NMFS wins halibut charter case

A federal judge today declared the National Marine Fisheries Service the winner in a lawsuit some halibut charter boat operators were pressing to try to invalidate a new rule holding charter anglers in Southeast Alaska (Area 2C) to a bag limit of one fish per day instead of two.

This is a victory not only for NMFS, but for commercial halibut longliners who believe the one-fish rule is badly needed to control the growth of the charter catch in a region where halibut abundance has been declining.

Judge Rosemary Collyer, by the way, previously had blocked the rule temporarily at the request of the charter operators.

Here's the judge's opinion.