Halibut commission reduces Southeast commercial harvest limit 3%

A joint U.S.-Canadian commission voted last month to curtail halibut fishing along the Pacific coast this year.

In Area 2C, which spans Southeast Alaska from the U.S.-Canada maritime border to Yakutat, the total allowable halibut take was set at 5.85 million pounds for 2023, down 1% from the 5.91 million pounds allowed in 2022, the International Pacific Halibut Commission announced.

Guided recreational or charter fishermen can catch 800,000 pounds of halibut in Area 2C. Non-guided recreational fishermen in Area 2C are expected to catch 1.14 million pounds of halibut in 2023.

Commercial fisherm...