NOAA Fisheries
Office for Law Enforcement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2004

IFQ RECORDKEEPING RULES TO CHANGE

On August 28, 2003 new regulations will revise certain recordkeeping and reporting requirements for the
Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program for fixed gear Pacific halibut and sablefish fisheries and the
Western Alaska Community Development Quota (CDQ) Program for the Pacific halibut fishery in Alaska.

"The changes will streamline the recordkeeping process for fishermen while it helps us more efficiently
administer the program," said Jeff Passer, Special Agent in Charge for the Alaska Region of NOAA
Fisheries. "It also clarifies the regulations and makes them more consistent."

The IFQ program has been in effect since 1995. It established transferable harvesting privileges among
fishermen. Once the program was well in place, NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement met with the
North Pacific Fishery Management Council's IFQ Implementation Team and reviewed the impact of the
regulations. The group agreed to changes in three main areas to reduce the industry's reporting burden
without adversely affecting enforcement.

The new rules:

Change Prior Notice of Landing notification requirement from six hours to three hours.
Eliminate IFQ vessel clearances & IFQ primary ports and rewrite and enhance IFQ Departure
Report requirements.
Combine the groundfish Product Transfer Report with the IFQ Shipment Report (eliminating the
IFQ Shipment Report form). All groundfish transfers reported by Federally Permitted Processors
and all IFQ halibut, IFQ sablefish, and CDQ halibut shipments reported by Registered buyers will
now be recorded on the Product Transfer Report.

The Product Transfer Report is available here: Product Transfer Report, and can be filled in on screen
and then faxed or e-mailed.

Details of the new regulations can be found in the Federal Register.

Questions may also be directed to local NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement offices.

NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) is dedicated to protecting and preserving
our nation's living marine resources through scientific research, management, enforcement, and the
conservation of marine mammals and other protected marine species and their habitat. To learn more
about NOAA Fisheries in Alaska, please visit our website.