North Pacific Council Votes To Contain Costs in Complex Observer Program
After hearing from dozens of stakeholders, the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council moved to prioritize cutting costs while increasing observer fees modestly from 1.25% to 1.65%.
NOAA Fisheries observer program has statutory authority to raise the rate to 2%, and presented that option as an alternative for the Council, but opposition to it was loud from those small boats already burdened with more than $1,000 a day observer costs.
“The Council identifies cost efficiency as its highest priority for work on the partial coverage observer program,” the Council’s ...
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