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NOAA Fisheries Announces the Final Rule for the Halibut Recreational Quota Entity Program Fee Collection Starting January 2026
Today, NOAA Fisheries announced the final rule that will require all charter (i.e. guided sport) vessel anglers to be assigned a charter halibut stamp for each day they intend to catch and retain halibut in International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) regulatory area 2C (Southeast Alaska) and 3A (Southcentral Alaska).
NOAA Fisheries will begin collecting fees and issuing electronic charter halibut stamps to Charter Halibut Permit (CHP) holders in January 2026. The daily fee for a stamp is $20. There are no changes for the 2025 fishing season.
CHP holders will purchase stamps through eFISH, a NOAA Fisheries online platform, and may purchase any amount of stamps at any time. NOAA Fisheries will hold stamps in the CHP holder’s online account until they are validated for daily use on charter vessels. Fishing guides on charter vessels will validate halibut stamps for daily use by using Alaska Department of Fish and Game electronic logbooks (eLogbook).
Fees collected from the stamps will be used to fund the Recreational Quota Entity (RQE), which is a non-profit organization that works on behalf of the charter industry to purchase halibut quota shares from the commercial fishery. The funding will allow the RQE to purchase quota shares for use by the charter fishery, which may result in less restrictive annual management measures for the charter fishery. Please see the final rule and Small Entity Compliance Guide FAQ for more information.
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Questions?
Contact Doug Duncan, Sustainable Fisheries Division
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