End of Year Reminders for Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program Participants in the Gulf of Mexico

Key Messages:

• NOAA Fisheries is sending this reminder to ensure IFQ participants are informed about end of year restrictions as well as subsequent start of year information. NOAA Fisheries is also providing additional information on the IFQ system functions and requirements to ensure participants understand how to participate in the program.
• For further information, IFQ participants can contact the Catch Share Customer Support toll-free at (866) 425-7627 (Option 2) between 8:00 am and 4:30pm, Eastern Time, excluding federal holidays.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What do I need to know about the IFQ year-end reset process?

• NOAA Fisheries will shut down the Catch Shares online system for maintenance beginning at 6:00 p.m. EST on December 31, 2022.  Dealers and IFQ fishermen are reminded that all electronic transactions for the 2022 fishing year must be completed before this time. 
• Online IFQ functions will resume at 2:00 p.m. EST on January 1, 2023. 
• You may still submit an advanced notice of landing during the 20-hour maintenance window by using your vessel monitoring system or by calling the 24/7 Call Service at (866) 425-7627 and selecting option 1.  However, only landing transactions completed prior to 6:00 p.m. EST, December 31, 2022, will count toward your 2022 allocation. 

What happens to the unused allocation left in my account?

• Any remaining allocation in the account at 6:00 p.m., EST, December 31, 2022, expires and is removed from your account by the system.

What do I need to know about share transfers?

• Please remember that a share transfer is a two-step process requiring the transferor to initiate the transaction and the transferee to complete the transaction. 
  1. Transferor initiates the transaction by transferring the shares to another shareholder account.
  2. The transferee completes the transaction by accepting the share transfer under the “Receive Transferred Shares” view. 
• A share transfer transaction that has not been accepted by the transferee (e.g., pending status) after 30 days from the date the transfer was initiated will be cancelled.  If the share transfer is still desired, the transferor will have to restart the share transfer process. 

• Please ensure any share transfers are completed before the online system maintenance outage (December 31, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. EST through January 1, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. EST).  Any transfers initiated by the transferor but not accepted by the transferee will be canceled and the shares will remain in the transferor’s account.

What else do I need to know about my allocation and allocation transfers?

• On January 1, 2023, your 2023 allocation will be issued to your shareholder account.  To use this allocation to harvest IFQ species, you must transfer sufficient allocation to your vessel account prior to completing a landing transaction.  To transfer allocation to your vessel account, log in to your shareholder account.  On the menu bar, select “Allocation,” then select “Transfer Allocation” and follow the instructions.
• When transferring allocation to another shareholder’s vessel account, use the vessel’s Coast Guard documentation or state registration number in the search box.  Many vessels have similar names and this will ensure the correct vessel receives the allocation.

What are the 2022 quotas for each IFQ share category?

How is multi-use allocation determined?

• The gag and red grouper multi-use allocation percentages may change each year based on the annual catch limits and quotas for red grouper and gag.  The percentages are calculated based on a formulaic process involving the annual catch limits and annual catch targets of both species. For 2023, red grouper multi-use allocation will be 2.10% of your total red grouper allocation, while gag multi-use allocation will be 75.30% of your total gag grouper allocation.

What is the status of Gulf of Mexico gag and what is changing?

• A 2021 Gulf of Mexico stock assessment found that gag were experiencing overfishing and were overfished.  Because gag were determined to be overfished, NOAA Fisheries and the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council are required to develop and implement within two years (in this case, by January 26, 2024) a plan amendment (Amendment 56 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico) that would rebuild gag to its historic stock size. 
• While this rebuilding plan is being developed, NOAA Fisheries intends to reduce overfishing of gag in 2023 through an interim rule to lessen future impacts to the population and allow it to rebuild faster. 
• The interim rule would reduce the commercial annual catch target from 939,000 pounds gutted weight (lbs gw) to 199,000 lbs gw.  Publication of a proposed interim rule is expected in mid-January 2023, and a final rule is expected to publish in mid-to-late March 2023. 
• NOAA Fisheries issued a temporary rule On December 9, 2022, holding back a portion of the gag IFQ allocation issued to commercial fishermen beginning on January 1, 2023.  Commercial IFQ allocation will only be issued in the amount equal to the commercial quota, which would be implemented in the interim rule (199,000 lbs gw), with the intent that the interim rule would take effect prior to the expiration of the quota holdback temporary rule (June 1, 2023).

Will there be any changes to the Catch Shares Online System in 2023?

• Starting in the New Year, the Bluefin Tuna Individual Bycatch Quota Program (BFT) will no longer be housed on the SERO Catch Shares Programs online system (https://secatchshares.fisheries.noaa.gov/).
• Stay tuned for the announcement of the new BFT Program website. For further guidance, please contact the BFT customer service line at (301) 427-8591 or BFT customer service email nmfs.hms.ibq@noaa.gov.

How do I submit a VMS power down exemption?

• VMS power down exemptions can be submitted online here:

https://grunt.sefsc.noaa.gov/apex/fer/r/fer_forms/home.

• The above web address will take you to the web page shown below, where you must click on the blue “Power Down Exemption” text:

• You will need to complete the online form which requires all of the information below:

• Power down exemption requests must be a minimum duration of 72 hours from the reported “Turn Off Date & Time” and a maximum duration of one year.
• If you wish to extend your power down exemption, you can simply complete another power down exemption request form online starting after the “Turn On” date of the initial form.
• If you wish to end your power down exemption earlier than the date indicated on your request form, please contact the Southeast Region VMS Commercial Vessel line at (800) 707-1632.

What are Cost Recovery Fees and when do I pay them?

• IFQ fishermen are charged a fee to recover a portion of the costs required to administer, manage, and enforce the IFQ programs.  The current cost recovery fee is 3% of the ex-vessel value of the landed fish before any deductions are made for transferred (leased) allocation and goods and services (e.g., bait, ice, fuel, repairs, machinery replacement, etc.).  The dealer collects this fee from the fisherman at the time of landing.  After the end of each calendar quarter, each dealer must submit the cost recovery fees to NOAA Fisheries via the online system.  The dealer has 30 days from the end of the quarter to submit the cost recovery fee.  If the fee is not paid by the end of the 30 days, the dealer account will be suspended until the fee is paid.  The payment schedule is listed below so that dealers may mark their calendars as a reminder.

SIGN UP FOR TEXT MESSAGE ALERTS - FIND OUT ABOUT IMMEDIATE OPENINGS AND CLOSURES

NOAA's Text Message Alert Program allows you to receive important fishery related alerts via text message (SMS).  Standard message & data rates may apply.  You may opt-out at any time.

Text alerts you may receive include:

• Immediate fishery openings and closures.
• Any significant changes to fishing regulations that happen quickly.

Sign up for one or more of the following groups:

• Gulf of Mexico Recreational Fisheries Related Alerts
  • Text GULFRECFISH to 888777
• Gulf of Mexico Commercial Fisheries Related Alerts
  • Text GULFCOMMFISH to 888777
• South Atlantic Recreational Fisheries Related Alerts
  • Text SATLRECFISH to 888777
• South Atlantic Commercial Fisheries Related Alerts
  • Text SATLCOMMFISH to 888777
• Caribbean Fisheries Related Alerts
  • Text CARIBFISH to 888777

Join us every other Friday on NOAA Fish Instagram for Rec Fish Friday!

Quick Glance Contact List for the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office

Permits Mailbox

The Permits Office in St. Petersburg, Florida (263 13th Ave. South) now has a mailbox in the front lobby of the building where you can drop off original permits for permit transfers. Envelopes with information labels will be provided so that your documents can be attached to the correct application. The mailbox will be checked daily. For more information, contact the Permits Office at 877-376-4877.

Other contacts:

Media: Allison Garrett  (727) 551-5750