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DOC/NOAA

RIN: 0648-BG15

Publication ID: Fall 2016

Title: ●Amendment 47 to the Fishery Management Plan for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs
Abstract: This action is expected to benefit fishermen, shoreside processors, and communities that participate in the Tanner crab fisheries by exempting custom-processed Bering Sea Tanner crab from counting toward the individual processing quota use cap for the facility that processes the crab. The individual processing quota use cap is intended to prevent excessive consolidation by limiting the amount of crab that can be processed by a company. All active crab processors hold individual processing quota, and some individual processing quota is held by persons who do not own processing facilities. Custom processing occurs when an individual processing quota holder contracts with an unaffiliated facility to process the crab. Under current regulations, custom processed Tanner crab counts against the individual processing quota use cap of the processing facility even though the individual processing quota is held by another person. Due to consolidation in recent years, the processing facilities available in the Bering Sea region are constrained by individual processing quota use caps, resulting in more Tanner crab being available for harvest than can be legally processed. Harvesters, shoreside processors, and communities that participate in the Tanner crab fishery have limited alternatives to mitigate the resulting negative economic effects that could occur from a substantial amount of Tanner crab remaining unharvested. This action would enable fishermen to harvest and deliver Tanner crab to processors able to process that crab, and would likely not result in excessive consolidation of processing due to the participation of the existing facilities in other Bering Sea crab fisheries and the need to maintain throughput in the facility. The National Marine Fisheries Service has previously exempted custom processed crab from use caps in other Bering Sea crab fisheries.
Agency: Department of Commerce(DOC)	Priority: Substantive, Nonsignificant
RIN Status: First time published in the Unified Agenda	Agenda Stage of Rulemaking: Proposed Rule Stage
Major: No	Unfunded Mandates: No
CFR Citation: 50 CFR 680
Legal Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. 16 U.S.C. 773 et seq. Pub. L. 108-447 Pub. L. 109-241 Pub. L. 109-479 Pub. L. 111-281

Legal Deadline: None

Timetable:

Action	Date	FR Cite
NPRM	11/00/2016

Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: Yes	Government Levels Affected: None
Small Entities Affected: Businesses, Organizations	Federalism: No
Included in the Regulatory Plan: No
RIN Data Printed in the FR: No
Agency Contact: James Balsiger Regional Administrator, Alaska Region Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 709 West Ninth Street, Juneau, AK 99801 Phone:907 586-7221 Email: jim.balsiger@noaa.gov