Its no secret that local fisherman have reported a significant decline in the size of Halibut. Most longliner will tell you that its harder and harder to find big fish. This is tough news, but it won’t be the last we hear of it. I believe this is just a proposal, so the final decision could change. Here’s a great shot of the biggest halibut I have ever caught. This is from way back in 2003 on the F/V Foremost. The halibut was about 168 pounds. The article has audio attached after the jump at KFSK.
PETERSBURG-AK (2010-12-01) Alaska’s commercial halibut fishermen are facing another major cut to the coast-wide catch in 2011. Scientists with the International Pacific Halibut Commission are recommending a total harvest of a little over 41 million pounds of the valuable, flat fish in Alaska, Canada, and the Pacific Northwest. That would be a 19 percent drop from last year’s overall catch limit. Southeast would be particularly hard-hit again with a potential 47 percent cut.