Shrimp Trawling Transition Program/Fees
House Bill 441 creates a temporary Shrimp Trawl Transition Program within the Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries to make annual transition payments to certain commercial fishing license holders who reported inshore shrimp landings by trawl net between January 1, 2023, and June 30, 2025. Eligible applicants must have held a Standard Commercial Fishing License or Retired Standard Commercial Fishing License during that period and must submit trip-ticket documentation by December 1, 2025. The program is funded from the North Carolina Commercial Fishing Resource Fund and the North Carolina Marine Resources Fund, with authority for the Division to use up to $2 million annually from the Marine Resource Endowment Fund to cover shortfalls. The program expires October 1, 2028, and the Department must report annually on applicants, awards, and funding status.
The bill also increases a wide range of coastal and marine fishing-related fees. It raises resident and nonresident fees for Standard Commercial Fishing Licenses, Retired Standard Commercial Fishing Licenses, commercial fishing vessel registrations, shellfish licenses, fish dealer applications, land-or-sell licenses, recreational commercial gear licenses, coastal recreational fishing licenses, for-hire licenses, ten-day licenses, and unified hunting/fishing licenses. In several cases, the bill substantially increases nonresident fees and adjusts resident fees upward as well. These changes would amend multiple provisions in Chapter 113 governing marine and recreational fishing licenses and vessel registrations.
In practical terms, the bill would shift state law by creating a new temporary compensation mechanism for shrimp trawl operators while also increasing the cost of participating in commercial and recreational coastal fishing activities. It authorizes the use of dedicated fisheries funds for transition payments and sets a formula for calculating each payment based on reported shrimp ticket values, subject to available funding and proportional reductions if claims exceed resources. The bill also preserves eligibility for some shrimp harvesters who use legal gear in certain areas or outside the trawl-restricted area, so long as they otherwise meet the reporting and licensing requirements.
The overall sentiment reflected in the voting history appears generally supportive of the bill’s core structure, but not without disagreement over amendments. The bill passed second and third readings with strong majorities, including unanimous or near-unanimous early votes and later votes of 45-2 and 43-2. However, several amendment-related motions were closely divided or failed to table by narrower margins, suggesting active debate over details of the transition program and fee increases. The absence of committee transcripts limits insight into specific arguments, but the vote pattern indicates broad support for the bill with some notable opposition to particular changes.
The main points of contention appear to center on the scope and fairness of the shrimp trawl transition payments and the size of the fee increases, especially for nonresident license holders and commercial operators. Supporters likely view the bill as a targeted transition measure for affected shrimp trawl participants and a way to bolster fisheries funding, while opponents may object to using public fisheries funds for payments tied to a specific fishing method or to the magnitude of the new fees. The close votes on motions to table amendments suggest that the details of the compensation formula and fee schedule were the most disputed aspects of the legislation.
The bill would amend multiple sections of Chapter 113 of the North Carolina General Statutes governing marine fisheries, commercial fishing licenses, recreational coastal fishing licenses, vessel registrations, and for-hire fishing licenses. It creates a new temporary program administered by the Division of Marine Fisheries, authorizes specified fisheries funds to pay transition benefits, and revises numerous fee schedules upward for resident and nonresident license holders, commercial vessels, shellfish licenses, fish dealers, and recreational anglers. It also sets reporting requirements and expiration dates for the new program and fee changes.
The bill appears to have broad overall support, as shown by strong favorable votes on second and third reading, but it also generated meaningful debate over amendments. Several amendment-related motions were contested, with some failing on relatively close margins, indicating that while the chamber supported the bill’s general purpose, members disagreed on specific details. The final votes suggest the bill was acceptable to most legislators, though not unanimously.
The main contention concerns whether the state should create and fund a transition payment program for shrimp trawl license holders and how those payments should be calculated. Some members likely questioned the use of fisheries funds and the Marine Resource Endowment Fund for this purpose, while others may have objected to the bill’s substantial fee increases, particularly for nonresident commercial and recreational users. The close votes on motions to table amendments suggest disagreement over the bill’s structure, scope, and financial impacts on the fishing industry and license holders.