Alaska Trawlers Face New Monitoring Fee Rate
Published Date: 5/20/2026
Notice
Summary
If you own a trawl fishing vessel in Alaska’s full coverage electronic monitoring program, you’ll pay a tiny fee of 0.12% for the 2025 fishing season. This fee helps cover the cost of electronic monitoring instead of human observers and is due by May 31, 2026. It’s a smart way to keep fishing fair and data accurate while saving money overall.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 2 costs, 2 mixed.
0.12% Trawl EM Fee for 2025
If you own a trawl fishing vessel in Alaska's full coverage Trawl Electronic Monitoring (EM) Program, you owe a fee equal to 0.12% of the ex-vessel value of your 2025 pollock landings. That fee was used to calculate invoices for the 2025 fishing season and must be paid to NMFS on or before May 31, 2026.
Standard Pollock Price: $0.15/lb
NMFS published a standard ex-vessel price for pollock of $0.15 per pound for 2025. NMFS uses that standard price (and reported volume/value data) in the calculation process for the trawl EM fee percentage.
Full vs. Partial Coverage Fee Difference
Only vessels placed in the full coverage Trawl EM category are subject to the 0.12% trawl EM fee announced here; vessels in the partial coverage category pay their monitoring fee through the North Pacific Observer Program fee (per standard prices published December 30, 2025).
Nonpayment or Compliance Can Bar Participation
NMFS can disallow a vessel's participation in the Trawl EM Program for reasons such as compliance issues or non-payment of fees. If disallowed, a vessel would not remain in the Trawl EM Program for that calendar year.
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