(a) Cost recovery fee program for Amendment 80—(1) Who is responsible? The person designated as the Amendment 80 cooperative representative at the time of an Amendment 80 CQ landing must comply with the requirements of this section, notwithstanding:

(i) Subsequent transfer of Amendment 80 CQ or Amendment 80 QS held by Amendment 80 cooperative members;

(ii) Non-renewal of an Amendment 80 CQ permit; or

(iii) Changes in the membership in an Amendment 80 cooperative, such as members joining or departing during the relevant year, or changes in the amount of Amendment 80 QS holdings of those members.

(2) Fee collection. Each Amendment 80 cooperative representative is responsible for submitting the cost recovery payment for Amendment 80 CQ landings made under the authority of its Amendment 80 CQ permit.

(3) Payment—(i) Payment due date. An Amendment 80 cooperative representative must submit all Amendment 80 fee liability payment(s) to NMFS at the address provided in paragraph (a)(3)(iii) of this section no later than December 31 of the calendar year in which the Amendment 80 CQ landings were made.

(ii) Payment recipient. Make electronic payment payable to NMFS.

(iii) Payment address. Submit payment and related documents as instructed on the fee submission form. Payments must be made electronically through the NMFS Alaska Region Web site at http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov. Instructions for electronic payment will be made available on both the payment Web site and a fee liability summary letter mailed to the Amendment 80 CQ permit holder.

(iv) Payment method. Payment must be made electronically in U.S. dollars by automated clearing house, credit card, or electronic check drawn on a U.S. bank account.

(b) Amendment 80 standard ex-vessel value determination and use—(1) General. An Amendment 80 cooperative representative must use the Amendment 80 standard prices determined by NMFS under paragraph (b)(2) of this section.

(2) Amendment 80 standard prices—(i) General. Each year the Regional Administrator will publish Amendment 80 standard prices in the Federal Register by December 1 of the year in which the Amendment 80 species landings were made. The standard prices will be described in U.S. dollars per Amendment 80 equivalent pound for Amendment 80 species landings made by Amendment 80 CQ permit holders during the current calendar year.

(ii) Effective duration. The Amendment 80 standard prices published by NMFS will apply to all Amendment 80 species landings made by an Amendment 80 CQ permit holder during that calendar year.

(iii) Determination. NMFS will calculate the Amendment 80 standard prices for Amendment 80 species based on the following information:

(A) Pacific cod. NMFS will use the standard prices calculated for Pacific cod based on information provided in the Pacific Cod Ex-vessel Volume and Value Report described at §679.5(u)(1).

(B) Amendment 80 species other than Pacific cod.

(1) The Regional Administrator will base Amendment 80 standard prices for all Amendment 80 species other than Pacific cod on the First Wholesale Volume and Value reports specified in §679.5(u)(2).

(2) The Regional Administrator will establish Amendment 80 standard prices for all Amendment 80 species other than Pacific cod on an annual basis; except the Regional Administrator will establish a first Amendment 80 standard price for rock sole for all landings from January 1 through March 31, and a second Amendment 80 standard price for rock sole for all landings from April 1 through December 31.

(3) The average first wholesale product prices reported on the First Wholesale Volume and Value reports, specified in §679.5(u)(2), will be multiplied by 0.4 to obtain a proxy for the ex-vessel prices of Amendment 80 species other than Pacific cod.

(c) Amendment 80 fee percentage—(1) Established percentage. The Amendment 80 fee percentage is the amount as determined by the factors and methodology described in paragraph (c)(2) of this section. This amount will be announced by publication in the Federal Register in accordance with paragraph (c)(3) of this section. This amount must not exceed 3.0 percent pursuant to 16 U.S.C. 1854(d)(2)(B).

(2) Calculating fee percentage value. Each year NMFS will calculate and publish the fee percentage according to the following factors and methodology:

(i) Factors. NMFS will use the following factors to determine the fee percentage:

(A) The catch to which the Amendment 80 cost recovery fee will apply;

(B) The ex-vessel value of that catch; and

(C) The costs directly related to the management, data collection, and enforcement of the Amendment 80 Program.

(ii) Methodology. NMFS will use the following equations to determine the fee percentage: 100 × DPC/V, where:

(A) DPC = the direct program costs for the Amendment 80 Program for the most recent fiscal year (October 1 through September 30) with any adjustments to the account from payments received in the previous year.

(B) V = total of the standard ex-vessel value of the landings subject to the Amendment 80 fee liability for the current year.

(3) Publication—(i) General. NMFS will calculate and announce the Amendment 80 fee percentage in a Federal Register notice by December 1 of the year in which the Amendment 80 landings were made. NMFS will calculate the Amendment 80 fee percentage based on the calculations described in paragraph (c)(2) of this section.

(ii) Effective period. NMFS will apply the calculated Amendment 80 fee percentage to Amendment 80 CQ landings made between January 1 and December 31 of the same year.

(4) Applicable percentage. The Amendment 80 CQ permit holder must use the Amendment 80 fee percentage applicable at the time an Amendment 80 species landing is debited from an Amendment 80 CQ allocation to calculate the Amendment 80 fee liability for any retroactive payments for that Amendment 80 species.

(5) Fee liability determination for an Amendment 80 CQ permit holder.

(i) Each Amendment 80 CQ permit holder will be subject to a fee liability for any Amendment 80 species CQ debited from an Amendment 80 CQ allocation between January 1 and December 31 of the current year.

(ii) The Amendment 80 fee liability assessed to an Amendment 80 CQ permit holder will be based on the proportion of the standard ex-vessel value of Amendment 80 species debited from an Amendment 80 CQ permit holder relative to all Amendment 80 CQ permit holders during a calendar year as determined by NMFS.

(iii) NMFS will provide a fee liability summary letter to each Amendment 80 CQ permit holder by December 1 of each year. The summary will explain the fee liability determination including the current fee percentage, and details of Amendment 80 species CQ pounds debited from Amendment 80 CQ allocations by permit, species, date, and prices.

(d) Underpayment of fee liability—(1) No Amendment 80 cooperative will receive its Amendment 80 CQ until the Amendment 80 CQ permit holder submits full payment of an applicant's complete Amendment 80 fee liability.

(2) If an Amendment 80 CQ permit holder fails to submit full payment for its Amendment 80 fee by the date described in paragraph (a)(3) of this section, the Regional Administrator may:

(i) At any time thereafter send an IAD to the Amendment 80 cooperative's representative stating that the Amendment 80 CQ permit holder's estimated fee liability, based on information submitted by the Amendment 80 cooperative's representative, is the Amendment 80 fee liability due from the Amendment 80 CQ permit holder.

(ii) Disapprove any application to transfer Amendment 80 CQ to or from the Amendment 80 CQ permit holder in accordance with §679.91(g).

(3) If an Amendment 80 cooperative representative fails to submit full payment by the Amendment 80 fee payment deadline described at paragraph (a)(3) of this section:

(i) The Regional Administrator will not issue a Amendment 80 CQ permit to that Amendment 80 cooperative for the following calendar year; and

(ii) The Regional Administrator will not issue Amendment 80 CQ based on the Amendment 80 QS held by the members of that Amendment 80 cooperative to any other CQ permit for that calendar year.

(4) Upon final agency action determining that an Amendment 80 CQ permit holder has not paid his or her Amendment 80 fee, the Regional Administrator may continue to not issue an Amendment 80 CQ permit for any subsequent calendar years until NMFS receives the unpaid fees. If payment is not received by the 30th day after the final agency action, the agency may pursue collection of the unpaid fees.

(e) Over payment. Upon issuance of final agency action, payment submitted to NMFS in excess of the Amendment 80 fee determined to be due by the final agency action will be returned to the Amendment 80 cooperative unless the Amendment 80 cooperative's representative requests the agency to credit the excess amount against the Amendment 80 CQ permit holder's future Amendment 80 fee.

(f) Appeals. An Amendment 80 cooperative representative who receives an IAD for incomplete payment of an Amendment 80 fee may appeal under the appeals procedures set out a 15 CFR part 906.

(g) Annual report. Each year, NMFS will publish a report describing the Amendment 80 Cost Recovery Fee Program.

[81 FR 171, Jan. 5, 2016]