San Mateo County Harbor District eyes fees for off-boat sales

“It’s a small portion of the pie, but a lot of small portions add up fast,” Harbor District General Manager Jim Pruett said.

Off-the-dock sales 20 years ago were minimal, but now around 50 boats sell on Johnson Pier, bringing in lots of people on the weekends to Pillar Point Harbor, Pruett said.

The extra customers are a burden on facilities, causing increased wear and tear to the parking lots, bathrooms and docks. The public facilities then require additional workers to manage. Given the contribution to public foot traffic, the Harbor District wants to see fishermen pay fees for dock use to ensure equity between them and other pier businesses who pay fees for public maintenance. Permitting would remain similar, with fees the most significant change. Pruett said no range for the fees has been established and is still under consideration.

The current system features a limited commercial activity permit that would switch over to a more comprehensive process. Pruett said the Harbor District is still figuring out the details and the best and easiest method. A potential tiered system would have different fee ranges for someone who sells crab when compared to someone who offers crab and salmon or someone selling halibut. He believes a tiered system will benefit big and small fishermen to ensure they are not paying the same for different services.

“I think the tiered system is something we should look at,” Pruett said.

Pruett noted restaurants currently pay 3% to 5% on gross sales, but fishermen were against gross sales, wanting an upfront tiered system fee.

“I really want to get buy-in from the fishermen before I go to the board. The main goal is to not outprice Pillar Point Harbor for the fishermen,” Pruett said.

Harbor District staff will put together potential models for the board based on ideas from the meeting. The board will likely have something to approve in three or four months, with public input possible before a final decision, Pruett said. Implementation would begin at the beginning of 2022. Fishermen will receive a physical permit to make it easier for enforcement authorities to know who should be there and who shouldn’t.

Virginia Chang Kiraly, president of the Harbor District Board of Commissioners, said the fees would help recoup the costs needed to maintain the public space. The working dock swells with activity on weekends due to trucks, the public and people selling the daily catch. She stressed the fees were not about revenue or funding other projects but about managing the pier’s public spaces. Chang Kiraly thought the tiered system proposed and discussed could be a solution to fee options.

“I think that the tiered structure offered was a good idea,” she said.

Chang Kiraly believes public dialogue was necessary to ensure fee success, and she thanked the public for caring enough to show up.

“I think this type of collaboration and dialogue is important, especially as we come out of COVID and work towards economic recovery,” Chang Kiraly said.

Commissioner Bill Zemke was struck by the complexity and details required to ensure program success.

“Whatever we do, I want to make sure we do it in the most efficient way possible,” Zemke said.

Frank Sousa, a Half Moon Bay fisherman, said prioritizing local fishermen who sell yearly on the dock and rely on local customers was necessary for fee consideration.

“In order to keep being successful, it needs to be tailored to the fishermen of Half Moon Bay,” Sousa said.

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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