§ 660.61 - Permits.

(a) Applicability. (1) The owner of any vessel used to fish for bottomfish management unit species in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Subarea must have a permit issued under this section and the permit must be registered for use with the vessel.

(2) The PIRO will not register a single vessel for use with a Ho'omalu Zone permit and a Mau Zone permit at the same time.

(3) Mau Zone permits issued before June 14, 1999 become invalid June 14, 1999, except that a permit issued to a person who submitted a timely application under paragraph (i) of this section is valid until the permit holder either receives a Mau Zone limited entry permit or until final agency action is taken on the permit holder's application. The Ho'omalu Zone and the Mau Zone limited entry systems described in this section are subject to abolition, modification, or additional effort limitation programs.

(b) Submission. (1) An application for a permit required under this section must be submitted to the PIRO as described in § 660.13. (2) Ho'omalu Zone limited access permit. In addition to an application under § 660.13(c), each applicant for a Ho'omalu Zone permit must also submit a supplementary information sheet provided by the PIRO, which must be signed by the vessel owner or a designee and include the following information:

(i) The qualification criterion that the applicant believes he or she meets for issuance of a limited access permit;

(ii) A copy of landings receipts or other documentation, with a certification from a state or Federal agency that this information is accurate, to demonstrate participation in the NWHI bottomfish fishery; and

(iii) If the application is filed by a partnership or corporation, the names of each of the individual partners or shareholders and their respective percentages of ownership of the partnership or corporation.

(3) Mau Zone limited access permit. The PIRO will not accept applications for a new Mau Zone permit after June 14, 1999. In addition to an application under § 660.13(c), each applicant for a Mau Zone permit must also submit a supplementary information sheet provided by the PIRO, which must be signed by the vessel owner or a designee and include the following information:

(i) The qualification criterion that the applicant believes he or she meets for issuance of a limited access permit;

(ii) Copy of State of Hawaii catch report(s) to demonstrate that the permitted vessel had made qualifying landings of bottomfish from the Mau Zone; and

(iii) If the application is filed by a partnership or corporation, the names of each of the individual partners or shareholders and their respective percentage of ownership of the partnership or corporation.

(c) Sale or transfer of Ho'omalu limited access permits to new vessel owners. (1) A Ho'omalu zone permit may not be sold or otherwise transferred to a new owner.

(2) A Ho'omalu zone permit or permits may be held by a partnership or corporation. If 50 percent or more of the ownership of the vessel passes to persons other than those listed in the original application, the permit will lapse and must be surrendered to the Regional Administrator.

(d) Transfer of Ho'omalu Zone limited access permits to replacement vessels. (1) Upon application by the owner of a permitted vessel, the Regional Administrator will transfer that owner's permit to a replacement vessel owned by that owner, provided that the replacement vessel does not exceed 60 ft (18.3 m) in length. The replacement vessel must be put into service no later than 12 months after the owner applies for the transfer, or the transfer shall be void.

(2) An owner of a permitted vessel may apply to the Regional Administrator for transfer of that owner's permit to a replacement vessel greater than 60 ft (18.3 m) in length. The Regional Administrator may transfer the permit upon determining, after consultation with the Council and considering the objectives of the limited access program, that the replacement vessel has catching power that is comparable to the rest of the vessels holding permits for the fishery, or has catching power that does not exceed that of the original vessel, and that the transfer is not inconsistent with the objectives of the program. The Regional Administrator shall consider vessel length, range, hold capacity, gear limitations, and other appropriate factors in making determinations of catching power equivalency and comparability of the catching power of vessels in the fishery.

(e) Ho'omalu Zone limited access permit renewal. (1) A qualifying landing for Ho'omalu Zone permit renewal is a landing of at least 2,500 lb (1,134 kg) of bottomfish management unit species from the Ho'omalu Zone or a landing of at least 2,500 lb (1,134 kg) of fish from the Ho'omalu Zone, of which at least 50 percent by weight was bottomfish management unit species. A permit is eligible for renewal for the next calendar year if the vessel covered by the permit made three or more qualifying landings during the current calendar year.

(2) The owner of a permitted vessel that did not make three or more qualifying landings of bottomfish in a year may apply to the Regional Administrator for waiver of the landing requirement. If the Regional Administrator finds that failure to make three landings was due to circumstances beyond the owner's control, the Regional Administrator may renew the permit. A waiver may not be granted if the failure to make three landings was due to general economic conditions or market conditions, such that the vessel operations would not be profitable.

(f) Issuance of new Ho'omalu Zone limited access permits. The Regional Administrator may issue new Ho'omalu Zone limited access permits under § 660.13 if the Regional Administrator determines, in consultation with the Council, that bottomfish stocks in the Ho'omalu Zone are able to support additional fishing effort.

(g) Eligibility for new Ho'omalu Zone limited access permits. When the Regional Administrator has determined that new permits may be issued, they shall be issued to applicants based upon eligibility, determined as follows:

(1) Point system. (i) Two points will be assigned for each year in which the applicant was owner or captain of a vessel that made three or more of any of the following types of landings in the NWHI:

(A) Any amount of bottomfish management unit species, regardless of weight, if made on or before August 7, 1985;

(B) At least 2,500 lb (1,134 kg) of bottomfish management unit species, if made after August 7, 1985; or

(C) At least 2,500 lb (1,134 kg) of any fish lawfully harvested from the NWHI, of which at least 50 percent by weight was bottomfish, if made after August 7, 1985.

(ii) One point will be assigned for each year in which the applicant was owner or captain of a vessel that landed at least 6,000 lb (2,722 kg) of bottomfish from the main Hawaiian Islands.

(iii) For any one year, points will be assigned under either paragraph (g)(1)(i) or (g)(1)(ii) of this section, but not under both paragraphs.

(iv) Before the Regional Administrator issues an Ho'omalu zone permit to fish for bottomfish under this section, the primary operator and relief operator named on the application form must have completed a protected species workshop conducted by NMFS.

(2) Restrictions. An applicant must own at least a 25-percent share in the vessel that the permit would cover, and only one permit will be assigned to any vessel.

(3) Order of issuance. New permits shall be awarded to applicants in descending order, starting with the applicant with the largest number of points. If two or more persons have an equal number of points, and there are insufficient new permits for all such applicants, the new permits shall be awarded by the Regional Administrator through a lottery.

(4) Notification. The Regional Administrator shall place a notice in the Federal Register and shall use other means to notify prospective applicants of the opportunity to file applications for new permits under this program.

(h) Eligibility for new Mau Zone limited access permits. (1) The PIRO will issue an initial Mau Zone permit to a vessel owner who qualifies for at least three points under the following point system:

(i) An owner who held a Mau Zone permit on or before December 17, 1991, and whose permitted vessel made at least one qualifying landing of bottomfish management unit species on or before December 17, 1991, shall be assigned 1.5 points.

(ii) An owner whose permitted vessel made at least one qualifying landing of bottomfish management unit species during 1991, shall be assigned 0.5 point.

(iii) An owner whose permitted vessel made at least one qualifying landing of bottomfish management unit species during 1992, shall be assigned 1.0 point.

(iv) An owner whose permitted vessel made at least one qualifying landing of bottomfish management unit species during 1993, shall be assigned 1.5 points.

(v) An owner whose permitted vessel made at least one qualifying landing of bottomfish management unit species during 1994, shall be assigned 2.0 points.

(vi) An owner whose permitted vessel made at least one qualifying landing of bottomfish management unit species during 1995, shall be assigned 2.5 points.

(vii) An owner whose permitted vessel made at least one qualifying landing of bottomfish management unit species during 1996, shall be assigned 3.0 points.

(viii) Before the PIRO issues a Mau Zone permit to fish for bottomfish under this section, the primary operator and relief operator named on the application form must have completed a protected species workshop conducted by NMFS.

(2) For purposes of this paragraph § 660.61(h), a “qualifying landing” means any amount of bottomfish management unit species lawfully harvested from the Mau Zone and offloaded for sale. No points shall be assigned to an owner for any qualifying landings reported to the State of Hawaii more than 1 year after the landing.

(3) More than one Mau Zone permit may be issued to an owner of two or more vessels, provided each of the owner's vessels for which a permit will be registered for use has made the required qualifying landings for the owner to be assigned at least three eligibility points.

(4) A Mau Zone permit holder who does not own a vessel at the time initial permits are issued must register the permit for use with a vessel owned by the permit holder within 12 months from the date the permit was issued. In the interim, the permit holder may register the permit for use with a leased or chartered vessel. If within 12 months of initial permit issuance, the permit holder fails to apply to the PIRO to register the permit for use with a vessel owned by the permit holder, then the permit expires.

(5) For each of paragraphs (h)(1)(i) through (h)(1)(viii) of this section, the PIRO shall assign points based on the landings of one permitted vessel to only one owner if the vessel did not have multiple owners during the time frame covered by the subordinate paragraphs. If a vessel had multiple owners during a time frame covered by any of paragraphs (h)(1)(i) through (h)(1)(viii) of this section (including joint owners, partners, or shareholders of a corporate owner), the PIRO will assign the points for that subordinate paragraph to a single owner if only one owner submits an application with respect to the landings of that vessel during that time frame. If multiple owners submit separate applications with respect to the same landings of the same vessel during the same time frame, then the PIRO shall:

(i) Adhere to any written agreement between the applicants with respect to who among them shall be assigned the aggregate point(s) generated by landings during such time frame(s), or

(ii) If there is no agreement:

(A) Shall issue the applicants a joint permit provided the vessel's landings during such time frames generated at least three points, or

(B) In the event the vessel's landings during such time frame(s) generated less than three points, shall not assign any points generated by the vessel's landings during such time frame(s).

(i) Ownership requirements and registration of Mau Zone limited access permits for use with other vessels. (1) A Mau Zone permit may be held by an individual, partnership, or corporation. No more than 49 percent of the underlying ownership interest in a Mau Zone permit may be sold, leased, chartered, or otherwise transferred to another person or entity. If more than 49 percent of the underlying ownership of the permit passes to persons or entities other than those listed in the original permit application supplemental information sheet, then the permit expires and must be surrendered to the PIRO.

(2) A Mau Zone permit holder may apply under § 660.13 to the PIRO to register the permit for use with another vessel if that vessel is owned by the permit holder, and is no longer than 60 ft (18.3 m).

(3) If a Mau Zone permit holder sells the vessel, for which the permit is registered for use, the permit holder must within 12 months of the date of sale apply to the PIRO to register the permit for use with a vessel owned by the permit holder. If the permit holder has not applied to register a replacement vessel within 12 months, then the permit expires.

(4) If a permitted vessel owned by the permit holder is sold or becomes unseaworthy, the Mau Zone permit with which the vessel was registered may be registered for use with a leased or chartered vessel for a period not to exceed 12 months from the date of registration of the leased or chartered vessel. If by the end of that 12-month period the permit holder fails to apply to the PIRO to register the permit for use with a vessel owned by the permit holder, then the permit expires.

(j) Mau Zone limited access permit renewal. (1) A Mau Zone permit will be eligible for renewal if the vessel for which the permit is registered for use made at least five separate fishing trips with landings of at least 500 lb (227 kg) of bottomfish management unit species per trip during the calendar year. Only one landing of bottomfish management unit species per fishing trip to the Mau Zone will be counted toward the landing requirement.

(2) If the vessel for which the permit is registered for use fails to meet the landing requirement of paragraph (j)(1) of this section, the owner may apply to the Regional Administrator for a waiver of the landing requirement. Grounds for a waiver are limited to captain incapacitation, vessel breakdowns, and the loss of the vessel at sea if the event prevented the vessel from meeting the landing requirement. Unprofitability is not sufficient for waiver of the landing requirement.

(3) Failure of the permit holder to register a vessel for use under the permit does not exempt a permit holder from the requirements specified in this paragraph.

(k) Appeals of permit actions. (1) Except as provided in subpart D of 15 CFR part 904, any applicant for a permit or a permit holder may appeal the granting, denial, or revocation of his or her permit to the Regional Administrator.

(2) In order to be considered by the Regional Administrator, such appeal must be in writing, must state the action appealed, and the reasons therefore, and must be submitted within 30 days of the appealed action. The appellant may request an informal hearing on the appeal.

(3) The Regional Administrator, in consultation with the Council, will decide the appeal in accordance with the FMP and implementing regulations and based upon information relative to the application on file at NMFS and the Council, the summary record kept of any hearing, the hearing officer's recommended decision, if any, and any other relevant information.

(4) If a hearing is requested, or if the Regional Administrator determines that one is appropriate, the Regional Administrator may grant an informal hearing before a hearing officer designated for that purpose. The applicant or permit holder may appear personally or be represented by counsel at the hearing and submit information and present arguments as determined appropriate by the hearing officer. Within 30 days of the last day of the hearing, the hearing officer shall recommend in writing a decision to the Regional Administrator.

(5) The Regional Administrator may adopt the hearing officer's recommended decision, in whole or in part, or may reject or modify it. The Regional Administrator's decision on the application is the final administrative decision of the Department of Commerce, and is effective on the date the Administrator signs the decision.