If you would like to be approved to provide IFM services (observing, at-sea monitoring, and/or portside sampling) to Atlantic herring vessels in IFM years 2022 and 2023 (April 1, 2022 – March 31, 2024), you must submit an application to NOAA Fisheries by December 17, 2021. Applications must include a cover letter, as well as the information and statements identified in the regulations at 50 CFR 648.11(h)(3). In your cover letter, please specify which type(s) of monitoring services (observing, at-sea monitoring, and/or portside sampling) you would like to provide.
We will review all applications in accordance with regulatory requirements for monitoring service providers § 648.11(h)(3). Please review the regulations carefully, particularly the requirements for signed statements. For service providers that currently provide observing or monitoring services in the herring fishery or other fisheries, please note that our review of your application will include an evaluation of your performance in comparison to the published standards to determine whether to approve your company as an IFM service provider for IFM years 2022 and 2023.
Approvals will cover IFM years 2022 and 2023. We will notify service providers of our preliminary intentions to approve applications as soon as we have completed our reviews. Final approvals of any provider applications we receive under this announcement will subsequently be communicated to service providers and published in the Federal Register. There will be a subsequent opportunity to apply to be approved as an IFM service provider only for IFM year 2023.
Please use Kiteworks, a secure file-sharing service, to submit the requested documents by December 17, 2021, to Maria Fenton. If you need help creating a Kiteworks account, please contact Maria for assistance at maria.fenton@noaa.gov.
