Justification of Change for Intercooperative Transfer of Cooperative Quota

CHANGE REQUEST

ALASKA REGION AMENDMENT 80 PERMITS AND REPORTS

OMB CONTROL NO. 0648-0565

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) manages the U.S. groundfish fisheries of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) in the Exclusive Economic Zone under the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area. The FMP was prepared by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act as amended by Public Law 108–199, section 801. Regulations implementing these procedures are located at 50 CFR part 679.

In response to Industry requests for new data collection methods that would allow them to react quickly to changing conditions and to realize harvesting efficiencies, NMFS would change certain transfer procedures and regulations to provide an option for transfer requests to be submitted through automated, online submittals.

Amendment 80 to the FMP primarily allocates BSAI non-pollock trawl groundfish fisheries among fishing sectors and facilitates the formation of harvesting cooperatives in the head-and-gut trawl catcher/processor sector. An Amendment 80 cooperative may transfer all or part of its cooperative quota (CQ) to another rockfish cooperative. In order for an inter-cooperative transfer to be approved, both parties must be already established and recognized by NMFS as a cooperative prior to the transfer. Currently, the transfer request may be submitted by mail, fax, or courier. This action adds an option for online submission for inter-cooperative transfer requests.

Providing the Amendment 80 Program cooperatives with an online opportunity for transfers slightly reduces the burden (4 hr) and due to correction of a previous calculation error, slightly increases the cost ($3) for participants, and increases accuracy of the data and efficiency of the process. NOTE: When using the online submittal method, the respondent must provide a NMFS Person ID and transfer key and these take the place of certifications required when not submitting online. These two pieces of information are provided by NMFS after an applicant is approved for participation in the Amendment 80 Program. Application forms are available through the Internet on the NMFS Alaska Region Web site at http://www.alaskafisheries.noaa.gov, or by contacting NMFS at (800) 304-4846, Option 2.

The NMFS Alaska Region will submit a proposed rule, RIN 0648-AW56, Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Western Alaska Community Development Quota Program, Rockfish Program, the Amendment 80 Program, and the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Crab Rationalization Program, coincident with this submission, requesting comments from the public.

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