Alaskan Fishers Pay 2.4% Fee on 2025 Catch Value
Published Date: 12/31/2025
Notice
Summary
If you fish for North Pacific halibut or sablefish with an Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) permit, you’ll pay a 2.4% fee on your catch’s value in 2025 to help cover management costs. This fee is due by January 31, 2026, and helps keep the fishery fair and well-managed. The new standard prices and fee percentages are set and ready for all IFQ permit holders to use.
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 3 costs, 1 mixed.
2025 IFQ Fee: 2.4% of Catch Value
If you hold an IFQ permit for North Pacific halibut or sablefish, you must pay a fee equal to 2.4% of the ex-vessel value of your 2025 IFQ landings. The fee is calculated using the published standard prices (or your documented actual value) and must be paid on or before January 31, 2026.
Fee Applies to All IFQ Landings and Retro-Payments
The IFQ fee applies to every pound of IFQ halibut and sablefish landed on your IFQ permit(s), including halibut landed as guided angler fish and any retro-payments (bonuses, delayed payments) made to you for previously landed IFQ fish. You must self-collect the fee for those landings and include such payments when calculating your fee.
2025 Fee Lower Than 2024 (2.4% vs 3.0%)
The 2025 IFQ fee percentage is 2.4 percent, down from the 2024 fee percentage of 3.0 percent. NMFS reports management costs decreased by 12.5% and total fishery value increased by 28% compared to 2024, which led to the lower fee percentage for 2025.
Standard Prices Determine Fee Calculations
NMFS published standard ex-vessel prices by month and port to compute the 2025 IFQ fee; those standard prices are valid on December 31, 2025. IFQ permit holders may instead use actual ex-vessel value if they can satisfactorily document all compensation received for their IFQ fish.
Payment Deadline and Electronic Payment Rules
IFQ permit holders must submit 2025 IFQ fee payments to NMFS on or before January 31, 2026. Payment may be made by credit card, debit card, or electronic check via https://www.pay.gov; NMFS will not accept credit card information by phone or in-person.
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