In the meeting there was discussion to fix the catch limits for this year’s upcoming fishery, which usually begins in early March. It is informed that the harvesters are bracing for a 10 percent coast-wide reduction to 54 million pounds, covering fishing grounds from the West Coast and British Columbia to the farthest reaches Bering Sea.
The decision allowed Alaska to get away the lion’s share of the halibut catch and will get 46 million pounds of the fish, if the International Pacific Halibut Commission goes along with the scientists’ recommendations. This share is less than last year’s 50 million pounds. It is expected that southeast Alaska fishermen would see the biggest hit – a catch of just 4.5 million pounds is a drop of nearly 30 percent for the second year in a row.
According to source the IPHC will also consider several new management proposals – one requests the continued use of electric or electric assisted sport fishing reels to benefit older or disabled anglers, especially in deeper waters. The meeting also mulls over two proposals ask for clarifications of filleting sport caught halibut at sea. The halibut can’t be safely returned to the sea, the proposal states, because the whales gather to quickly gobble them up.
