Title 50
SECTION 679.84
679.84 Rockfish Program recordkeeping, permits, monitoring, and catch accounting.
§ 679.84 Rockfish Program recordkeeping, permits, monitoring, and catch accounting.(a) Recordkeeping and reporting. See § 679.5(r).
(b) Permits. See § 679.4(n).
(c) Catch monitoring requirements for catcher/processors assigned to a rockfish cooperative. The requirements under paragraphs (c)(1) through (10) of this section apply to any catcher/processor vessel assigned to a rockfish cooperative at all times when that vessel has groundfish onboard that were harvested under a CQ permit, or that were harvested by a vessel subject to a rockfish sideboard limit as described under § 679.82(c) through (f), as applicable. The vessel owner or operator must ensure that:
(1) Catch weighing. All catch, except halibut sorted on deck by vessels participating in the halibut deck sorting described at § 679.120, is weighed on a NMFS-approved scale in compliance with the scale requirements at § 679.28(b). Each haul must be weighed separately and all catch must be made available for sampling by an observer.
(2) Observer sampling station. An observer sampling station meeting the requirements at § 679.28(d) is available at all times.
(3) Observer coverage requirements. The vessel is in compliance with the observer coverage requirements described at § 679.51(a)(2).
(4) Operational line. The vessel has no more than one operational line or other conveyance for the mechanized movement of catch between the scale used to weigh total catch and the location where the observer collects species composition samples.
(5) Fish on deck. No fish are allowed to remain on deck unless an observer is present, except for fish inside the codend and fish spilled from the codend during hauling and dumping. Fish spilled from the codend must be moved to the fish bin.
(6) Sample storage. The vessel owner or operator provides sufficient space to accommodate a minimum of 10 observer sampling baskets. This space must be within or adjacent to the observer sample station.
(7) Pre-cruise meeting. The Observer Program is notified by phone at 1 (907) 481-1770 (Kodiak, AK) at least 24 hours prior to departure when the vessel will be carrying an observer who has not previously been deployed on that vessel within the last 12 months. Subsequent to the vessel's departure notification, but prior to departure, NMFS may contact the vessel to arrange for a pre-cruise meeting. The pre-cruise meeting must minimally include the vessel operator or manager and any observers assigned to the vessel.
(8) Belt and flow operations. The vessel operator stops the flow of fish and clears all belts between the bin doors and the area where the observer collects samples of unsorted catch when requested to do so by the observer.
(9) Vessel crew in tanks or bins. The vessel owner or operator must comply with the bin monitoring standards specified in § 679.28(i).
(10) Mixing of hauls. Catch from an individual haul is not mixed with catch from another haul prior to sampling by a NMFS-certified observer;
(d) Catch monitoring requirements for catcher/processors opt-out vessels. The requirements under paragraphs (c)(1) through (9) of this section apply to any catcher/processor opt-out vessels at all times when that vessel has groundfish onboard that were harvested by a vessel subject to a sideboard limit as described under § 679.82(f), as applicable. The vessel owner or operator must ensure that:
(1) Catch from an individual haul is not mixed with catch from another haul prior to sampling by an observer;
(2) All catch be made available for sampling by an observer; and
(3) The requirements in paragraphs (c)(3), (c)(4), (c)(5), (c)(8), and (c)(9) of this section are met.
(e) Catch monitoring requirements for catcher vessels. The owner or operator of a catcher vessel must ensure the vessel complies with the observer coverage requirements described in § 679.51(a)(2) at all times the vessel is participating in a rockfish cooperative.
(f) Catch monitoring requirements for shoreside processors - (1) Catch monitoring and control plan (CMCP). The owner or operator of a shoreside processor receiving deliveries from a catcher vessel described in § 679.51(a)(2) must ensure the shoreside processor complies with the CMCP requirements described in § 679.28(g).
(2) Catch weighing. All groundfish landed by catcher vessels described in § 679.51(a)(2) must be sorted, weighed on a scale approved by the State of Alaska as described in § 679.28(c), and be made available for sampling by an observer, NMFS staff, or any individual authorized by NMFS. Any of these persons must be allowed to test any scale used to weigh groundfish to determine its accuracy.
(g) Catch accounting - (1) Rockfish primary species and rockfish secondary species. All rockfish primary species and rockfish secondary species harvests (including harvests of those species in waters adjacent to the Central GOA that are deducted from the Federal TAC as specified under § 679.20) of a vessel, that is named on an LLP license that is assigned to a rockfish cooperative and fishing under a CQ permit, will be debited against the CQ for that rockfish cooperative from May 1:
(i) Until November 15; or
(ii) Until that rockfish cooperative has submitted a rockfish cooperative termination of fishing declaration that has been approved by NMFS.
(2) Rockfish halibut PSC. All halibut PSC in the Central GOA (including halibut PSC in the waters adjacent to the Central GOA when rockfish primary species and rockfish secondary species caught by that vessel are deducted from the Federal TAC specified under § 679.20) used by a vessel, that is named on an LLP license that is assigned to a rockfish cooperative and fishing under a CQ permit, will be debited against the CQ for that rockfish cooperative from May 1,
(i) Until November 15; or
(ii) Until the designated representative of that rockfish cooperative has submitted a rockfish cooperative termination of fishing declaration that has been approved by NMFS.
(3) Groundfish sideboard limits. All groundfish harvests (including harvests of those species in waters adjacent to the Central GOA that are deducted from the Federal TAC as specified under § 679.20) of a catcher/processor vessel that is subject to a sideboard limit for that groundfish species as described under § 679.82(e), except groundfish harvested by a vessel fishing under a CQ permit in the Central GOA, will be debited against the sideboard limit established for that sector or rockfish cooperative, as applicable.
(4) Halibut sideboard limits. All halibut PSC in the GOA (including halibut PSC in the waters adjacent to the GOA when rockfish primary species and rockfish secondary species caught by that vessel are deducted from the Federal TAC specified under § 679.20) used by a catcher/processor vessel, except halibut PSC used by a vessel fishing under a CQ permit in the Central GOA, will be debited against the sideboard limit established for the rockfish cooperative or catcher/processor opt-out vessel, as applicable from July 1 until July 31.
[67 FR 79734, Dec. 30, 2002, as amended at 77 FR 6502, Feb. 8, 2012; 81 FR 67118, Sept. 30, 2016; 83 FR 30533, June 29, 2018; 84 FR 55053, Oct. 15, 2019]