The Council took final action to recommend a Charter Halibut Stamp mechanism for charter vessel operators to fund the Recreational Quota Entity (RQE). The Council recommended that NMFS develop regulations to establish the fee requirement for a Charter Halibut Stamp and contract with the RQE to develop the fee collection system. The Charter Halibut Stamp would be required for charter vessel anglers 18 years of age and older for each day they intend to harvest halibut on a charter vessel fishing trip in International Pacific Halibut Commission regulatory areas 2C and 3A. This includes charter halibut vessels operated and permitted under the Community Quota Entity and Military Morale and Welfare programs.
The Council determined that stamp fees in the first three years after the implementation of the program cannot exceed the following amounts: $20 for a 1-day stamp, $40 for a 3-day stamp, and $60 for a 7-day stamp. However, after the first three years of implementation, the RQE may recommend that NMFS increase the fee amounts in each of these categories by up to 10% annually. The RQE may also recommend a fee less than these amounts or recommend discontinuing the fee collection if deemed warranted.
The Sportfishing Guide Business Owner or their designee would be responsible for paying all required fees. Charter Vessel Guides would be responsible for ensuring there is a validated halibut stamp on the vessel for each angler subject to the fee for each day of halibut fishing. Fee payment and charter halibut stamp validation would need to occur prior to departure of each fishing day.
Although the Council outlined several policy-level decision points for the Charter Halibut Stamp program, including maximum fee amounts, there are still many types of decisions left to be made. In developing the regulations, it is the intent of the Council that NMFS coordinate with the Charter Halibut Management Committee and the RQE in the development of the stamp requirements and fee collection system and update the Council as appropriate.
The Council’s final action recommendation is predicated on concurrent action in the U.S. Congress to grant NMFS this fee collection authority. This authority is currently being considered in Congress as part of a larger package titled the America COMPETES Act. If this language is amended or does not get signed into law by the president, it may be necessary for the Council to reconsider its recommendation for the RQE funding mechanism.
Relatedly, in February of 2022, the Council initiated an analysis to consider revising the commercial/ charter halibut allocations under the Area 2C and 3A Catch Sharing Plan (CSP). Staff were directed to evaluate the impacts of increasing the charter halibut portion of the combined catch limit (CCL) at the lowest level of CCL and decreasing the charter portion of the CCL in the third tier of the allocation for both Area 2C and 3A. However, the Council’s purpose and need statement specified that the RQE is its preferred method for reallocation of halibut harvesting opportunity from the commercial halibut sector to the charter halibut sector. It specified that should the Council both take final action on the RQE funding mechanism (as occurred at this April 2022 meeting) and the RQE fee funding mechanism become law, the Council intends to table (or rescind as suggested in April) this action to change the CSP at the following Council meeting.
Staff contact is Sarah Marrinan.
