Regulatory Impact Review/Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis of a Regulatory Amendment to Facilitate Online Transfers of Quota for the Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska
April 06, 2006
NMFS proposes an administrative structure that provides notice to the public of the IFQ fee percentage while removing any discretionary authority from NMFS in calculating the fee percentage. Calculation of the fee percentage under this action would become a purely ministerial duty conducted by NMFS. The proposed action would not affect the ex-vessel value determination under either program or affect the current structure or administration of the standard prices calculated for the Halibut and Sablefish IFQ Program or the Catcher/Processor Ex-vessel Values calculated for the Crab Rationalization Program. However, NMFS would make minor changes to the current fee regulations to ensure full compliance with the AP A while improving administrative efficiency. The proposed action would accomplish the following three
goals if approved:
- Inform the public of the equation and all factors used to calculate the fee percentage, thereby allowing the public to comment on the methodology used to conduct the standard calculation of the fee percentage;
- Remove any discretion on behalf of NMFS to calculate the direct program costs (DPC) in part by integrating an independently developed, new timekeeping system that automatically calculates management costs by individual employee; and
- Publish an annual fee percentage by notice, rather than by proposed and final rule. This goal would be accomplished by reducing the notice announcing the fee percentage to a purely ministerial duty undertaken by NMFS based on this action, which would establish the fee percentage as a simplified administrative calculation rather than the current more complicated reduction of the default percentage.