NOAA Fisheries News Releases
NEWS RELEASE
August 1, 2003
Sheela McLean
(907) 586-7032
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.