June 30, 2026 — Federal fisheries managers have instituted new regulations for charter halibut fishing in Southeast and Southcentral Alaska this year. Anglers charter fishing in these regions must have a charter halibut stamp in order to keep their catch.
The stamp costs $20 per day and the money will go to a nonprofit called the Recreational Quota Entity.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, charter boat operators are the ones in charge of buying the stamps. David Ardinger, who asked to be referred to as Captain Dave, is the owner and operator of Fish ‘N Chips Charters in Kodiak. He said he wishes it was on the angler to buy the halibut stamp, which is the case for the king salmon stamp. But he’s not against the stamp in general.
“It’s a good idea, the idea of a halibut stamp, because they’re going to use the money to buy commercial IFQs,” he said.
By buying individual fishing quotas or IFQs from the commercial fishing industry, the Recreational Quota Entity will ultimately up the number of halibut that charter boats can harvest. But Captain Dave said it’s a small fix for a larger problem.