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NMFS Implements New Federal Fisheries Permit and Vessel Monitoring System Requirements for 2002
New Federal Fisheries Permit (FFP) and vessel monitoring system (VMS) requirements are contained in an Emergency Rule published in the Federal Register at 67 FR 956, January 8, 2002, and incorporated into regulations governing commercial fishing off Alaska (50 CFR Part 679), according to James W. Balsiger, Administrator, Alaska Region, NMFS. This information bulletin is provided to explain these new requirements.
New FFP Required. Effective January 1, 2002, any vessel using pot, hook-and-line or trawl gear in the directed fisheries for pollock, Atka mackerel or Pacific cod in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) or the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) management areas must have on board an original FFP that has been specifically endorsed for these fisheries.
To obtain an FFP endorsed for these fisheries a separate FFP application must be submitted for each vessel that will be participating in these fisheries. On the application form, the desired endorsement(s) are entered in Block F, and the completed form is signed and returned to the Restricted Access Management (RAM) Program Office (address below); alternatively, the application may be sent by facsimile to RAM at 907-586-7354:
Applications may be obtained by contacting NMFS/RAM or from the NMFS/AKR website: www.fakr.noaa.gov/ram/ffpfpp.htm. Application forms may also be photocopied.
Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) Required. Effective June 10, 2002, vessels authorized to participate in the directed fisheries for Pacific cod, pollock and Atka mackerel in the GOA and BSAI must have on board, and use, a VMS, while conducting directed fishing for groundfish or Pacific halibut IFQ, regardless of where the vessel is operating.
Information about these reporting and VMS requirements is available by contacting the NMFS/AKR, Office of Enforcement at 907-586-7225, or from the ENF web site at: www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ole/Alaska/.
Pre-fishing Notification Required. Also effective June 10, 2002, vessels with FFPs endorsed for Pacific cod, pollock and Atka mackerel, and equipped with VMS, must notify the NMFS Office of Law Enforcement by fax (907-586-7703) at least 72 hours in advance of entering an area in which the vessel will fish.
The notice must include the vessel ID, VMS transponder ID, and the approximate time and location that directed fishing for groundfish or halibut IFQ will commence.
This information bulletin provides notice of a regulatory change. Do not rely upon it to guide you in complying with the regulatory change. For further information, please call the Sustainable Fisheries Division, Alaska Region, 907-586- 7228.
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