Section

[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 50, Volume 4]
[Revised as of October 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 50CFR679.27]

[Page 684-685]

TITLE 50--WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

PART 679--FISHERIES OF THE EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE OFF ALASKA--Table of Contents

Subpart B--Management Measures

Sec. 679.27 Improved Retention/Improved Utilization Program.

(a) Applicability. The owner or operator of a vessel that is
required to obtain a Federal fisheries or processor permit under
Sec. 679.4 must comply with the IR/IU program set out in this section
while fishing for groundfish in the GOA or BSAI, fishing for groundfish
in waters of the State of Alaska that are shoreward of the GOA or BSAI,
or when processing groundfish harvested in the GOA or BSAI.
(b) IR/IU species. The following species are defined as ``IR/IU
species'' for the purposes of this section:
(1) Pollock.
(2) Pacific cod.
(3) Rock sole in the BSAI (beginning January 1, 2003).
(4) Yellowfin sole in the BSAI (beginning January 1, 2003).
(5) Shallow-water flatfish species complex in the GOA as defined in
the annual harvest specifications for the GOA (beginning January 1,
2003).
(c) Minimum retention requirements--(1) Definition of retain on
board. Notwithstanding the definition at 50 CFR 600.10, for the purpose
of this section, to retain on board means to be in possession of on
board a vessel.
(2) The following table displays minimum retention requirements by
vessel category and directed fishing status:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
You must retain on
If you own or operate a And board until lawful
transfer
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(i) Catcher vessel............ (A) Directed all fish of that
fishing for an IR/ species brought on
IU species is open. board the vessel.
(B) Directed all fish of that
fishing for an IR/ species brought on
IU species is board the vessel
prohibited. up to the MRB
amount for that
species.
(C) Retention of an no fish of that
IR/IU species is species.
prohibited.
(ii) Catcher/ processor....... (A) Directed a primary product
fishing for an IR/ from all fish of
IU species is open. that species
brought on board
the vessel.
(B) Directed a primary product
fishing for an IR/ from all fish of
IU species is that species
prohibited. brought on board
the vessel up to
the point that the
round-weight
equivalent of
primary products
on board equals
the MRB amount for
that species.
(C) Retention of an no fish or product
IR/IU species is of that species.
prohibited.
(iii) Mothership.............. (A) Directed a primary product
fishing for an IR/ from all fish of
IU species is open. that species
brought on board
the vessel.
(B) Directed a primary product
fishing for an IR/ from all fish of
IU species is that species
prohibited. brought on board
the vessel up to
the point that the
round-weight
equivalent of
primary products
on board equals
the MRB amount for
that species.
(C) Retention of an no fish or product
IR/IU species is of that species.
prohibited.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

(d) Bleeding codends and shaking longline gear. Any action intended
to discard or release an IR/IU species prior to being brought on board
the vessel is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to bleeding
codends and shaking or otherwise removing fish from longline gear.
(e) At-sea discard of product. Any product from an IR/IU species may
not be discarded at sea, unless such discarding is necessary to meet
other requirements of this part.
(f) Discard of fish or product transferred from other vessels. The
retention requirements of this section apply to all IR/IU species
brought on board a

[[Page 685]]

vessel, whether harvested by that vessel or transferred from another
vessel. At-sea discard of IR/IU species or products that were
transferred from another vessel is prohibited.
(g) IR/IU species as bait. IR/IU species may be used as bait
provided that the deployed bait is physically secured to authorized
fishing gear. Dumping of unsecured IR/IU species as bait (chumming) is
prohibited.
(h) Previously caught fish. The retention and utilization
requirements of this section do not apply to incidental catch of dead or
decomposing fish or fish parts that were previously caught and discarded
at sea.
(i) Minimum utilization requirements. If you own or operate a
catcher/processor or mothership, the minimum utilization requirement for
an IR/IU species harvested in the BSAI is determined by the directed
fishing status for that species according to the following table:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
then your total weight of retained
or lawfully transferred products
If * * * produced from your catch or receipt
of that IR/IU species during a
fishing trip must * * *
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) directed fishing for an IR/IU species is open, equal or exceed 15 percent of the
round-weight catch or round-weight
delivery of that species during
the fishing trip.
(2) directed fishing for an IR/IU species is prohibited, equal or exceed 15 percent of the
round-weight catch or round-weight
delivery of that species during
the fishing trip or 15 percent of
the MRB amount for that species,
whichever is lower.
(3) retention of an IR/IU species is prohibited, equal zero.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[62 FR 63890, Dec. 3, 1997, as amended at 62 FR 65381, Dec. 12, 1997]