Fisheries Management - Information Bulletins
Information Bulletin 01-93
Sustainable Fisheries Division
907-586-7228
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October 19, 2001
4:15 p.m.
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NMFS Announces Regulatory Change: Alaska Commercial Operators Annual Report
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces a new regulation that is effective as of September 19, 2001, according to James W. Balsiger, Administrator, Alaska Region, NMFS.
A final rule published on August 20, 2001, in the Federal Register at 66 FR 43524 requires motherships and catcher/processors in the groundfish fisheries of the exclusive economic zone off Alaska to submit an annual Commercial Operators Annual Report (COAR) to the State of Alaska, Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G). The first full-year COAR is required for the year 2002 and will need to be submitted to ADF&G by April of 2003. However, NMFS and ADF&G would appreciate any volunteer COAR submittals for the year 2001.
The COAR is an important tool for the collection and analyais of economic data: to gather information on exvessel and first wholesale values for state-wide finfish and shellfish products from catcher/processors and motherships at sea. These data together with the COAR information already gathered from shoreside processors and stationary floating processors will provide a means to compare value information (in dollars) of different types of species and products from all processors of fish harvested from Alaska State and Federal waters within a year and comparisons of several years through consistent yearly collection of information.
The 2000 COAR may be found at http://www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/geninfo/permits/intent/coar00.pdf. Further information on this action may be found in the preamble to the proposed rule published at 65 FR 78131 (December 14, 2000).
This information bulletin only provides notice of a regulatory change. For the purposes of complying with the regulatory change, you are advised to see the actual text of the regulation in the Code of Federal Regulations.
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