2012-10984. Fishing Capacity Reduction Program for the Southeast Alaska Purse Seine Salmon Fishery

AGENCY:

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION:

Notice of reduction payment tender of Southeast Alaska purse seine salmon permits.

SUMMARY:

The National Marine Fisheries Service published regulations implementing a fishing capacity reduction program in the Southeast Alaska purse seine salmon fishery. The program authorizes NMFS to make payments to permit holders who voluntarily relinquish their fishing permits. The Southeast Revitalization Association (SRA) conducted a bid selection process accepting sixty-four bids to remove Southeast Alaska purse seine salmon permits. It then submitted a reduction plan to NMFS to implement the program. NMFS conducted a referendum which approved the reduction loan repayment fees of $13,133,030 which post-reduction harvesters will repay over a 40-year period removing 64 permits. Accordingly, NMFS is preparing to tender reduction payments to the accepted bidders.

DATES:

The public has until June 6, 2012 to inform NMFS of any holding, owning, or retaining claims that conflict with the representations of bids as presented by the SRA.

ADDRESSES:

Send comments about this notice to Paul Marx, Chief, Financial Services Division, NMFS, Attn: SE Alaska Purse Seine Salmon Buyback, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michael A. Sturtevant at [phone], fax [phone], or [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

The Southeast Alaska purse seine salmon fishery is a commercial fishery in Alaska state waters and adjacent Federal waters. It encompasses the commercial taking of salmon with purse seine gear, and participation is limited to fishermen designated by the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission (CFEC).

NMFS published proposed program regulations on May 23, 2011 (76 FR 29707), and final program regulations on October 6, 2011 (76 FR 61986), to implement the reduction program. Subsequently, the Southeast Revitalization Association submitted a capacity reduction plan to NMFS. NMFS approved the plan on February 24, 2012. NMFS published the list of eligible voters on March 1, 2012 (77 FR 12568) and the notice of referendum period on March 29, 2012 (77 FR 19004). Interested persons should review these for further program details.

II. Present Status

NMFS conducted a referendum to determine the industry's willingness to repay a fishing capacity reduction loan to purchase the permits identified in the reduction plan. NMFS mailed ballots to 379 permanent permit holders in the fishery designated as S01A by CFEC who were eligible to vote in the referendum. The voting period opened on March 30, 2012, and closed on April 30, 2012. NMFS received 269 timely and valid votes. 215 of the votes approved the fees. This exceeded the majority of permit holders (190) required for industry fee system approval. Therefore, the referendum is deemed successful and permit holders are deemed to have approved the industry fee system. Accordingly, the reduction contracts are in full force and effect and NMFS is now preparing to tender and disburse reduction payments to selected bidders.

III. Purpose

NMFS publishes this notice to inform the public before tendering reduction payments to the 64 accepted bidders. Upon receiving notice from CFEC that the permit has been relinquished and is no longer valid, NMFS will tender reduction payments on or about June 6, 2012. When NMFS tenders a reduction payment to a selected bidder, the selected bidder must permanently stop all further fishing represented by each reduction permit the bidder has relinquished. The selected bidder, in accordance with section 5 of the relinquishment contract, must notify all creditors or other parties with security interests in the reduction permit, that they have entered into the relinquishment contract.

This notice provides the public (including creditors or other parties) 30 days from publication of this notice to advise NMFS in writing of any holding, owning, or retaining claims that conflict with the representations of bids as presented by the SRA.

IV. Selected Bidders and Permits

The table below lists the 64 permit holders who will receive reduction payments when NMFS receives confirmation from CFEC that the specified permits have been relinquished.

Last name	First name	Permit No.
Alfieri	Joe	S01A60791I
Alfieri	Anthony	S01A55646M
Barrett	Davis	S01A58501W
Beritich	Mitchell	S01A58923M
Bill	David	S01A58338U
Blair	Andrew	S01A59085F
Botsford	Wallace	S01A63175B
Buschmann	Ronn	S01A55479D
Christensen	Dale	S01A60803V
DeGroen	Johnny	S01A58505S
Demmert	Nicholas	S01A56948W
Dontos	Larry	S01A59705K
Fanning	Christine	S01A60909J
Finney	Paul	S01A64933S
Gruenheit	Michael	S01A55083V
Haldane	Robert	S01A56620L
Haltiner	Fred	S01A55617L
Hansen	William	S01A55442A
Hanson	Jeff	S01A57976
Haynes	Bradley	S01A574950
Jensen	Douglas	S01A59714N
Johns	Justna	S01A55403
Jolibois	Timothy	S01A56018A
Jurlin	Marie	S01A58547R
Kohlase	Ernest	S01A56199V
Krieger	Kenneth	S01A59613M
Krigbaum	Michael	S01A58031W
Kvernvik	Carolyn	S01A55231R
MacDonald	Clifford	S01A55545L
Mann	Bruce	S01A56187
Manos	Andrew	S01A59222I
Manos	Thomas	S01A60642C
Maricich	Timothy	S01A59569W
Markusen	Kenneth	S01A55584K
Marrese	Andrew	S01A57909W
Marvin-Denkinger	Victoria	S01A58429X
McGee	Gary	S01A56559
McLean	John	S01A56270P
Menten	Erik	S01A57726X
Michael	Mercury	S01A55386C
Nash	Paul	S01A57907M
Nugent	Matthew	S01A55689G
Olney	Virginia	S01A57720
Peterman	Chad	S01A55986F
Pfundt	Michele	S01A56392F
Reifenstuhl	Ivan	S01A55171A
Reimnitz	Hartmut	S01A578995
Rocheleau	Rick	S01A58478
Schonberg	Peter	S01A56601I
Schonberg	Mart	S01A56882A
Scudder	Bradley	S01A56000N
Selivanoff	Douglas	S01A57856A
Sorensen	Paige	S01A58511U
Spearin	James	S01A59372G
Suydam	Antril	S01A57910N
Svensson	John	S01A56492N
Tarabochia	Dominick	S01A56600P
Thorstenson	Peder	S01A59806J
Veerhusen	Daniel	S01A56638X
Wallace	Bruce	S01A55827B
Wamser	William	S01A60071B
Wills	Charles	S01A58070V
Zuanich	Michelle	S01A57849F
Zuanich	Michelle	S01A568811

Dated: May 2, 2012.

Lindsay Fullenkamp,

Acting Director, Office of Management and Budget, National Marine Fisheries Service.