Alaska fishermen who hold catch shares of halibut, sablefish and Bering Sea crab pay an annual fee to the federal government to cover management and enforcement costs for those fisheries. The fee, which is capped at three percent, is based on dock prices and averaged across the state.
Bills were mailed to 2,163 Alaska longliners, compared to 2,187 last year. For halibut and black cod (sablefish) coverage costs, this year’s fee of 1.6 percent totaled USD 5.2 million, up from USD 3.9 million last year, said Troie Zuniga, fee coordinator at NOAA Fisheries in Juneau.
Record dock prices drove both fisheries during the eight month season. This year’s average price for halibut was USD 6.56 per pound and USD 5.15 per pound for black cod. That compares to averages of USD 4.86 per pound for halibut and USD 3.21 per pound for black cod last year.
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