679.45—IFQ cost recovery program.

(a) Cost recovery fees— (1) Responsibility. The person documented on the IFQ permit as the permit holder at the time of an IFQ landing must comply with the requirements of this section. Subsequent transfer of QS or IFQ does not affect the permit holder's liability for noncompliance with this section.

(2) IFQ Fee Liability Determination. After each IFQ fishing year, the Regional Administrator will issue each IFQ permit holder a summary of his or her IFQ pounds landed during that IFQ fishing year for each permit as part of the IFQ Landing and Estimated Fee Liability page described at § 679.5(l)(7)(ii)(C) (2 ). The summary will include an estimated IFQ fee liability based on the standard ex-vessel values of the landings. The summary and estimated fee liability will include details of IFQ equivalent pounds landed by permit, port or port-group, species, date, and IFQ standard prices. The permit holder must either accept NMFS's estimate of IFQ liability or revise NMFS's estimate of IFQ fee liability using the Fee Submission Form described at § 679.5(l)(7)(ii). If the permit holder revises NMFS's estimate of his or her fee liability, NMFS may request in writing that the permit holder submit documentation establishing the factual basis for the revised calculation. If the permit holder fails to provide adequate documentation by the 30 th day after the date of such request, NMFS will determine the IFQ permit holder's fee liability based on standard ex-vessel values.

(3) Fee Collection. An IFQ permit holder with an IFQ landing is responsible for self-collecting his or her own fee during the calendar year in which the IFQ fish is harvested.

(4) Payment— (i) Payment due date. An IFQ permit holder must submit his or her IFQ fee liability payment(s) to NMFS at the address provided in this section at paragraph (a)(4)(iii) of this section not later than January 31 of the year following the calendar year in which the IFQ landings were made.

(ii) Payment recipient. Make payment payable to NMFS.

(iii) Payment address. Mail payment and related documents to:

Administrator, Alaska Region, NMFS,

Attn: RAM Program,

P.O. Box 21668,

Juneau, AK 99802 1668,

FAX: (907) 586-7354.

Code of Federal Regulations

or submit electronically to NMFS via forms available from RAM or on the RAM area of the Alaska Region Home Page at http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/ram.

(iv) Payment method. Payment must be made in U.S. dollars by personal check drawn on a U.S. bank account, money order, bank certified check, or credit card.

(b) IFQ ex-vessel value determination and use— (1) General. An IFQ permit holder must use either the IFQ standard ex-vessel value or the IFQ actual ex-vessel value when determining the IFQ fee liability based on ex-vessel value. An IFQ permit holder must base all fee liability calculations on the ex-vessel value that correlates to landed IFQ fish that is recorded in IFQ equivalent pounds.

(2) IFQ actual ex-vessel value. An IFQ permit holder that uses actual ex-vessel value, as defined in § 679.2, to determine IFQ fee liability must document actual ex-vessel value for each IFQ permit.

(c) IFQ standard ex-vessel value determination and use— (1) Use of standard price. An IFQ permit holder that uses standard ex-vessel value to determine the IFQ fee liability as part of a revised IFQ fee liability submission must use the corresponding standard price(s) as published in the Federal Register.

(2) Duty to publish list— (i) General. Each year the Regional Administrator will publish IFQ standard prices in the Federal Register during the last quarter of each calendar year. The standard prices will be described in U.S. dollars per IFQ equivalent pound, for IFQ halibut and sablefish landings made during the current calendar year.

(ii) Effective duration. The IFQ standard prices will remain in effect until revised by the Regional Administrator by notification in the Federal Register based upon new information of the type set forth in this section. IFQ standard prices published in the Federal Register by NMFS shall apply to all landings made in the same calendar year as the IFQ standard price publication and shall replace any IFQ standard prices previously provided by NMFS that may have been in effect for that same calendar year.

(iii) Determination. NMFS will calculate the IFQ standard prices to reflect, as closely as possible by month and port or port-group, the variations in the actual ex-vessel values of IFQ halibut and IFQ sablefish landings based on information provided in the IFQ Buyer Reports as described in § 679.5(l)(7)(i). The Regional Administrator will base IFQ standard prices on the following types of information:

(A) Landed pounds by IFQ species, port-group, and month;

(B) Total ex-vessel value by IFQ species, port-group, and month; and

(d) IFQ fee percentage— (1) Established percentage. The annual IFQ fee percentage is the amount as determined by the factors and methodology described in paragraph (d)(2) of this section. This amount will be announced by publication in the Federal Register in accordance with paragraph (d)(3) of this section. This amount must not exceed 3 percent pursuant to 16 U.S.C. 1854(d)(2)(B).

(2) Calculating fee percentage value. Each year NMFS shall calculate and publish the fee percentage according to the following factors and methodology:

(i) Factors. NMFS must use the following factors to determine the fee percentage:

(A) The catch to which the IFQ fee will apply;

(B) The ex-vessel value of that catch; and

(ii) Methodology. NMFS must use the following equation to determine the fee percentage:

100 x (DPC / V)

where:

“DPC” is the direct program costs for the IFQ fishery for the previous fiscal year, and

“V” is the ex-vessel value of the catch subject to the IFQ fee for the current year.

(3) Publication— (i) General. During or before the last quarter of each year, NMFS shall publish the IFQ fee percentage in the Federal Register. NMFS shall base any calculations on the factors and methodology in paragraph (d)(2) of this section.

(ii) Effective period. The calculated IFQ fee percentage shall remain in effect through the end of the calendar year in which it was determined.

(4) Applicable percentage. The IFQ permit holder must use the IFQ fee percentage in effect at the time an IFQ landing is made to calculate his or her fee liability for such landed IFQ pounds. The IFQ permit holder must use the IFQ percentage in effect at the time an IFQ retro-payment is received by the IFQ permit holder to calculate his or her IFQ fee liability for the IFQ retro-payment.

(e) Non-payment of fee. If an IFQ permit holder does not submit a complete Fee Submission Form and corresponding payment by the due date described in § 679.45(a)(2) and (3), the Regional Administrator may:

(1) At any time thereafter send an IAD to the IFQ permit holder stating that the IFQ permit holder's estimated fee liability, as calculated by the Regional Administrator and sent to the IFQ permit holder pursuant to § 679.45(a)(2) is the amount of IFQ fee due from the IFQ permit holder.

(2) Disapprove any transfer of IFQ or QS to or from the IFQ permit holder in accordance with § 679.41(c)(8)(i). Upon final agency action determining that an IFQ permit holder has not paid his or her IFQ fee liability, any IFQ fishing permit held by the IFQ permit holder is not valid until all IFQ fee liabilities are paid. If payment is not received by the 30 th day after the final agency action, the matter will be referred to the appropriate authorities for purposes of collection.

(f) Underpayment of IFQ fee. (1) When an IFQ permit holder has incurred a fee liability and made a timely payment to NMFS of an amount less than the NMFS estimated IFQ fee liability, the Regional Administrator will review the Fee Submission Form and related documentation submitted by the IFQ permit holder. If the Regional Administrator determines that the IFQ permit holder has not paid a sufficient amount, the Regional Administrator may disapprove any transfer of IFQ or QS to or from the IFQ permit holder in accordance with § 679.41(c)(4). The Regional Administrator will notify the IFQ permit holder by letter that an insufficient amount has been paid and that the IFQ permit holder has 30 days from the date of the letter to either pay the amount determined to be due or provide additional documentation to prove that the amount paid was the correct amount. The Regional Administrator will evaluate any additional documentation submitted by an IFQ permit holder in support of his or her payment. If the Regional Administrator determines that the additional documentation does not meet the IFQ permit holder's burden of proving his or her payment is correct, the Regional Administrator will send the permit holder an IAD indicating that the permit holder did not meet the burden of proof to change the IFQ fee liability as calculated by the Regional Administrator based upon the IFQ standard ex-vessel value.

(2) After expiration of the 30-day period, the Regional Administrator will issue an IAD and notify the IFQ permit holder. The IAD will set out the facts and indicate the deficiencies in the documentation submitted by the permit holder. An IFQ permit holder who receives an IAD may appeal pursuant to § 679.43. In an appeal of an IAD made under this section, the IAD permit holder has the burden of proving his or her claim.

(3) If the permit holder fails to file an appeal of the IAD pursuant to § 679.43, the IAD will become the final agency action. If the IAD is appealed and the final agency action is a determination that additional sums are due from the IFQ permit holder, the IFQ permit holder must pay any IFQ fee amount determined to be due not later than 30 days from the issuance of the final agency action. Once a fee liability determination becomes final, any IFQ fishing permit held by the IFQ permit holder will be deemed not valid until all IFQ fee liabilities have been paid. If payment is not received by the 30 th day after the final agency action, the matter will be referred to the appropriate authorities for purposes of collection.

(g) Over payment. Upon issuance of final agency action, any amount submitted to NMFS in excess of the IFQ fee liability determined to be due by the final agency action will be returned to the IFQ permit holder unless the permit holder requests the agency to credit the excess amount against the IFQ permit holder's future IFQ fee liability.

(h) Appeals and requests for reconsideration. An IFQ permit holder who receives an IAD may either appeal the IAD pursuant to § 679.43 or request reconsideration. Within 60 days from the date of issuance of the IAD, the Regional Administrator may undertake a reconsideration of the IAD on his or her own initiative. If a request for reconsideration is submitted or the Regional Administrator initiates a reconsideration, the 60-day period for appeal under § 679.43 will begin anew upon issuance of the Regional Administrator's reconsidered IAD. The Regional Administrator may undertake only one reconsideration of the IAD, if any. If an IFQ permit holder fails to file an appeal of the IAD pursuant to § 679.43, the IAD will become the final agency action. In any appeal or reconsideration of an IAD made under this section, an IFQ permit holder has the burden of proving his or her claim.

(i) Annual report. NMFS will publish annually a report describing the status of the IFQ Cost Recovery Program.

[65 FR 14924, Mar. 20, 2000, as amended at 67 FR 4133, Jan. 28, 2002; 71 FR 44232, Aug. 4, 2006]

CFR

679.45—IFQ cost recovery program.

Code of Federal Regulations