Friday, January 27, 2012

Another season, another deep cut for halibut

The International Pacific Halibut Commission today approved a coastwide catch limit of 33.54 million pounds, down 18 percent from last year.

The cut compounds the 19 percent reduction seen in 2011.

The season will open on March 17.

The IPHC manages U.S. and Canadian halibut stocks. The bulk of the commercial catch comes from Alaska.

Here is the full slate of 2012 catch limits, by regulatory area, expressed in millions of pounds.






































































Regulatory area2011 catch limits2012 catch limits% change
2A0.910.99+9
2B7.657.04-8
2C2.332.62+13
3A14.3611.92-17
3B7.515.07-32
4A2.411.57-35
4B2.181.87-14
4CDE3.722.47-34
TOTAL41.0733.54-18

Click here for a map of IPHC regulatory areas.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lets close all commercial and sport halibut fisheries. They interfere with the trawl industry. It's too much to ask the drag queens to get an economic sex change. It's time for wannabe sports & longliners to "get a life"! Free food stamps and sidewalk real estate.

Anonymous said...

The chart accurately ranks the political influence of Alaska's regions and Washington State.Little wonder Petersburg & Seattle gain while we all loose. It's been that way a long long time.

Anonymous said...

......Look at the set line survey. Then please explain your post. Its time that ignorant fisherman start to read the science. Area 3A and 3B have had steady declines in set line survey for years. I would also add that fish have continued to grow in area 2 while growth rates in the gulf have slowed. There maybe politics but you can't change the poor survey results in area 3 and 4. Area 2 took a bath when the coastwise assessment was put into place in 2007 and the quota reductions have paid off. The fact is that 3B doesn't have the biomass to support a fishery. Please read the science or attend a IPHC workshop and maybe the picture will be a bit clearer.

Anonymous said...

I would also point out that area 2C is not Petersburg but a blend of Alaska and Washington fishermen. The fact is that the influence from the Seattle Longline fleet got us in this mess as they pushed for the higher quotas in the eastern areas!

Anonymous said...

The vast waste of halibut by the Gulf trawl fleet has imploded the entire halibut fishery. It needs to be stopped. Even if it means trawls replaced by pots, longlines, or closures.It really is the "banality of evil".

Anonymous said...

How about IPHC mismanagment of the directed fishery. Slow growth rates that have been known for years and flawed models led to exploitation rates that were close to unsustainable. This fishery may take a human generation to recover.So much for the stewerdship of the resource under IFQ management vs the tragedy of the commons. Has there ever been an IFQ holder lobby for reduced harvest? The fishing has been slower and slower for years the fish smaller and smaller. Money has managed this fishery since IFQ not biology.

Anonymous said...

dont be so fast to blame the trawl fleet at least not western gulf i can show you pics of tows of almost 100%cod if done at the proper time.i can also show videos of longliners using there side doors as crucifiers when hailbut come up when they are targeting cod.i also have pics of 5 halibut off ov 1 string with ripped lips and scared mouths so everyone needs back off the trawl fleet and look at all gear types

Anonymous said...

Spoken like a true DRAG QUEEN. Clearcutting, Stripmining, indeed,
Raping a Public Resource. YOUR OWN CONSCIENCE CONDEMNS YOU!

Anonymous said...

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/should-alaska-have-protected-halibut-nursery-waters

Anonymous said...

sounds like a crucifier who needs a pacifier i will post some pics later of 70,000 plus tows in 20 to 30 minutes man that long on the bottom of the ocean can sure do dammage.I do and will sleep very well every night with a clear conscience and dreams of the next big tow of 98% straight cod

Anonymous said...

i agree look at the set line survey.then look at when the price went up for cod.then look at the catch numbers for the longline cod boats.then!look at the decline of halibut.they all match up almost to the T.With each longliner running 30 to 50,000 hooks per day around the clock tell me whos rapping the sea think of all the dif species that bight a hook.trawling has been around here since the 80's with no such decline.the next decade will show you that because a majority will come from pots and trawl longliners are just biter.

Anonymous said...

Ever heard of arrowtooth fishing? It just ramped up production in the last 10 years or so with only a few boats targeting it at first. They're doing 300,000 pounds in 24 hours of towing. Deckloads of halibut are common on unobserved trips and many of them are gaffed or fucked up by a sorting belt. Anyone who thinks that the trawl fleet is increasing their arrowtooth and flats catch by 30k tons while simultaneously lowering bycatch by 6% is delusional.

Anonymous said...

7;31 That shows that a halibut can
survive the hook fisheries even when
their lips get torn. How many survive
being crushed in a 30 ton tow, or the
time it takes to return them to the water.
Anyone that fishes the gulf sees
the large percent of halibut with battered tails from being chased by
trawls.

Anonymous said...

definition of a commercial fisherman.......CRY BABY

Anonymous said...

Its funny that the Hook n Line fleet think they are so pure!

Anonymous said...

As a hook and liner, I would venture to say that we are all fisherman, and that we should concentrate on the real enemy which is NMFS/Greenpeace/Religious observers/Conservationists.

Anonymous said...

Our enemy, our biggest enemy, are our greedy neighbours across the docks, our fellow fishermen who don't get that that this resource is dwindling, and fast. Sure, I've seen quite a few halibut come across our table that were horned; but I've had the unfortunate oppritunity to see a set with at least a thousand pounds of fish with trawl tail. I'm glad you can drag clean for cod; let's see you do the same for sole or aarowtooth! Answer to that is that you can't, nor will you even try. Why? Because greed has got the best of you. I'm glad you can sleep well at night, but I guess Nero fiddled while Rome burned too! Thanks for helping to screw my generations chance to have a sustainable fishery, and have a nice day.