Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Maxing out

The 2023 cost recovery fee percentage for the halibut and sablefish individual fishing quota program is 3 percent.

That's the maximum allowed under law and a big jump from the 2022 fee percentage of 1.9 percent.

What accounts for the increase?

The National Marine Fisheries Service explained in a Dec. 28 notice published in the Federal Register:

Between 2022 and 2023 there was a net increase in management costs and a net decrease in fishery value. Management costs increased by approximately 15 percent while fishery value decreased by approximately 34 percent. The net decrease in value was due to lower ex-vessel prices and landings for both halibut and sablefish IFQ fisheries.

IFQ permit holders must submit their 2023 fee payments to NMFS by Jan. 31.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not surprising. Go to a NPFMC meeting, NMFS sitting around, drinking coffee pecking on their computers, then going out to wine and dine with industry lobbists afterwards. Salary, travel, and per diem paid by cost recovery $$ paid by small boat IFQ fishermen. Shameless. Until we start calling them on it, auditing them one by one and making them prove up, it will continue.

Tim said...

We need to demand accountability from these bureaucratic leaches.

Anonymous said...

Seems sensible. When long time operations are getting squeezed out of the fishery jack up the taxes. Take their budget shortfall out of the drag bycatch revenue they are so adamant on increasing out west.

Anonymous said...

Too high!