Frm 00851 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\50\50V13.TXT PC31sf ra tti ni o n LA P JZ K W 1R 2 w ith $ $ JO B 842 50 CFR Ch. VI (10–1–22 Edition) § 679.91 Amendment 80 cooperative or the Amendment 80 limited access fishery in order to use that Amendment 80 QS permit, associated Amendment 80 ves sel, and Amendment 80 LLP license to catch, process, or receive Amendment 80 species, crab PSC, or halibut PSC as signed to the Amendment 80 sector. (ii) NMFS will assign an Amendment 80 QS permit(s), associated Amendment 80 vessel(s), and Amendment 80 LLP li cense(s) held by an Amendment 80 QS holder to an Amendment 80 cooperative if that Amendment 80 QS permit(s), as sociated Amendment 80 vessel(s), and Amendment 80 LLP license(s) is des ignated on an application for CQ that is approved by the Regional Adminis trator as described under paragraph (b) of this section. (iii) NMFS will assign an Amend ment 80 QS permit(s), associated Amendment 80 vessel(s), and Amend ment 80 LLP license(s) held by an Amendment 80 QS holder to the Amendment 80 limited access fishery if that Amendment 80 QS permit(s), asso ciated Amendment 80 vessel(s), and Amendment 80 LLP license(s) is as signed to the Amendment 80 limited access fishery. (2) Amendment 80 QS permits issued after issuance of CQ or ITAC. Any Amendment 80 QS permits, or Amend ment 80 QS units on an Amendment 80 QS permit, assigned to an Amendment 80 QS holder after NMFS has issued CQ or ITAC to the Amendment 80 sector for a calendar year will not result in any additional: (i) CQ being issued to an Amendment 80 cooperative if that Amendment 80 QS holder has assigned his Amendment 80 QS permit(s) to an Amendment 80 cooperative for that calendar year; or (ii) ITAC being issued to the Amend ment 80 limited access fishery if that Amendment 80 QS holder has assigned his Amendment 80 QS permit(s) to the Amendment 80 limited access fishery for that calendar year. (3) Failure to submit an application for an Amendment 80 fishery. (i) If an Amendment 80 QS permit is not des ignated on a timely and complete ap plication for CQ that is approved by the Regional Administrator as de scribed under paragraph (b) of this sec tion, the Regional Administrator will not assign that Amendment 80 QS per mit, associated Amendment 80 vessel, or Amendment 80 LLP license to an Amendment 80 cooperative for the ap plicable calendar year. (ii) The Regional Administrator will assign an Amendment 80 QS permit, as sociated Amendment 80 vessel, or Amendment 80 LLP license to the Amendment 80 limited access fishery for the applicable calendar year if that Amendment 80 QS permit, associated Amendment 80 vessel, or Amendment 80 LLP license is designated on a time ly and complete application for an Amendment 80 limited access fishery, or if that Amendment 80 QS permit, as sociated Amendment 80 vessel, or Amendment 80 LLP license is not des ignated on a timely and complete ap plication for CQ that is approved by the Regional Administrator as de scribed under paragraph (b) of this sec tion. (b) Application for CQ and Application for the Amendment 80 limited access fish ery—(1) General. An application for CQ or an application for the Amendment 80 limited access fishery may only be submitted to NMFS using any one of the following methods: (i) Mail: Regional Administrator, c/o Restricted Access Management Pro gram, NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802–1668; (ii) Fax: 907–586–7354; or (iii) Hand delivery or carrier: NMFS, Room 713, 709 West 9th Street, Juneau, AK 99801. (iv) Electronic: http:// alaskafisheries.noaa.gov. (2) Application forms. Application forms are available on the NMFS Alas ka Region website at http:// alaskafisheries.noaa.gov, or by con tacting NMFS at 800–304–4846, Option 2. (3) Deadline. A completed application must be received by NMFS no later than 1700 hours A.l.t. on November 1 of the year prior to the calendar year for which the applicant is applying, or if sent by U.S. mail, the application must be postmarked by that time. (4) Application for CQ—(i) Amendment 80 cooperative identification. The Amend ment 80 cooperative’s legal name; tax ID number, the type of business entity under which the Amendment 80 cooper ative is organized; the state in which VerDate Sep<11>2014 08:57 Jan 13, 2023 Jkt 256248 PO 00000 Frm 00852 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\50\50V13.TXT PC31sf ra tti ni o n LA P JZ K W 1R 2 w ith $ $ JO B 843 Fishery Conservation and Management § 679.91 the Amendment 80 cooperative is le gally registered as a business entity; permanent business address; business telephone number; business fax num ber; e-mail address (if available); and printed name of the Amendment 80 co operative’s designated representative. (ii) Identification of Amendment 80 QS permit holders and ownership documenta tion. Full name of each Amendment 80 cooperative member; NMFS person ID of each member; Amendment 80 QS per mit number(s), the names of all per sons, to the individual level, holding an ownership interest in the Amendment 80 QS permit(s) assigned to the Amend ment 80 cooperative and the percentage ownership each person and individual holds in the Amendment 80 QS per mit(s). (iii) Identification of Amendment 80 co operative member vessels and Amendment 80 LLP licenses. Vessel name; ADF&G vessel registration number; USCG doc umentation number; and Amendment 80 LLP license number. (iv) Identification of vessels on which the CQ issued to the Amendment 80 coop erative will be used. Vessel name, ADF&G vessel registration number, and USCG documentation number. (v) EDR submission. For 2009 and thereafter, indicate (YES or NO) whether each member of the Amend ment 80 cooperative has submitted a timely and complete EDR for each Amendment 80 QS permit held by that person as required under § 679.94. (vi) Certification of cooperative author ized representative. The cooperative’s authorized representative must sign and date the application certifying that all information is true, correct, and complete to the best of his or her knowledge and belief. Explicit author ization to complete the application on behalf of the members of the coopera tive must accompany the application. (vii) Copy of membership agreement or contract. Attach a copy of the member ship agreement or contract that in cludes terms that list: (A) How the Amendment 80 coopera tive intends to catch its CQ; and (B) The obligations of Amendment 80 QS holders who are members of an Amendment 80 cooperative to ensure the full payment of Amendment 80 fee liabilities that may be due. (5) Application for the Amendment 80 limited access fishery—(i) Applicant iden tification. The applicant’s name, NMFS Person ID (if applicable), tax ID num ber (required), permanent business mailing address, business telephone number, fax number, and e-mail (if available). (ii) Amendment 80 vessel identification. The name, ADF&G vessel registration number(s), and USCG documentation number(s) of the Amendment 80 ves sel(s) owned by the applicant. (iii) Amendment 80 LLP identification. The Amendment 80 LLP license num ber(s) held by the applicant. (iv) Amendment 80 QS permit informa tion. The Amendment 80 QS permit number(s) held by the applicant. (v) Amendment 80 QS ownership docu mentation. The names of all persons, to the individual person level, holding an ownership interest in the Amendment 80 QS permit(s) held by the applicant and the percentage ownership each per son and individual holds in the Amend ment 80 QS permit(s). (vi) EDR submission. For 2009 and thereafter, indicate (YES or NO) whether the applicant has submitted a timely and complete EDR for each Amendment 80 QS permit held by that person as required under § 679.94. (vii) Applicant signature and certifi cation. The applicant must sign and date the application certifying that all information is true, correct, and com plete to the best of his or her knowl edge and belief. If the application is completed by a designated representa tive, then explicit authorization signed by the applicant must accompany the application. (c) Allocations of Amendment 80 spe cies—(1) General. Each calendar year, the Regional Administrator will deter mine the tonnage of Amendment 80 species that will be assigned to the BSAI trawl limited access sector and the Amendment 80 sector. For partici pants in the Amendment 80 sector, the tonnage of fish will be further assigned between Amendment 80 cooperatives and the Amendment 80 limited access fishery. (2) Calculation—(i) Determination of TAC and ITAC. NMFS will determine the TAC and ITAC for each Amend ment 80 species in a calendar year in VerDate Sep<11>2014 08:57 Jan 13, 2023 Jkt 256248 PO 00000 Frm 00853 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\50\50V13.TXT PC31sf ra tti ni o n LA P JZ K W 1R 2 w ith $ $ JO B 844 50 CFR Ch. VI (10–1–22 Edition) § 679.91 the annual harvest specification proc ess in § 679.20. (ii) Annual apportionment of ITAC. The annual apportionment of ITAC for each Amendment 80 species between the Amendment 80 sector and the BSAI trawl limited access sector in a given calendar year is established in Tables 33 and 34 to this part. (3) Allocation of CQ to Amendment 80 cooperatives—(i) General. The amount of ITAC for each Amendment 80 species assigned to an Amendment 80 coopera tive is equal to the amount of Amend ment 80 QS units assigned to that Amendment 80 cooperative by Amend ment 80 QS holders divided by the total Amendment 80 QS pool multiplied by the Amendment 80 sector ITAC for that Amendment 80 species in that manage ment area. Once ITAC for an Amend ment 80 species in a management area is assigned to an Amendment 80 coop erative, it is issued as CQ specific to that Amendment 80 cooperative. (ii) CQ allocation for Amendment 80 species except BSAI Atka mackerel. The amount of CQ for each Amendment 80 species except BSAI Atka mackerel that is assigned to a Amendment 80 co operative is expressed algebraically as follows: CQ in a management area = [(Amend ment 80 sector ITAC in a manage ment area) × (Amendment 80 QS units assigned to that Amendment 80 cooperative/Amendment 80 QS pool)]. (iii) CQ allocation for BSAI Atka mack erel. The amount of CQ for BSAI Atka mackerel that is assigned to each Amendment 80 cooperative in each management area is determined by the following procedure: (A) Determine the amount of non mackerel ITAC in each management area using the following equation: Non-mackerel ITAC in a management area = (Amendment 80 non-mack erel QS units designated for that management area/Total Atka mackerel QS pool) × Amendment 80 sector ITAC in all management areas. (B) Determine the amount of mack erel ITAC in each management area using the following equation: Mackerel ITAC in a management area = Amendment 80 sector ITAC in that management area ¥ Non mackerel ITAC in that manage ment area. (C) Determine the amount of non mackerel CQ assigned to the Amend ment 80 cooperative using the fol lowing equation: Non-mackerel CQ assigned to that Amendment 80 cooperative = (Amendment 80 non-mackerel QS units designated for that manage ment area assigned to that Amend ment 80 cooperative/Amendment 80 non-mackerel QS pool in that man agement area) × Non-mackerel ITAC for that management area. (D) Determine the amount of mack erel CQ assigned to the Amendment 80 cooperative using the following equa tion: Mackerel CQ in a management area = (Mackerel QS units assigned to that Amendment 80 cooperative/ Mackerel QS pool) × Mackerel ITAC in that management area. (E) The total amount of Atka mack erel CQ assigned to an Amendment 80 cooperative for a management area is equal to the sum of paragraphs (c)(3)(iii)(C) and (D) of this section. (4) Amendment 80 limited access fishery. The amount of ITAC in a management area for each Amendment 80 species as signed to the Amendment 80 limited access fishery is equal to the Amend ment 80 sector ITAC remaining after subtracting all CQ issued to all Amend ment 80 cooperatives for that Amend ment 80 species in that management area. (d) Allocations of halibut PSC—(1) Amount of Amendment 80 halibut PSC for the Amendment 80 sector. The amount of halibut PSC limit for the Amendment 80 sector for each calendar year is spec ified in Table 35 to this part. That hal ibut PSC is then assigned to Amend ment 80 cooperatives and the Amend ment 80 limited access fishery pursuant to paragraphs (d)(2) and (3) of this sec tion. If one or more Amendment 80 ves sels participate in the Amendment 80 limited access fishery, the halibut PSC limit assigned to the Amendment 80 VerDate Sep<11>2014 08:57 Jan 13, 2023 Jkt 256248 PO 00000 Frm 00854 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\50\50V13.TXT PC31sf ra tti ni o n LA P JZ K W 1R 2 w ith $ $ JO B 845 Fishery Conservation and Management § 679.91 sector will be reduced pursuant to paragraph (d)(3) of this section. (2) Amount of Amendment 80 halibut PSC assigned to an Amendment 80 cooper ative. For each calendar year, the amount of Amendment 80 halibut PSC assigned as CQ to an Amendment 80 co operative is determined by the fol lowing procedure: (i) Multiply the amount of halibut PSC established in Table 35 to this part by the percentage of the Amendment 80 halibut PSC apportioned to each Amendment 80 species as established in Table 36 to this part. This yields the halibut PSC apportionment for that Amendment 80 species. (ii) For each Amendment 80 species, divide the amount of Amendment 80 QS units assigned to an Amendment 80 co operative by the Amendment 80 QS pool. This yields the percentage of Amendment 80 QS units held by that Amendment 80 cooperative. (iii) For each Amendment 80 species, multiply the halibut PSC apportion ment for that Amendment 80 species established in paragraph (d)(2)(i) of this section by the percentage of the Amendment 80 QS pool assigned to an Amendment 80 cooperative for that Amendment 80 species established in paragraph (d)(2)(ii) of this section. This yields the amount of halibut PSC ap portioned to that cooperative for that Amendment 80 species. (iv) For each Amendment 80 coopera tive, sum the results of paragraph (d)(2)(iii) of this section for all Amend ment 80 species. This yields the amount of Amendment 80 halibut PSC assigned to that Amendment 80 cooper ative as CQ. (3) Amount of Amendment 80 halibut PSC assigned to the Amendment 80 limited access fishery. The amount of Amend ment 80 halibut PSC assigned to the Amendment 80 limited access fishery is equal to the amount of halibut PSC as signed to the Amendment 80 sector, as specified in Table 35 to this part, sub tracting the amount of Amendment 80 halibut PSC assigned as CQ to all Amendment 80 cooperatives as deter mined in paragraph (d)(2)(iv) of this section, multiplied by 80 percent. (4) Use of Amendment 80 halibut PSC in the Amendment 80 sector—(i) Amendment 80 halibut PSC assigned to a Amendment 80 cooperative. An amount of Amend ment 80 halibut PSC is assigned to the CQ permit issued to an Amendment 80 cooperative for use while fishing for all groundfish species in the BSAI or adja cent waters open by the State of Alas ka for which it adopts a Federal fishing season. Any halibut PSC used by an Amendment 80 cooperative must be de ducted from the amount of halibut PSC CQ on its CQ permit. Amendment 80 halibut PSC on a CQ permit may only be used by the members of the Amend ment 80 cooperative to which it is as signed. Halibut PSC assigned as CQ is not subject to seasonal apportionment under § 679.21. (ii) Amendment 80 halibut PSC assigned to the Amendment 80 limited access fish ery. An amount of Amendment 80 hal ibut PSC is assigned to the Amend ment 80 limited access fishery for use by all Amendment 80 vessels in the Amendment 80 limited access fishery while fishing for all groundfish species in the BSAI or adjacent waters open by the State of Alaska for which it adopts a Federal fishing season. Any halibut PSC used by Amendment 80 vessels as signed to the Amendment 80 limited access fishery must be deducted from the amount of halibut PSC assigned to the Amendment 80 limited access fish ery. Amendment 80 halibut PSC as signed to the Amendment 80 limited access fishery is subject to seasonal ap portionment under § 679.21. (5) Halibut PSC assigned to the BSAI trawl limited access sector. Halibut PSC assigned to the BSAI trawl limited ac cess sector for groundfish fishing in the BSAI may only be used by the mem bers of the BSAI trawl limited access sector unless modified by reallocation to Amendment 80 cooperatives accord ing to the procedures in paragraph (f) of this section. Halibut PSC assigned to the BSAI trawl limited access sector is subject to seasonal apportionment under § 679.21. (e) Allocations of crab PSC—(1) Amount of Amendment 80 crab PSC assigned to the Amendment 80 sector. The amount of Amendment 80 crab PSC assigned to the Amendment 80 sector for each Amendment 80 crab PSC in a calendar year is specified in Table 35 to this part. That amount of Amendment 80 VerDate Sep<11>2014 08:57 Jan 13, 2023 Jkt 256248 PO 00000 Frm 00855 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\50\50V13.TXT PC31sf ra tti ni o n LA P JZ K W 1R 2 w ith $ $ JO B 846 50 CFR Ch. VI (10–1–22 Edition) § 679.91 crab PSC is then assigned to Amend ment 80 cooperatives and the Amend ment 80 limited access fishery. (2) Amount of Amendment 80 crab PSC assigned to an Amendment 80 cooperative. For each calendar year, for each Amendment 80 crab PSC, the amount assigned as CQ to an Amendment 80 co operative is determined by the fol lowing procedure: (i) Multiply the amount of an Amend ment 80 crab PSC established in Table 35 to this part by the percentage of the Amendment 80 crab PSC apportioned to each Amendment 80 species as estab lished in Table 36 to this part. This yields the Amendment 80 crab PSC ap portionment for that Amendment 80 species. (ii) For each Amendment 80 species, divide the amount of Amendment 80 QS units assigned to an Amendment 80 co operative by the Amendment 80 QS pool. This yields the percentage of Amendment 80 QS units held by that Amendment 80 cooperative. (iii) For each Amendment 80 species, multiply the Amendment 80 crab PSC apportionment to that Amendment 80 species established in paragraph (e)(2)(i) of this section by the percent age of the Amendment 80 QS pool held by an Amendment 80 cooperative as es tablished in paragraph (e)(2)(ii) of this section. This yields the amount of Amendment 80 crab PSC apportioned to that Amendment 80 cooperative for that Amendment 80 species. (iv) For each Amendment 80 crab PSC, sum the results of paragraph (e)(2)(iii) for all Amendment 80 species. This yields the amount of that Amend ment 80 crab PSC assigned to that Amendment 80 cooperative. (3) Amount of Amendment 80 crab PSC assigned to the Amendment 80 limited ac cess fishery. The amount of each Amendment 80 crab PSC assigned to the Amendment 80 limited access fish ery is equal to the amount of that Amendment 80 crab PSC assigned to the Amendment 80 sector specified in Table 35 to this part subtracting the amount of that crab PSC that has been assigned as CQ to all Amendment 80 co operatives as determined in paragraph (e)(2)(iv) of this section. (4) Use of Amendment 80 crab PSC in the Amendment 80 sector—(i) Amendment 80 crab PSC assigned to an Amendment 80 cooperative. An amount of Amendment 80 crab PSC is assigned to the CQ per mit issued to an Amendment 80 cooper ative for use while fishing for all groundfish species in the BSAI or adja cent waters open by the State of Alas ka for which it adopts a Federal fishing season. Any Amendment 80 crab PSC used by an Amendment 80 cooperative must be deducted from the amount of Amendment 80 crab PSC CQ on its CQ permit. Amendment 80 crab PSC on a CQ permit may only be used by the members of the Amendment 80 cooper ative to which it is assigned. Amend ment 80 crab PSC assigned as CQ is not subject to seasonal apportionment under § 679.21. (ii) Amendment 80 halibut PSC assigned to the Amendment 80 limited access fish ery. An amount of Amendment 80 crab PSC is assigned to the Amendment 80 limited access fishery for use by all Amendment 80 vessels in the Amend ment 80 limited access fishery while fishing for all groundfish species in the BSAI or adjacent waters open by the State of Alaska for which it adopts a Federal fishing season. Any Amend ment 80 crab PSC used by Amendment 80 vessels assigned to the Amendment 80 limited access fishery must be de ducted from the amount of Amendment 80 crab PSC assigned to the Amend ment 80 limited access fishery. Amend ment 80 crab PSC assigned to the Amendment 80 limited access fishery is subject to seasonal apportionment under § 679.21. (5) Amendment 80 crab PSC assigned to the BSAI trawl limited access sector. Amendment 80 crab PSC assigned to the BSAI trawl limited access sector for groundfish fishing in the BSAI may only be used by the members of the BSAI trawl limited access sector unless modified by reallocation to Amend ment 80 cooperatives according to the procedures in paragraph (f) of this sec tion. Amendment 80 crab PSC assigned to the BSAI trawl limited access sector is subject to seasonal apportionment under § 679.21. (f) Rollover—Annual reallocation of an Amendment 80 species ICA or ITAC, crab PSC, and halibut PSC from the BSAI trawl limited access sector to Amendment VerDate Sep<11>2014 08:57 Jan 13, 2023 Jkt 256248 PO 00000 Frm 00856 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\50\50V13.TXT PC31sf ra tti ni o n LA P JZ K W 1R 2 w ith $ $ JO B 847 Fishery Conservation and Management § 679.91 80 cooperatives—(1) General. The Re gional Administrator may reallocate a portion of an ICA or ITAC of an Amendment 80 species, crab PSC, or halibut PSC amount assigned to the BSAI trawl limited access sector to Amendment 80 cooperatives if the amount assigned to the BSAI trawl limited access sector is projected not to be harvested or used. Any realloca tion will result in an amended CQ per mit for each Amendment 80 coopera tive. The timing of a reallocation will be at the discretion of the Regional Ad ministrator. (2) Factors considered. The Regional Administrator may consider the fol lowing factors when reallocating an ICA, a directed fishing allowance of an Amendment 80 species, or crab PSC, or halibut PSC amounts from the BSAI trawl limited access sector to Amend ment 80 cooperatives: (i) The risk of biological harm to a groundfish species or species group; (ii) The risk of socioeconomic harm to other domestic fishery participants; (iii) The impact that the allocation might have on the socioeconomic well being of Amendment 80 cooperatives; (iv) Current catch and PSC use in the BSAI trawl limited access sector; (v) Historic catch and PSC use in the BSAI trawl limited access sector; (vi) Harvest capacity and any stated intent on the future harvesting pat terns of vessels in the BSAI trawl lim ited access sector; (vii) Administrative requirements to reissue CQ permits; and (viii) Any other relevant biological, socioeconomic, or administrative fac tors. (3) Rollover of Amendment 80 species. If, during a fishing year, the Regional Ad ministrator determines that a realloca tion of a portion of the ITAC or ICA of an Amendment 80 species assigned to the BSAI trawl limited access sector to Amendment 80 cooperatives is appro priate, the Regional Administrator will issue a revised CQ permit to reallocate that amount of Amendment 80 species to each Amendment 80 cooperative ac cording to the following formula: Amount of additional CQ issued to an Amendment 80 cooperative = Amount of Amendment 80 species available for reallocation to Amendment 80 cooperatives × (Amount of CQ for that Amend ment 80 species initially assigned to that Amendment 80 cooperative / S CQ for that Amendment 80 species initially assigned to all Amend ment 80 cooperatives). (4) Rollover of halibut PSC. If, during a fishing year, the Regional Adminis trator determines that a reallocation of a portion of the halibut PSC as signed to the BSAI trawl limited access sector to Amendment 80 cooperatives is appropriate, the Regional Adminis trator will issue a revised CQ permit to reallocate that amount of halibut PSC to each Amendment 80 cooperative ac cording to the following procedure: (i) Multiply the amount of the hal ibut PSC limit to be reallocated by 95 percent (0.95). This yields the max imum amount of halibut PSC available for allocation to Amendment 80 co operatives; and (ii) Determine the halibut PSC CQ issued to each Amendment 80 coopera tive according to the following for mula: Amount of additional CQ issued to an Amendment 80 cooperative = Max imum amount of halibut PSC avail able for reallocation to Amendment 80 cooperatives × (Amount of hal ibut PSC CQ initially assigned to that Amendment 80 cooperative / S halibut PSC CQ initially assigned to all Amendment 80 cooperatives). (5) Rollover of crab PSC. If, during a fishing year, the Regional Adminis trator determines that a reallocation of a portion of a crab PSC assigned to the BSAI trawl limited access sector to Amendment 80 cooperatives is appro priate, the Regional Administrator will issue a revised CQ permit to reallocate that amount of crab PSC to each Amendment 80 cooperative according to the following formula: Amount of CQ issued to an Amendment 80 cooperative = Amount of that crab PSC available for allocation to Amendment 80 cooperatives × (Amount of that crab PSC CQ ini tially assigned to that Amendment 80 cooperative / S that crab PSC CQ initially assigned to all Amend ment 80 cooperatives). VerDate Sep<11>2014 08:57 Jan 13, 2023 Jkt 256248 PO 00000 Frm 00857 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\50\50V13.TXT PC31sf ra tti ni o n LA P JZ K W 1R 2 w ith $ $ JO B 848 50 CFR Ch. VI (10–1–22 Edition) § 679.91 (g) Application for inter-cooperative transfer of Amendment 80 CQ—(1) Com pleted application. NMFS will process an application for inter-cooperative transfer of Amendment 80 cooperative quota (CQ) provided that a paper or electronic application is completed by the transferor and transferee, with all applicable fields accurately filled in, and all required additional documenta tion is attached. (2) Amendment 80 species CQ assign ment. Amendment 80 species CQ must be assigned to a member of the Amend ment 80 cooperative receiving the CQ for purposes of use cap calculations. No member of an Amendment 80 coopera tive may exceed the CQ use cap appli cable to that member. (3) Total amount of Amendment 80 spe cies CQ. For purposes of Amendment 80 species CQ use cap calculations, the total amount of Amendment 80 species CQ held or used by a person is equal to all metric tons of Amendment 80 spe cies CQ derived from all Amendment 80 QS units on all Amendment 80 QS per mits held by that person and assigned to the Amendment 80 cooperative and all metric tons of Amendment 80 spe cies CQ assigned to that person by the Amendment 80 cooperative from ap proved transfers. (4) Amendment 80 QS units. The amount of Amendment 80 QS units held by a person, and CQ derived from those Amendment 80 QS units, is calculated using the individual and collective use cap rule established in § 679.92(a). (5) Certification of transferor—(i) Non electronic submittal. The transferor’s designated representative must sign and date the application certifying that all information is true, correct, and complete. The transferor’s des ignated representative must submit the paper application as indicated on the application. (ii) Electronic submittal. The trans feror’s designated representative must log into the system and create a trans fer request as indicated on the com puter screen. By using the transferor’s NMFS ID, password, and Transfer Key and submitting the transfer request, the designated representative certifies that all information is true, correct, and complete. (6) Certification of transferee—(i) Non electronic submittal. The transferee’s designated representative must sign and date the application certifying that all information is true, correct, and complete. (ii) Electronic submittal. The trans feree’s designated representative must log into the system and accept the transfer request as indicated on the computer screen. By using the trans feree’s NMFS ID, password and Trans fer Key, the designated representative certifies that all information is true, correct, and complete. (h) Amendment 80 cooperative—(1) Gen eral. This section governs the forma tion and operation of Amendment 80 cooperatives. The regulations in this section apply only to Amendment 80 cooperatives that have formed for the purpose of applying for and fishing with CQ issued annually by NMFS. Members of Amendment 80 coopera tives should consult legal counsel be fore commencing any activity if the members are uncertain about the legal ity under the antitrust laws of the Amendment 80 cooperative’s proposed conduct. Membership in an Amend ment 80 cooperative is voluntary. No person may be required to join an Amendment 80 cooperative. If a person becomes the owner of an Amendment 80 vessel or a holder of an Amendment 80 LLP/QS license that has been as signed to an Amendment 80 coopera tive, then that person may join that Amendment 80 cooperative as a mem ber upon receipt of that Amendment 80 vessel or Amendment 80 LLP/QS li cense. Members may leave an Amend ment 80 cooperative, but any CQ con tributed by the Amendment 80 QS per mit(s) held by that member will re main with that Amendment 80 coopera tive for the duration of the calendar year. (2) Legal and organizational require ments. An Amendment 80 cooperative must meet the following legal and or ganizational requirements before it is eligible to receive CQ: (i) Each Amendment 80 cooperative must be formed as a partnership, cor poration, or other legal business entity that is registered under the laws of one of the 50 states or the District of Co lumbia; VerDate Sep<11>2014 08:57 Jan 13, 2023 Jkt 256248 PO 00000 Frm 00858 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\50\50V13.TXT PC31sf ra tti ni o n LA P JZ K W 1R 2 w ith $ $ JO B 849 Fishery Conservation and Management § 679.91 (ii) Each Amendment 80 cooperative must appoint an individual as the des ignated representative to act on the Amendment 80 cooperative’s behalf and to serve as a contact point for NMFS for questions regarding the operation of the Amendment 80 cooperative. The designated representative may be a member of the Amendment 80 coopera tive, or some other individual des ignated by the Amendment 80 coopera tive to act on its behalf; (iii) Each Amendment 80 cooperative must submit a timely and complete ap plication for CQ; and (iv) Each Amendment 80 cooperative must meet the mandatory require ments established in paragraphs (h)(3) and (4) of this section applicable to that Amendment 80 cooperative. (3) Mandatory requirements. The fol lowing table describes the require ments to form an Amendment 80 coop erative: (i) Who may join an Amendment 80 cooperative? ..................... Any Amendment 80 QS holder named on a timely and com plete application for CQ for that calendar year that is ap proved by NMFS. Individuals who are not Amendment 80 QS holders may be employed by, or serve as the designated representative of an Amendment 80 cooperative, but are not members of the Amendment 80 cooperative. (ii) What is the minimum number of Amendment 80 QS permits that must be assigned to an Amendment 80 cooperative to allow it to form? Any combination of at least seven Amendment 80 QS permits which would include Amendment 80 LLP/QS licenses. (iii) How many Amendment 80 QS holders are required to form an Amendment 80 cooperative? At least two Amendment 80 QS holders each of whom may not have a ten percent or greater direct or indirect ownership interest in any of the other Amendment 80 QS holders. (iv) Is there a minimum amount of Amendment 80 QS units that must be assigned to an Amendment 80 cooperative for it to be allowed to form? No. (v) What is allocated to the Amendment 80 cooperative? CQ for each Amendment 80 species, crab PSC, and halibut PSC, based on the amount of Amendment 80 QS units as signed to the cooperative. (vi) Is this CQ an exclusive catch and use privilege? Yes, the members of the Amendment 80 cooperative have an exclusive privilege to collectively catch and use this CQ, or an Amendment 80 cooperative can transfer all or a portion of this CQ to another Amendment 80 cooperative. (vii) Is there a period in a calendar year during which des ignated vessels must catch CQ? Yes, any Amendment 80 vessel designated to catch CQ for an Amendment 80 cooperative is prohibited from catching CQ during the season closure for trawl gear in the BSAI speci fied at § 679.23(c) unless regulations at § 679.23 applicable to an Amendment 80 species in the BSAI are more restric tive than those established in § 679.23(c), in which case the more restrictive regulations will apply. (viii) Can any vessel catch an Amendment 80 cooperative’s CQ?. No, only Amendment 80 vessels that are assigned to that Amendment 80 cooperative for that calendar year in the ap plication for CQ may catch and process the CQ assigned to that Amendment 80 cooperative. (ix) Can a member of an Amendment 80 cooperative transfer CQ individually without the approval of the other members of the Amendment 80 cooperative? No, only the designated representative of the Amendment 80 cooperative, and not individual members, may transfer its CQ to another Amendment 80 cooperative; and only if that transfer is approved by NMFS as established under para graph (g) of this section. (x) Are GOA sideboard limits assigned to specific persons or Amendment 80 cooperatives? No, GOA sideboard limits are not assigned to specific persons or Amendment 80 cooperatives. GOA sideboard limits are assigned to the Amendment 80 sector. (xi) Can an Amendment 80 QS permit, Amendment 80 LLP li cense, or Amendment 80 vessel be assigned to more than one Amendment 80 cooperative in a calendar year? No, an Amendment 80 QS permit, Amendment 80 LLP license, or Amendment 80 vessel may be assigned to only one Amendment 80 cooperative in a calendar year. A person holding multiple Amendment 80 QS permits, Amendment 80 LLP licenses, or owning multiple Amendment 80 vessels is not required to assign all Amendment 80 QS permits, Amendment 80 LLP licenses, or Amendment 80 vessels to the same Amendment 80 cooperative or the Amendment 80 limited access fishery. VerDate Sep<11>2014 08:57 Jan 13, 2023 Jkt 256248 PO 00000 Frm 00859 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\50\50V13.TXT PC31sf ra tti ni o n LA P JZ K W 1R 2 w ith $ $ JO B 850 50 CFR Ch. VI (10–1–22 Edition) § 679.91 (xii) Can an Amendment 80 QS permit, Amendment 80 LLP li cense, or Amendment 80 vessel be assigned to an Amend ment 80 cooperative and the Amendment 80 limited access fishery?. No, an Amendment 80 QS permit, Amendment 80 LLP license, or Amendment 80 vessel assigned to an Amendment 80 co operative may not be assigned to the Amendment 80 limited access fishery for that calendar year. Prior to the 2014 fish ing year, a person holding multiple Amendment 80 QS per mits, Amendment 80 LLP licenses, or owning multiple Amendment 80 vessels is not required to assign all Amend ment 80 QS permits, Amendment 80 LLP licenses, or Amendment 80 vessels to the same Amendment 80 cooper ative or the Amendment 80 limited access fishery. Starting with the 2014 fishing year and thereafter, a person holding multiple Amendment 80 QS permits, Amendment 80 LLP li censes, or owning multiple Amendment 80 vessels must as sign all Amendment 80 QS permits, Amendment 80 LLP li censes, or Amendment 80 vessels to either one or more Amendment 80 cooperatives, or the Amendment 80 limited access fishery. (xiii) Which members may catch the Amendment 80 coopera tive’s CQ? Use of a cooperative’s CQ permit is determined by the Amend ment 80 cooperative contract signed by its members. Any violations of this contract by a cooperative member may be subject to civil claims by other members of the Amendment 80 cooperative. (xiv) Does an Amendment 80 cooperative need a membership agreement or contract? Yes, an Amendment 80 cooperative must have a membership agreement or contract. A copy of this agreement or contract must be submitted to NMFS with the application for CQ. The membership agreement or contract must specify: (A) How the Amendment 80 cooperative intends to catch its CQ; and (B) The obligations of Amendment 80 QS holders, who are members of an Amendment 80 cooperative, to ensure the full payment of Amendment 80 fee liabilities that may be due. (xv) What happens if the Amendment 80 cooperative member ship agreement or contract is modified during the fishing year? A copy of the amended Amendment 80 membership agree ment or contract must be sent to NMFS in accordance with § 679.4(a)(4). (xvi) What happens if the Amendment 80 cooperative exceeds its CQ amount? An Amendment 80 cooperative is not authorized to catch Amendment 80 species or use crab PSC or halibut PSC in excess of the amount on its CQ permit. Exceeding a CQ permit is a violation of the regulations. Each member of the Amendment 80 cooperative is jointly and severally liable for any violations of the Amendment 80 Program regulations while fishing under the authority of a CQ permit. This liability extends to any persons who are hired to catch or receive CQ assigned to an Amendment 80 cooperative. Each mem ber of an Amendment 80 cooperative is responsible for en suring that all members of the cooperative comply with all regulations applicable to fishing under the Amendment 80 Program. (xvii) Is there a limit on how much CQ an Amendment 80 co operative may hold or use? No, but each Amendment 80 QS holder is subject to use caps, and an Amendment 80 vessel may be subject to vessel use caps. See § 679.92(a). (xviii) Is there a limit on how much CQ a vessel may catch? .... Yes, an Amendment 80 vessel may not catch more than 20 percent of the aggregate Amendment 80 species ITAC as signed to the Amendment 80 sector for that calendar year. See § 679.92(a) for use cap provisions. (xix) Are there any special reporting requirements? ................... Yes, the designated representative of the Amendment 80 co operative must submit an annual Amendment 80 cooperative report as described under § 679.5(s). In addition, each mem ber of an Amendment 80 cooperative must submit a timely and complete EDR as described under § 679.94. (xx) Is there a requirement that an Amendment 80 cooperative pay Amendment 80 cost recovery fees?. Yes, see § 679.95 for the provisions that apply. (4) Successors-in-interest. If a member of an Amendment 80 cooperative dies (in the case of an individual) or dis solves (in the case of a business entity), the CQ derived from the Amendment 80 QS permits assigned to the Amendment 80 cooperative for that year from that person remains under the control of the Amendment 80 cooperative for the duration of that calendar year as speci fied in the Amendment 80 cooperative contract. Each Amendment 80 coopera tive is free to establish its own internal procedures for admitting a successor in-interest during the fishing season VerDate Sep<11>2014 08:57 Jan 13, 2023 Jkt 256248 PO 00000 Frm 00860 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\50\50V13.TXT PC31sf ra tti ni o n LA P JZ K W 1R 2 w ith $ $ JO B 851 Fishery Conservation and Management § 679.92 due to the death or dissolution of an Amendment 80 cooperative member. (i) Amendment 80 ABC reserves—(1) General. The Regional Administrator will determine the Amendment 80 ABC reserves for flathead sole, rock sole, and yellowfin sole that will be assigned to the Amendment 80 sector as part of the annual harvest specifications de scribed at § 679.20(c). Amendment 80 ABC reserves will be further allocated to Amendment 80 cooperative(s), as de scribed in paragraph (i)(2) of this sec tion. (2) Allocation of Amendment 80 ABC re serves to Amendment 80 cooperatives. The amount of Amendment 80 ABC reserve for each species of flathead sole, rock sole, and yellowfin sole assigned to an Amendment 80 cooperative is equal to the amount of Amendment 80 QS units of that species assigned to that Amend ment 80 cooperative by Amendment 80 QS holders divided by the total Amend ment 80 QS pool for that species multi plied by the Amendment 80 ABC re serve for that species. (3) Accessing Amendment 80 ABC re serves. An Amendment 80 cooperative may request that NMFS approve a Flatfish Exchange to add flathead sole, rock sole, or yellowfin sole CQ to its Amendment 80 CQ account in exchange for reducing its Amendment 80 CQ by an equal amount of flathead sole, rock sole, or yellowfin sole. An Amendment 80 cooperative may request Flatfish Exchanges by submitting a completed Flatfish Exchange Application as de scribed in § 679.4(p). [72 FR 52726, Sept. 14, 2007, as amended at 74 FR 51518, Oct. 7, 2009; 76 FR 68357, Nov. 4, 2011; 79 FR 56681, Sept. 23, 2014; 81 FR 171, Jan. 5, 2016; 81 FR 24733, Apr. 27, 2016] § 679.92 Amendment 80 Program use caps and sideboard limits. (a) Use caps—(1) General. Use caps limit the amount of Amendment 80 QS units and Amendment 80 species CQ that may be held or used by an Amend ment 80 QS holder or Amendment 80 vessel. Use caps may not be exceeded unless the Amendment 80 QS holder or Amendment 80 vessel subject to the use cap is specifically allowed to exceed a cap according to the criteria estab lished under this paragraph (a) or by an operation of law. There are two types of use caps: Person use caps and vessel use caps. All Amendment 80 QS unit use caps are based on the aggregate Amendment 80 species Amendment 80 initial QS pool set forth in Table 32 to this part. The use caps apply as fol lows: (2) Amendment 80 QS holder use cap— (i) QS and CQ use cap. A person may not individually or collectively hold or use more than thirty (30.0) percent of the aggregate Amendment 80 QS units initially assigned to the Amendment 80 sector and resulting CQ unless that person receives those Amendment 80 QS units on an Amendment 80 per mit(s) based on Amendment 80 legal landings assigned to Amendment 80 vessel(s) or Amendment 80 LLP li cense(s) held by that Amendment 80 QS holder: (A) Prior to June 9, 2006; and (B) At the time of application for Amendment 80 QS. (ii) CQ use cap calculation. For pur poses of calculating and applying the CQ use cap, a person is assigned CQ based on: (A) The amount of CQ derived from the Amendment 80 QS units held by that person; and (B) Any CQ assigned to that person in an Application for CQ transfer. (iii) Transfer limitations. (A) An Amendment 80 QS holder that receives an initial allocation of aggregate Amendment 80 QS units that exceeds the use cap listed in paragraph (a)(2)(i) of this section cannot receive any Amendment 80 QS permit by transfer unless and until that person’s holdings of aggregate Amendment 80 QS units are reduced to an amount below the use cap specified in paragraph (a)(2)(i) of this section. (B) If an Amendment 80 QS holder that received an initial allocation of aggregate Amendment 80 QS units on his or her Amendment 80 QS permits that exceeds the use cap listed in para graph (a)(2)(i) of this section transfers an Amendment 80 QS permit to an other person, the transferor may not hold more than the greater of either the amount of Amendment 80 QS units held by the transferor after the trans fer if the amount of aggregate Amend ment 80 QS units continues to exceed the use cap, or the amount equal to the VerDate Sep<11>2014 08:57 Jan 13, 2023 Jkt 256248 PO 00000 Frm 00861 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\50\50V13.TXT PC31sf ra tti ni o n LA P JZ K W 1R 2 w ith $ $ JO B 852 50 CFR Ch. VI (10–1–22 Edition) § 679.92 Amendment 80 QS unit use cap estab lished in paragraph (a)(2)(i) of this sec tion. (C) An Amendment 80 QS holder that receives an initial allocation of aggre gate Amendment 80 QS units on his or her Amendment 80 QS permits that ex ceeds the use cap listed in paragraph (a)(2)(i) of this section is prohibited from having any CQ assigned to that Amendment 80 QS holder in an applica tion for CQ transfer unless and until that Amendment 80 QS holder’s hold ings of aggregate Amendment 80 QS units are reduced to an amount below the use cap specified in paragraph (a)(2)(i) of this section. (3) ITAC use cap for an Amendment 80 vessel. An Amendment 80 vessel may not be used to catch an amount of Amendment 80 species greater than twenty (20.0) percent of the aggregate Amendment 80 species ITACs assigned to the Amendment 80 sector. This amount includes ITAC that is assigned as CQ or to the Amendment 80 limited access fishery. (b) GOA sideboard limits—(1) GOA groundfish sideboard limits. Amendment 80 vessels may not be used to catch more than the amounts of groundfish in the management areas specified in Table 37 to this part from January 1 through December 31 of each year, ex cept that GOA groundfish sideboard limits specified in Table 37 to this part do not apply when an Amendment 80 vessel is using dredge gear while di rected fishing for scallops in the GOA. (2) GOA halibut PSC sideboard limits. All Amendment 80 vessels, other than the fishing vessel GOLDEN FLEECE as specified in paragraph (d) of this sec tion, may not use halibut PSC in the fishery categories and management areas, greater than the amounts speci fied in Table 38 to this part during Jan uary 1 through December 31 of each year. Any residual amount of a sea sonal sideboard halibut PSC limit may carry forward to the next season limit. This restriction on halibut PSC usage does not apply to the following two ex ceptions: (i) An Amendment 80 vessel that uses halibut PSC CQ in the Central GOA subject to the regulations established in the Rockfish Program under subpart G to this part is not subject to the hal ibut PSC sideboard limits in Table 38 to this part while fishing under a Rock fish CQ permit; and (ii) Halibut PSC sideboard limits in Table 38 to this part do not apply when an Amendment 80 vessel is using dredge gear while directed fishing for scallops in the GOA. (c) Sideboard restrictions applicable to Amendment 80 vessels directed fishing for flatfish in the GOA—(1) Originally Quali fying Amendment 80 Vessels. An Amend ment 80 vessel listed in column A of Table 39 to this part may be used to fish in the directed arrowtooth floun der, deep-water flatfish, flathead sole, rex sole, and shallow-water flatfish fisheries in the GOA and in adjacent waters open by the State of Alaska for which it adopts a Federal fishing sea son. (2) Amendment 80 Replacement Vessels. (i) Any vessel that NMFS approves to replace an Amendment 80 vessel listed in column A of Table 39 to this part may be used to fish in the directed arrowtooth flounder, deep-water flat fish, flathead sole, rex sole, and shal low-water flatfish fisheries in the GOA and in adjacent waters open by the State of Alaska for which it adopts a Federal fishing season. (ii) Any vessel that NMFS subse quently approves to replace an Amend ment 80 replacement vessel that re placed an Amendment 80 vessel listed in column A of Table 39 to this part may be used to fish in the directed arrowtooth flounder, deep-water flat fish, flathead sole, rex sole, and shal low-water flatfish fisheries in the GOA and in adjacent waters open by the State of Alaska for which it adopts a Federal fishing season. (d) Sideboard restrictions applicable to the fishing vessel GOLDEN FLEECE. (1) The fishing vessel GOLDEN FLEECE (USCG documentation number 609951): (i) May not be used for directed groundfish fishing for northern rock fish, pelagic shelf rockfish, pollock, Pa cific cod, or Pacific ocean perch in the GOA and in adjacent waters open by the State of Alaska for which it adopts a Federal fishing season; and (ii) Is not subject to halibut PSC sideboard limits as described in para graph (b)(2) of this section in the GOA or adjacent waters open by the State of VerDate Sep<11>2014 08:57 Jan 13, 2023 Jkt 256248 PO 00000 Frm 00862 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\50\50V13.TXT PC31sf ra tti ni o n LA P JZ K W 1R 2 w ith $ $ JO B 853 Fishery Conservation and Management § 679.93 Alaska for which it adopts a Federal fishing season. (2) Sideboard restrictions applicable to any vessel replacing the GOLDEN FLEECE. (i) If the vessel replacing the GOLDEN FLEECE is of an LOA less than or equal to 124 ft. (38.1 m) (the MLOA of the LLP license that was originally assigned to the GOLDEN FLEECE, LLG 2524), then the sideboard provisions at § 679.92(c) and (d)(1) apply. (ii) If the vessel replacing the GOLD EN FLEECE is greater than 124 ft. (38.1 m) (the MLOA of the LLP license that was originally assigned to the GOLD EN FLEECE, LLG 2524), then the sideboard provisions at § 679.92(b) and (c) apply. (e) Sideboard restrictions applicable to Amendment 80 vessel not assigned an Amendment 80 QS permit, Amendment 80 LLP license, or Amendment 80 LLP/QS li cense. All Amendment 80 vessels not designated on: (1) An Amendment 80 QS permit and an Amendment 80 LLP license; or (2) An Amendment 80 LLP/QS license will be allocated a catch limit of 0 mt in the BSAI and GOA. [72 FR 52726, Sept. 14, 2007, as amended at 77 FR 59871, Oct. 1, 2012; 79 FR 9641, Feb. 20, 2014] § 679.93 Amendment 80 Program rec ordkeeping, permits, monitoring, and catch accounting. (a) Recordkeeping and reporting. See § 679.5(s). (b) Permits. See § 679.4(o). (c) Catch monitoring requirements for Amendment 80 vessels and catcher/proc essors not listed in § 679.4(l)(2)(i) using trawl gear and fishing in the BSAI. The requirements under paragraphs (c)(1) through (9) of this section apply to all Amendment 80 vessels except Amend ment 80 vessels using dredge gear while directed fishing for scallops, and any other catcher/processor not listed in § 679.4(l)(2)(i) using trawl gear and fish ing or receiving fish in the BSAI and in adjacent waters open by the State of Alaska for which it adopts a Federal fishing season. Except when using dredge gear while directed fishing for scallops, at all times when an Amend ment 80 vessel or a catcher/processor not listed in § 679.4(l)(2)(i) using trawl gear has BSAI groundfish onboard the vessel, the vessel owner or operator must ensure that: (1) Catch weighing. All catch, except halibut sorted on deck by vessels par ticipating in halibut deck sorting de scribed at § 679.120, are weighed on a NMFS-approved scale in compliance with the scale requirements at § 679.28(b). Each haul must be weighed separately, all catch must be made available for sampling by a NMFS-cer tified observer, and no sorting of catch, except halibut sorted on deck by ves sels participating in halibut deck sort ing described at § 679.120, may take place prior to weighing. (2) Observer sampling station. An ob server sampling station meeting the re quirements at § 679.28(d) is available at all times. (3) Observer coverage requirements. The vessel is in compliance with the ob server coverage requirements described at § 679.51(a)(2). (4) Operational line. The vessel has no more than one operational line or other conveyance for the mechanized movement of catch between the scale used to weigh total catch and the loca tion where the observer collects species composition samples. (5) Fish on deck. No fish are allowed to remain on deck unless an observer is present, except for fish inside the codend and fish accidentally spilled from the codend during hauling and dumping. Fish accidentally spilled from the codend must be moved to the fish bin. (6) Sample storage. There is sufficient space to accommodate a minimum of 10 observer sampling baskets. This space must be within or adjacent to the observer sampling station. (7) Pre-cruise meeting. The Observer Program is notified by phone at 1 (907) 581–2060 (Dutch Harbor, AK) or 1 (907) 481–1770 (Kodiak, AK) at least 24 hours prior to departure when the vessel will be carrying an observer who has not previously been deployed on that vessel within the last 12 months. Subsequent to the vessel’s departure notification, but prior to departure, NMFS may con tact the vessel to arrange for a pre cruise meeting. The pre-cruise meeting must minimally include the vessel op erator or manager and any observers assigned to the vessel. VerDate Sep<11>2014 08:57 Jan 13, 2023 Jkt 256248 PO 00000 Frm 00863 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\50\50V13.TXT PC31sf ra tti ni o n LA P JZ K W 1R 2 w ith $ $ JO B 854 50 CFR Ch. VI (10–1–22 Edition) § 679.93 (8) Belt and flow operations. The vessel operator stops the flow of fish and clears all belts between the bin doors and the area where the observer col lects samples of unsorted catch when requested to do so by the observer. (9) Vessel crew in tanks or bins. The vessel owner or operator must comply with the bin monitoring standards specified in § 679.28(i)(1). (d) Catch monitoring requirements for Amendment 80 vessels fishing in the GOA. The requirements under this section apply to any Amendment 80 vessel fish ing in the GOA and in adjacent waters open by the State of Alaska for which it adopts a Federal fishing season ex cept Amendment 80 vessels using dredge gear while directed fishing for scallops. At all times when an Amend ment 80 vessel is not using dredge gear while directed fishing for scallops and has GOA groundfish onboard the vessel owner or operator must ensure that: (1) Catch from an individual haul is not mixed with catch from another haul prior to sampling by an observer, and all catch is made available for sampling by an observer; (2) The vessel is in compliance with the observer coverage requirements de scribed at § 679.51(a)(2); (3) Operational Line. The vessel has no more than one operational line or other conveyance for the mechanized movement of catch at the location where the observer collects species composition samples; and (4) The requirements in § 679.93(c)(5), (8), and (9) are met. (e) Catch accounting—(1) Amendment 80 species—(i) Amendment 80 cooperative. All Amendment 80 species caught in the BSAI, including catch in adjacent waters open by the State of Alaska for which it adopts a Federal fishing sea son, by an Amendment 80 vessel as signed to an Amendment 80 cooperative will be debited from the CQ permit for that Amendment 80 cooperative for that calendar year unless that Amend ment 80 vessel is using dredge gear while directed fishing for scallops. (ii) Amendment 80 limited access fish ery. All Amendment 80 species caught in the BSAI, including catch in adja cent waters open by the State of Alas ka for which it adopts a Federal fishing season, by an Amendment 80 vessel as signed to the Amendment 80 limited access fishery will be debited against the ITAC for that Amendment 80 spe cies in the Amendment 80 limited ac cess fishery for that calendar year un less that Amendment 80 vessel is using dredge gear while directed fishing for scallops. (2) Crab PSC and halibut PSC—(i) Amendment 80 cooperative. All crab PSC or halibut PSC used by an Amendment 80 vessel assigned to an Amendment 80 cooperative in the BSAI, including crab PSC or halibut PSC used in the adja cent waters open by the State of Alas ka for which it adopts a Federal fishing season, will be debited against the CQ permit for that Amendment 80 coopera tive for that calendar year unless that Amendment 80 vessel is using dredge gear while directed fishing for scallops. (ii) Amendment 80 limited access fish ery. All crab PSC or halibut PSC used by an Amendment 80 vessel assigned to the Amendment 80 limited access fish ery in the BSAI, including crab PSC or halibut PSC used in the adjacent waters open by the State of Alaska for which it adopts a Federal fishing sea son, will be debited against the crab PSC or halibut PSC limit assigned to the Amendment 80 limited access fish ery for that calendar year, unless that Amendment 80 vessels is using dredge gear while directed fishing for scallops. (3) GOA groundfish sideboard limits. All Amendment 80 sideboard species defined in Table 37 to this part caught in the GOA, including catch in adja cent waters open by the State of Alas ka for which it adopts a Federal fishing season, by an Amendment 80 vessel will be debited against the Amendment 80 sideboard limit for that Amendment 80 sideboard species for that calendar year except Amendment 80 sideboard species caught by Amendment 80 vessel using dredge gear while directed fish ing for scallops. (4) GOA halibut sideboard limits. All halibut PSC used by all Amendment 80 vessels in the GOA, including halibut PSC used in the adjacent waters open by the State of Alaska for which it adopts a Federal fishing season, will be debited against the sideboard limit es tablished for the Amendment 80 sector, except: VerDate Sep<11>2014 08:57 Jan 13, 2023 Jkt 256248 PO 00000 Frm 00864 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\50\50V13.TXT PC31sf ra tti ni o n LA P JZ K W 1R 2 w ith $ $ JO B 855 Fishery Conservation and Management § 679.95 (i) Halibut PSC CQ used by the catch er/processor sector in the Rockfish Pro gram in the Central GOA; (ii) Halibut PSC used by the fishing vessel GOLDEN FLEECE (USCG Docu mentation number 609951); and (iii) Halibut PSC used by an Amend ment 80 vessel using dredge gear while directed fishing for scallops. [72 FR 52726, Sept. 14, 2007, as amended at 75 FR 53069, Aug. 30, 2010; 78 FR 12632, Feb. 25, 2013; 81 FR 67118, Sept. 30, 2016; 83 FR 30533, June 29, 2018; 84 FR 55053, Oct. 15, 2019] § 679.94 Economic data report (EDR) for the Amendment 80 sector and Gulf of Alaska Trawl Catcher/Proc essors. (a) Annual Trawl Catcher/Processor Economic Data Report (EDR)—(1) Re quirement to submit an EDR. A person who held an Amendment 80 QS permit during a calendar year, or an owner or leaseholder of a vessel that was named on a Limited License Program (LLP) groundfish license that authorizes a Catcher/Processor using trawl gear to harvest and process LLP groundfish species in the GOA must submit a com plete Annual Trawl Catcher/Processor EDR for that calendar year by fol lowing the instructions on the Annual Trawl Catcher/Processor EDR form. (2) Deadline. A completed EDR or EDR certification pages must be sub mitted as required on the form to NMFS for each calendar year on or be fore 1700 hours, A.l.t., June 1 of the fol lowing year. (3) Information required. The Annual Trawl Catcher/Processor EDR form is available on the NMFS Alaska Region Web site at www.alaskafisheries.noaa.gov, or by con tacting NMFS at 1–800–304–4846. (4) EDR certification pages. Any person required to submit an EDR under para graph (a)(1) of this section, or their designated representative, if applica ble, must submit the EDR certification statement as either: (i) Part of the entire EDR. A person submitting the completed EDR must attest to the accuracy and completion of the EDR by signing and dating the certification portion of the EDR form; or (ii) EDR certification only. A person submitting a completed EDR certifi cation only must attest that they meet the conditions exempting them from submitting the entire EDR as described in the certification portion of the An nual Trawl Catcher/Processor EDR form and sign and date the certifi cation portion of the EDR form. (b) Verification of EDR data. (1) NMFS, the DCA, or the DDCA will con duct verification of information with a person required to submit the Annual Trawl Catcher/Processor EDR, or if ap plicable, that person’s designated rep resentative. (2) A person required to submit the Annual Trawl Catcher/Processor EDR or designated representative, if appli cable, must respond to inquiries by NMFS, the designated DCA, or the DDCA within 20 days of the date of issuance of the inquiry. (3) A person required to submit the Annual Trawl Catcher/Processor EDR or designated representative, if appli cable, must provide copies of addi tional data to facilitate data verification. NMFS, the DCA, or the DDCA may review and request copies of additional data provided by the per son required to submit the Annual Trawl Catcher/Processor EDR form or designated representative, if applica ble, including but not limited to, pre viously audited or reviewed financial statements, worksheets, tax returns, invoices, receipts, and other original documents substantiating the data submitted in an Annual Trawl Catcher/ Processor EDR form. [79 FR 71318, Dec. 2, 2014] § 679.95 Amendment 80 Program cost recovery. (a) Cost recovery fee program for Amendment 80—(1) Who is responsible? The person designated as the Amend ment 80 cooperative representative at the time of an Amendment 80 CQ land ing must comply with the require ments of this section, notwithstanding: (i) Subsequent transfer of Amend ment 80 CQ or Amendment 80 QS held by Amendment 80 cooperative mem bers; (ii) Non-renewal of an Amendment 80 CQ permit; or (iii) Changes in the membership in an Amendment 80 cooperative, such as members joining or departing during VerDate Sep<11>2014 08:57 Jan 13, 2023 Jkt 256248 PO 00000 Frm 00865 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\50\50V13.TXT PC31sf ra tti ni o n LA P JZ K W 1R 2 w ith $ $ JO B 856 50 CFR Ch. VI (10–1–22 Edition) § 679.95 the relevant year, or changes in the amount of Amendment 80 QS holdings of those members. (2) Fee collection. Each Amendment 80 cooperative representative is respon sible for submitting the cost recovery payment for Amendment 80 CQ land ings made under the authority of its Amendment 80 CQ permit. (3) Payment—(i) Payment due date. An Amendment 80 cooperative representa tive must submit all Amendment 80 fee liability payment(s) to NMFS at the address provided in paragraph (a)(3)(iii) of this section no later than December 31 of the calendar year in which the Amendment 80 CQ landings were made. (ii) Payment recipient. Make elec tronic payment payable to NMFS. (iii) Payment address. Submit pay ment and related documents as in structed on the fee submission form. Payments must be made electronically through the NMFS Alaska Region Web site at http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov. In structions for electronic payment will be made available on both the payment Web site and a fee liability summary letter mailed to the Amendment 80 CQ permit holder. (iv) Payment method. Payment must be made electronically in U.S. dollars by automated clearing house, credit card, or electronic check drawn on a U.S. bank account. (b) Amendment 80 standard ex-vessel value determination and use—(1) General. An Amendment 80 cooperative rep resentative must use the Amendment 80 standard prices determined by NMFS under paragraph (b)(2) of this section. (2) Amendment 80 standard prices—(i) General. Each year the Regional Ad ministrator will publish Amendment 80 standard prices in the FEDERAL REG ISTER by December 1 of the year in which the Amendment 80 species land ings were made. The standard prices will be described in U.S. dollars per Amendment 80 equivalent pound for Amendment 80 species landings made by Amendment 80 CQ permit holders during the current calendar year. (ii) Effective duration. The Amend ment 80 standard prices published by NMFS will apply to all Amendment 80 species landings made by an Amend ment 80 CQ permit holder during that calendar year. (iii) Determination. NMFS will cal culate the Amendment 80 standard prices for Amendment 80 species based on the following information: (A) Pacific cod. NMFS will use the standard prices calculated for Pacific cod based on information provided in the Pacific Cod Ex-vessel Volume and Value Report described at § 679.5(u)(1). (B) Amendment 80 species other than Pacific cod. (1) The Regional Adminis trator will base Amendment 80 stand ard prices for all Amendment 80 species other than Pacific cod on the First Wholesale Volume and Value reports specified in § 679.5(u)(2). (2) The Regional Administrator will establish Amendment 80 standard prices for all Amendment 80 species other than Pacific cod on an annual basis; except the Regional Adminis trator will establish a first Amendment 80 standard price for rock sole for all landings from January 1 through March 31, and a second Amendment 80 standard price for rock sole for all landings from April 1 through Decem ber 31. (3) The average first wholesale prod uct prices reported on the First Whole sale Volume and Value reports, speci fied in § 679.5(u)(2), will be multiplied by 0.4 to obtain a proxy for the ex-ves sel prices of Amendment 80 species other than Pacific cod. (c) Amendment 80 fee percentage—(1) Established percentage. The Amendment 80 fee percentage is the amount as de termined by the factors and method ology described in paragraph (c)(2) of this section. This amount will be an nounced by publication in the FEDERAL REGISTER in accordance with paragraph (c)(3) of this section. This amount must not exceed 3.0 percent pursuant to 16 U.S.C. 1854(d)(2)(B). (2) Calculating fee percentage value. Each year NMFS will calculate and publish the fee percentage according to the following factors and methodology: (i) Factors. NMFS will use the fol lowing factors to determine the fee per centage: (A) The catch to which the Amend ment 80 cost recovery fee will apply; (B) The ex-vessel value of that catch; and VerDate Sep<11>2014 08:57 Jan 13, 2023 Jkt 256248 PO 00000 Frm 00866 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\50\50V13.TXT PC31sf ra tti ni o n LA P JZ K W 1R 2 w ith $ $ JO B 857 Fishery Conservation and Management § 679.95 (C) The costs directly related to the management, data collection, and en forcement of the Amendment 80 Pro gram. (ii) Methodology. NMFS will use the following equations to determine the fee percentage: 100 × DPC/V, where: (A) DPC = the direct program costs for the Amendment 80 Program for the most recent fiscal year (October 1 through September 30) with any adjust ments to the account from payments received in the previous year. (B) V = total of the standard ex-ves sel value of the landings subject to the Amendment 80 fee liability for the cur rent year. (3) Publication—(i) General. NMFS will calculate and announce the Amendment 80 fee percentage in a FED ERAL REGISTER notice by December 1 of the year in which the Amendment 80 landings were made. NMFS will cal culate the Amendment 80 fee percent age based on the calculations described in paragraph (c)(2) of this section. (ii) Effective period. NMFS will apply the calculated Amendment 80 fee per centage to Amendment 80 CQ landings made between January 1 and December 31 of the same year. (4) Applicable percentage. The Amend ment 80 CQ permit holder must use the Amendment 80 fee percentage applica ble at the time an Amendment 80 spe cies landing is debited from an Amend ment 80 CQ allocation to calculate the Amendment 80 fee liability for any ret roactive payments for that Amend ment 80 species. (5) Fee liability determination for an Amendment 80 CQ permit holder. (i) Each Amendment 80 CQ permit holder will be subject to a fee liability for any Amendment 80 species CQ debited from an Amendment 80 CQ allocation be tween January 1 and December 31 of the current year. (ii) The Amendment 80 fee liability assessed to an Amendment 80 CQ per mit holder will be based on the propor tion of the standard ex-vessel value of Amendment 80 species debited from an Amendment 80 CQ permit holder rel ative to all Amendment 80 CQ permit holders during a calendar year as de termined by NMFS. (iii) NMFS will provide a fee liability summary letter to each Amendment 80 CQ permit holder by December 1 of each year. The summary will explain the fee liability determination includ ing the current fee percentage, and de tails of Amendment 80 species CQ pounds debited from Amendment 80 CQ allocations by permit, species, date, and prices. (d) Underpayment of fee liability—(1) No Amendment 80 cooperative will re ceive its Amendment 80 CQ until the Amendment 80 CQ permit holder sub mits full payment of an applicant’s complete Amendment 80 fee liability. (2) If an Amendment 80 CQ permit holder fails to submit full payment for its Amendment 80 fee by the date de scribed in paragraph (a)(3) of this sec tion, the Regional Administrator may: (i) At any time thereafter send an IAD to the Amendment 80 coopera tive’s representative stating that the Amendment 80 CQ permit holder’s esti mated fee liability, based on informa tion submitted by the Amendment 80 cooperative’s representative, is the Amendment 80 fee liability due from the Amendment 80 CQ permit holder. (ii) Disapprove any application to transfer Amendment 80 CQ to or from the Amendment 80 CQ permit holder in accordance with § 679.91(g). (3) If an Amendment 80 cooperative representative fails to submit full pay ment by the Amendment 80 fee pay ment deadline described at paragraph (a)(3) of this section: (i) The Regional Administrator will not issue a Amendment 80 CQ permit to that Amendment 80 cooperative for the following calendar year; and (ii) The Regional Administrator will not issue Amendment 80 CQ based on the Amendment 80 QS held by the members of that Amendment 80 cooper ative to any other CQ permit for that calendar year. (4) Upon final agency action deter mining that an Amendment 80 CQ per mit holder has not paid his or her Amendment 80 fee, the Regional Ad ministrator may continue to not issue an Amendment 80 CQ permit for any subsequent calendar years until NMFS receives the unpaid fees. If payment is not received by the 30th day after the final agency action, the agency may pursue collection of the unpaid fees. VerDate Sep<11>2014 08:57 Jan 13, 2023 Jkt 256248 PO 00000 Frm 00867 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\50\50V13.TXT PC31sf ra tti ni o n LA P JZ K W 1R 2 w ith $ $ JO B 858 50 CFR Ch. VI (10–1–22 Edition) § 679.100 (e) Over payment. Upon issuance of final agency action, payment sub mitted to NMFS in excess of the Amendment 80 fee determined to be due by the final agency action will be returned to the Amendment 80 coopera tive unless the Amendment 80 coopera tive’s representative requests the agen cy to credit the excess amount against the Amendment 80 CQ permit holder’s future Amendment 80 fee. (f) Appeals. An Amendment 80 cooper ative representative who receives an IAD for incomplete payment of an Amendment 80 fee may appeal under the appeals procedures set out a 15 CFR part 906. (g) Annual report. Each year, NMFS will publish a report describing the Amendment 80 Cost Recovery Fee Pro gram. [81 FR 171, Jan. 5, 2016] Subpart I—Equipment and Oper ational Requirements for the Longline Catcher/Processor Subsector § 679.100 Applicability. The owner and operator of a vessel named on an LLP license with a Pa cific cod catcher-processor hook-and line endorsement for the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands or both the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands must comply with the requirements of this subpart. (a) Opt out selection. Each year, the owner of a vessel subject to this sub part who does not intend to directed fish for Pacific cod in the BSAI or con duct groundfish CDQ fishing at any time during a year may, by November 1 of the year prior to fishing, submit to NMFS a completed notification form to opt out of directed fishing for Pa cific cod in the BSAI and groundfish CDQ fishing in the upcoming year. The notification form is available on the NMFS Alaska Region Web site (http:// alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/). Once the ves sel owner has selected to opt out, the owner must ensure that the vessel is not used as a catcher/processor to con duct directed fishing for Pacific cod with hook-and-line gear in the BSAI or to conduct groundfish CDQ fishing dur ing the specified year. (b) Monitoring option selection. The owner of a vessel subject to this sub part that does not opt out under para graph (a) of this section must submit a completed notification form for one of two monitoring options to NMFS. The notification form is available on the NMFS Alaska Region Web site (http:// alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/). The vessel owner must comply with the selected monitoring option at all times when the vessel is operating in either the BSAI or GOA groundfish fisheries when directed fishing for Pacific cod is open in the BSAI, or while the vessel is groundfish CDQ fishing. If NMFS does not receive a notification to opt out or a notification for one of the two moni toring options, NMFS will assign that vessel to the increased observer cov erage option under paragraph (b)(1) of this section until the notification form has been received by NMFS. (1) Increased observer coverage option. Under this option, the vessel owner and operator must ensure that— (i) The vessel is in compliance with observer coverage requirements de scribed at § 679.51(a)(2)(vi)(E)(1). (ii) The vessel is in compliance with observer workload requirements de scribed at § 679.51(a)(2)(iii). (iii) An observer sampling station meeting the requirements at § 679.28(d) is available at all times, unless other wise approved by NMFS. (iv) All sets are made available for sampling by an observer. (v) The Observer Program is notified by phone at 1 (907) 581–2060 (Dutch Har bor, AK) or 1 (907) 481–1770 (Kodiak, AK) at least 24 hours prior to departure when the vessel will be carrying an ob server who has not previously been de ployed on that vessel within the last 12 months. Subsequent to the vessel’s de parture notification, but prior to de parture, NMFS may contact the vessel to arrange for a pre-cruise meeting. The pre-cruise meeting must mini mally include the vessel operator or manager and any observers assigned to the vessel. (2) Scales option. Under this option— (i) The vessel owner and operator must ensure that— (A) The vessel is in compliance with observer coverage requirements de scribed at § 679.51(a)(2)(vi)(E)(2). VerDate Sep<11>2014 08:57 Jan 13, 2023 Jkt 256248 PO 00000 Frm 00868 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\50\50V13.TXT PC31sf ra tti ni o n LA P JZ K W 1R 2 w ith $ $ JO B