The cut in halibut quota lead to worry for some fishermen but the authority informed that this might not lead to higher prices. As the halibut quota has slashed there is less for B.C. fishermen to catch the Pacific halibut. Many feels that like last year cut in quota might lead to high price and so many customers stocked up amid worries they would go even higher.
Olav Adlersparre said that there is still a lot of inventory left which big players are trying to move out. Olav buys about one million pounds of halibut annually for Albion Fisheries Ltd., a major seafood supplier in B.C. According to him the prices of halibut will be pretty much stable this year.
William Strong, a fisherman and part-owner of the family-owned The Fish Store on Erie Street, expressed that this is the right time to buy because of the quantity of halibut being landed right now. He expects that the prices can fluctuate considerably and it is too early in the season to say where they will end up. Even Strong also expects higher prices overall because of the reduced quota.
The quota was set by the International Pacific Halibut Commission and this year the commission has reduced the allowable catches along the coats for US fishermen off Alaska, Washington and Oregon as well. It is fact that the plan is to cut back on the fishing for a couple of years to allow the younger fish to grow and then move up the quota again, says the commission.
