The North Pacific License Limitation Program (LLP)

Trawl catcher vessel. Photo: Kent Lind, NMFS

Groundfish and Crab LLP Licenses

King crab. Photo: Kent Lind, NMFS

License Requirement

As of January 1, 2000, any person who wishes to deploy a harvesting vessel in the king and tanner crab fisheries in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands (BSAI) and in the LLP groundfish fisheries (see definition below) in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) or the BSAI must hold a valid groundfish or crab license (as appropriate) issued under the LLP. Further, an original license must name a vessel and be on board that vessel when it is engaged in such fishing (exceptions are explained below). While engaged in fishing for LLP species, a vessel may engage in LLP activities and in the areas for which it's license is endorsed. The LLP is authorized in Federal regulations at 50 CFR 679.4(k), definitions relevant to the program are at 679.2, and prohibitions are at 679.7.

Crab License Eligibility Criteria Amendment

Beginning January 1, 2003, persons who wish to participate in the directed fishery for Pacific cod in the BS and/or AI with pot or hook-and-line gear must have the appropriate gear-specific Pacific cod endorsement on the LLP license that names their vessel. Pacific cod endorsements are not required for trawl gear or jig gear; for these gears, licenses only need a trawl, or non-trawl gear endorsement, respectively. Specific Pacific cod endorsements are not required in the GOA. Note that even with the appropriate endorsements, an LLP license holder may participate in the Pacific cod directed fishery only in the subareas (BS and/or AI) for which their LLP license is endorsed.

Pacific Cod License Eligibility Criteria Amendment

Exceptions to the Pacific cod endorsement requirement
There are three exceptions to the Pacific cod endorsement requirement, including:

1. Any vessel exempted from the LLP program
2. Any catcher vessel less than 60 feet length overall (LOA)
3. Any catch of Pacific cod for personal use bait

The LLP license requirement does not apply to Pacific halibut or ling cod, which are not considered groundfish under the Federal Fishery Management Plans. In addition, some Federal groundfish species fisheries are not subject to the license requirement. In Federal regulations, License Limitation groundfish means: "target species and the 'other species' category, specified annually pursuant to 679.20(a)(2), except that demersal shelf rockfish east of 140° W. longitude and sablefish managed under the IFQ program are not considered license limitation groundfish."

Please Note: The LLP license requirement is in addition to all other permits or licenses required by federal or state regulations.

Exceptions to Groundfish and Crab LLP License Requirements

There are four exceptions to the LLP license requirement, including:

1. vessels that do not exceed 26 feet in Length Overall (LOA) in the GOA;
2. vessels that do not exceed 32 feet LOA in the BSAI;
3. vessels that do not exceed 60 feet LOA, and that are using jig gear (but no more than 5 jig machines, one line per machine, and 15 hooks per line) are exempt from the LLP requirements in the BSAI; and,
4. certain vessels constructed for, and used exclusively in, Community Development Quota fisheries.

The LLP is a Federal program; LLP licenses are not required for participation in fisheries that occur in the waters of the State of Alaska.

Application Period

The application period for initial allocation of licenses began on September 13, 1999, and ended as of close of business on December 17, 1999. Under the regulations, applications for licenses submitted after December 17, 1999, will be denied as untimely; however, persons who believe that a license should be issued to them may apply at any time.

Proposed Program Changes

The LLP requirements have become more refined as time goes on.

In addition to the amendments already implemented, others may be proposed by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. For additional information on potential LLP changes under consideration, contact the Council at 907-271-2809, or view their website: NPFMC.

You can also find final and proposed rules as well as other notices on the regulation summary page.

Description of LLP Groundfish Endorsement Areas

Groundfish licenses are issued with area endorsements which, except in one case, have the same boundaries as Federal statistical and reporting areas. In the BSAI there are two LLP endorsement areas: Bering Sea (BS) and Aleutian Islands (AI). In the Gulf of Alaska, there are three LLP endorsement areas: West Gulf (WG), Central Gulf (CG), and Southeast Gulf (SE). The LLP area CG is the exception mentioned above because it includes the West Yakutat district. An LLP CG area endorsement is earned based on harvests both from the Central Gulf of Alaska and the West Yakutat District, which in turn, authorizes harvesting in the entire region from 140 to 159 degrees west longitude and south of the Kenai Peninsula/Aleutian Chain.

Description of LLP Crab Endorsement Fisheries

Crab licenses are issued with species-area (fishery) endorsements. Pursuant to the BSAI Crab Rationalization Program, all crab licenses (endorsed for fisheries other than just Norton Sound king crab) were revised in September 2005 to reflect fisheries remaining under governance of the LLP program. The actual areas available for harvest during any open fishery may differ. For the latest crab management information, contact the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Dutch Harbor by email or by phone at (907) 581-1219.

Transferability of Licenses

Permanent LLP licenses are transferable from the person holding the license to other persons, under the LLP regulations. To be effective, an application for the transfer of a license must be submitted to, and approved by, NMFS. Click here for a copy of the transfer application form and instructions for completing it. Transfer applications are also available from RAM. A summary of transfer rules follows:

• Licenses may only be transferred to qualified persons;
• Unless they are initially issued, no person may hold more than ten (10) groundfish licenses or five (5) crab licenses at any one time;
• An LLP license may not be transferred voluntarily more than one time in a calendar year;
• Licenses may transfer by "operation of law" (foreclosure, inheritance, court order, etc.); such transfers (which may or may not include a vessel) will not be considered a "voluntary transfer" for purposes of limiting the number of allowable transfers in a calendar year;
• Endorsements on licenses are not severable from the license; and,
• A person who receives both a groundfish license and a crab license derived from the qualifying history of one vessel may not transfer one without transferring both; this is a form of license "pairing" that may be reexamined by the Council to determine whether its continuation is justified.

Finally, a license that is issued premised on the fishing history of a vessel used to make qualifying harvests of license limitation groundfish or crab, but was not named on a Federal Fisheries Permit during January 1, 1988, through October 8, 1998, will contain the name and other characteristics of the original qualifying vessel as a permanent "endorsement" on the license, regardless of any other vessel on which that LLP license has been used.

Any transferable LLP license derived from an AFA-permitted vessel is transferable for use only on another AFA-permitted vessel.

Lists of LLP Licenses Issued

The Restricted Access Management (RAM) Program has prepared lists of License Limitation Program (LLP) groundfish and crab licenses issued as of the indicated preparation date. LLP licenses are initially issued to persons, based on the activities of original qualifying vessels. Data are sorted alphabetically and are updated daily.

Important notes about the content of these files:

1. Under current regulations, vessels must be designated on the licenses and the identities of original qualifying vessels are provided for reference only.
2. Most "Interim" nontransferable licenses result from applicant claims that differ from information in the NMFS LLP Official Record. RAM will reissue those licenses as necessary after applicants have the opportunity to submit evidence and participate in the appeals process. RAM is unable to provide the exact date on which a case will be reviewed, or speculate on the outcome. Licenses that are not Interim do not expire but may be superceded by another license issued by RAM.
3. A small number of groundfish licenses may be used only on the original qualifying vessel whose activities gave rise to the license (or, with NMFS' approval, on a replacement vessel if the original qualifying vessel is lost or destroyed). The groundfish license lists indicate those licenses which are so restricted.
4. NMFS cannot speculate on the form of future LLP changes, nor on Secretarial approval of Council recommendations.
5. The ".csv" format files have some additional information not available in the ".pdf" versions due to space limitations. They include the state of residence of the license holder, identification of "non-severable" groundfish and crab LLP licenses, and, for groundfish, the name of the original qualifying vessel that gave rise to the license. The ".csv" format files have the following characteristics:
• field names included on line 2,
• fields are comma delimited,
• text fields are surrounded by double quotes

LLP Licenses Issued

• List of groundfish LLP licenses: 2008, 2007
• List of crab LLP licenses: 2008, 2007

Sideboard Vessels and Licenses

Sideboards apply to non-AFA crab vessels that resulted in snow crab quota, and to any vessels fishing under any LLP groundfish licenses derived from those vessels.

Sideboard Lists

• List of Vessels Affected by Sideboards
• List of LLP Groundfish Licenses Limited by Sideboard

Questions and Clarifications

If you have any questions about the LLP program or the application process, please contact RAM:

Phone: 800-304-4846 (press "2")
Phone: 907-586-7202 (press "2")
Fax:     907-586-7354
Email: RAM Program