Fish Factor: Will Alaska's halibut catches be cut again?

Will Alaska’s halibut catches be cut again next year? That’s the big question as the industry braces for the International Pacific Halibut Commission’s interim meeting this week in Seattle.

By all accounts, there appear to be lots of halibut in Alaska waters, but their unusually slow growth rates have forced a downward press on catches for nearly a decade. The Alaska catch total this year was about 22 million pounds.

Also up for review – 22 fishermen from remote communities in the mid-Aleutians (4A) are requesting an increase in their halibut catch to about half a million pounds. From the same...