The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces a new regulation that is effective as of September 19, 2001, according to James W. Balsiger, Administrator, Alaska Region, NMFS.
A final rule published on August 20, 2001, in the Federal Register at 66 FR 43524 requires motherships and catcher/processors in the groundfish fisheries of the exclusive economic zone off Alaska to submit an annual Commercial Operators Annual Report (COAR) to the State of Alaska, Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G). The first full-year COAR is required for the year 2002 and will need to be submitted to ADF&G by April of 2003. However, NMFS and ADF&G would appreciate any volunteer COAR submittals for the year 2001.
The COAR is an important tool for the collection and analysis of economic data: to gather information on exvessel and first wholesale values for state-wide finfish and shellfish products from catcher/processors and motherships at sea. These data together with the COAR information already gathered from shoreside processors and stationary floating processors will provide a means to compare value information (in dollars) of different types of species and products from all processors of fish harvested from Alaska State and Federal waters within a year and comparisons of several years through consistent yearly collection of information.
The 2000 COAR may be found at http://www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/geninfo/permits/intent/coar00.pdf (broken link). Further information on this action may be found in the preamble to the proposed rule published at 65 FR 78131 (December 14, 2000).
This information bulletin only provides notice of a regulatory change. For the purposes of complying with the regulatory change, you are advised to see the actual text of the regulation in the Code of Federal Regulations.
IB 01-93: NMFS Announces Regulatory Change: Alaska Commercial Operators Annual Report
October 19, 2001 - 4:15 p.m.
Notice of a fishery management action.
