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DOC/NOAA RIN: 0648-BJ64 Publication ID: Spring 2020 
Title: ●Regulatory Amendment to Remove the Prohibition on Continuing to Fish After a Partial Offload in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area Crab Rationalization Program 
Abstract:

In response to a recommendation from the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, this proposed action would remove the prohibition against continuing to fish in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI) Crab Rationalization (CR) Program fisheries once off-loading has commenced and until all CR Program crab are landed. This will allow CR Program fishery participants operational flexibility to conduct their business in an efficient manner, in particular when emergencies or special circumstances arise, while also ensuring proper catch accounting. The prohibition against continuing to fish for CR crab after an offload has begun and until the offload is complete simplified port sampling and catch accounting. While fishing after a partial delivery was fairly common practice pre-CR Program when vessels were racing to catch and deliver crab, the program intended to, and has, increased coordination between harvesters and processors, which has allowed for an increase in the efficiency of offloads. Thus, NMFS and the North Pacific Council expect this proposed flexibility would only be used in emergency situations or special circumstances related to the safety or economics of the operations. It is not anticipated that partial deliveries followed by additional fishing would become a routine operating procedure, and therefore concerns about complicating catch accounting are minimal.

 
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 
EO 13771 Designation: Deregulatory 
CFR Citation: 50 CFR 679   
Legal Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.   
Legal Deadline:  None
Timetable:
Action Date FR Cite
NPRM  06/00/2020 
Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: No  Government Levels Affected: None 
Small Entities Affected: Businesses  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