Final RIR Cost Recovery Fee Program for Amendment 80, Groundfsih And
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Final Regulatory Impact Review COST RECOVERY FEE PROGRAM FOR AMENDMENT 80, GROUNDFISH AND HALIBUT/SABLEFISH COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT QUOTA, AND AMERICAN FISHERIES ACT AND ALEUTIAN ISLANDS POLLOCK PROGRAMS November 2015 Lead Agency: National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Region National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Responsible Official: James W. Balsiger, Ph.D. Administrator, National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Region For further information contact: Glenn Merrill, National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Region P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802 (907) 586-7228 Abstract: This document is a Final Regulatory Impact Review analyzing implementation of a cost recovery fee program for the Amendment 80 Program, the groundfish and halibut/sablefish Community Development Quota Program, the American Fisheries Act Program, and Aleutian Islands Pollock Program. The measures under consideration define the fee structure and fee collection programs. The cost recovery fee may collect up to three percent of the ex-vessel value of species allocated to participants in limited access privilege and CDQ programs. The fee paid by beneficiaries of each program would offset the actual costs agencies incur that are directly related to the management, data collection, and enforcement of each program that would not have been incurred had the program not been implemented. November 2015 Executive Summary The proposed actions would implement a limited access privilege (LAP) cost recovery fee program for the American Fisheries Act (AFA), Aleutian Islands Pollock, and Amendment 80 Programs. The proposed action would also implement a cost recovery fee program for the Community Development Quota (CDQ) Program halibut and groundfish fisheries in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) authorizes and requires the collection of cost recovery fees for LAP programs and CDQ programs. MSA cost recovery fees may not exceed three percent of the ex-vessel value, and must recover costs associated with the management, data collection, and enforcement of these programs that are directly incurred by government agencies tasked with overseeing these fisheries. Cost recovery fees would be collected from the AFA cooperatives (inshore and mothership sectors), the AFA catcher/processor sector, the Aleut Corporation,1 Amendment 80 cooperatives, and the six CDQ groups. The cost recovery fee percentage would be determined annually by the Regional Administrator of the NMFS Alaska Region (NMFS or Region) and published in a Federal Register notice. Along with the fee percentage, standard ex-vessel prices will be reported in a Federal Register notice for each species directly allocated to the LAP programs or the CDQ Program. Three options are considered to determine standardized prices. Different pricing methodologies may be developed for different cost recovery fee programs, since the mix of species allocated and, therefore, the impacts of selecting prices, varies by program. Implementing a system that relies on data already being collected would reduce the reporting burden on industry and NMFS. Reducing costs incurred by NMFS will help minimize future cost recovery fees that must be paid by persons participating in LAP programs. The first option would require Volume and Value reports to be implemented for all species except CDQ halibut, fixed gear sablefish, and pollock. The second option would use the current IFQ cost recovery reporting system to determine halibut and fixed gear sablefish standard ex-vessel prices. The third option would use Commercial Operator’s Annual Report (COAR) data currently being submitted to the State of Alaska to estimate standard prices. AFA and Aleutian Islands pollock prices will be based on COAR reports to estimate inshore ex-vessel prices using information from the previous year, as requested by members of the AFA. For single species LAP programs this does not affect the fee amount that a person would be required to pay. When the fee does not exceed the three percent cap, the ex-vessel price only changes the fee percentage set by the Regional Administrator. Given the estimates of fee percentages that would be imposed on each program, it is unlikely that using the previous year’s prices would result in the cost recovery fee exceeding three percent of ex-vessel value in any year. NMFS will add total reported landings from January 1 through November 30, and estimate total landings in each year (beginning in 2016) from December 1 through December 31. The total landed pounds will be multiplied by the standard ex-vessel price to determine the gross ex-vessel value of the fishery for each program. NMFS will estimate the recoverable costs for each LAP program and the CDQ Program. The recoverable costs will be divided by the value of the fishery to determine the cost recovery fee percentage for each LAP program and the CDQ Program. This proposed action would establish the following process to determine cost recovery fees: • Calculate standard prices for each fishery species allocated under a program; • Calculate an ex-vessel value of each fishery species allocated under a program by multiplying the standard ex-vessel price by the total amount of landings in each fishery under a program; • Sum the ex-vessel value for each fishery species under a program to calculate the total ex-vessel value for all fisheries landed under a program; • Compile total program costs attributable to each fishery species under a program; 1 During years that the Aleut Corporation fishes its Aleutian Islands pollock allocation. 1 November 2015 • Calculate a fee percentage (not to exceed three percent of the ex-vessel value of a fishery) for the program by dividing total program costs by the total ex-vessel value for all fishery species under the program; and • Assess a fee for each permit holder by multiplying the fee percentage by the total ex-vessel value of the permit holder’s fishery landings under the program. This final figure would be the annual fee owed by each permit holder. This proposed action would establish several requirements applicable to the cost recovery fee programs: • Processors and motherships that receive BSAI Pacific cod harvested under the CDQ Program or by vessels using trawl gear would be required to submit a Pacific Cod Ex-vessel Volume and Value Report to establish the standard price for Pacific cod. • NMFS would use existing reports to establish standard prices for halibut, pollock, and fixed-gear sablefish, thereby eliminating duplicative reporting requirements. • Amendment 80 vessel owners would be required to submit a Wholesale Volume and Value Report to establish standard prices for all other groundfish species. • NMFS would use data from the catch accounting system to determine the total landings subject to cost recovery. • NMFS would base the actual management costs on costs incurred during the most recent fiscal year. • After determining standard prices, total landings, and actual management costs under each program, NMFS would determine the cost recovery fee percentages applicable to each program, and publish the standard prices and a cost recovery fee notice in the Federal Register by December 1 of each year. • NMFS would send each person responsible for a cost recovery fee payment a letter noting their fee liability for the year by December 1 of each year. • Each entity in a program required to submit a cost recovery fee would have to identify a “designated representative” responsible for submitting the fee. • All designated representatives would be required to submit their cost recovery fee payment by December 31 of each year, based on the ex-vessel value of the fish landed during that calendar year. • NMFS would withhold or otherwise limit allocations to an entity if it failed to submit a timely and complete fee payment. NMFS would also establish additional requirements to accommodate specific operational differences that exist among the programs. These are briefly summarized here. AFA Cost Recovery Fee Program The AFA allocates the Bering Sea directed pollock fishery total allowable catch (TAC) to three sectors – catcher/processor, mothership, and inshore. Each sector has established cooperatives to harvest a sector’s allocation. NMFS would establish different fee collection provisions, and fee percentages for the catcher/processor, mothership, and inshore sectors because NMFS recognizes that each of these sectors have slightly different management costs. NMFS estimates that annual fee liabilities for a sector would range from 0.23 percent to 0.72 percent of the ex-vessel value of Bering Sea pollock. Aleutian Islands Pollock Cost Recovery Fee Program The Aleutian Islands Pollock Program allocates the Aleutian Islands directed pollock fishery TAC to the Aleut Corporation, consistent with the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-109), and its implementing regulations. Annually, prior to the start of the pollock season, the Aleut Corporation provides NMFS with the identity of its designated representative. This will be responsible for the submission of all cost recovery fees. In recent years, the directed pollock fishery in the Aleutian Islands has not been harvested due to restrictions imposed by Steller sea lion protection measures. Therefore, NMFS has 2 November 2015 reallocated the Aleutian Islands pollock allocation to the AFA Program in the Bering Sea. Pollock reallocated to the Bering Sea is subject to cost recovery