IB 99-15: NMFS Implements FR and ER for Pollock CDQ Allocation and Requirements of the AFA

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) implemented a final rule and an emergency interim rule to permanently extend the pollock Community Development Quota (CDQ) allocation and an emergency rule to implement pollock CDQ-related requirements of the American Fisheries Act (AFA), according to Steven Pennoyer, Administrator, Alaska Region.

The final rule and emergency interim rule were published in the Federal Register on January 26, 1999 (64 FR 3877). The final rule implements Amendment 45 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Groundfish Fishery of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Area which permanently extends the allocation of 7.5 percent of the pollock total allowable catch (TAC) in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) to the Western Alaska CDQ Program. The AFA's allocation of 10 percent of the pollock TAC to the CDQ Program will supercede Amendment 45 through December 31, 2004.

The emergency interim rule implements the following requirements of the AFA, which are effective from January 21, 1999 through July 20, 1999: (1) directed fishing for pollock CDQ is defined as a haul by a catcher/processor or a delivery by a catcher vessel in which pollock represents 40 percent or more of the total groundfish catch by weight, (2) only pollock harvested while directed fishing for pollock CDQ accrues against the CDQ group's pollock CDQ allocation, and (3) squid is removed from the CDQ Program.

This information bulletin provides notice that a regulatory change has occurred. Do not rely upon it to guide you in complying with the regulatory change.

To obtain additional information, consult the rules referenced above or contact the Sustainable Fisheries Division, NMFS, 907-586-7228.