halibut

As prices and demand for Pacific halibut have fallen in Alaska, commercial fishermen say a new Canadian competitor is to blame. Since 2012, Canadian imports of fresh Atlantic halibut have grown roughly 60 percent.

Commercial fishermen are about two months into the halibut season, and the industry is dealing with some big changes. Prices for the valuable bottom fish have fallen about $2 per pound, and decreasing demand has left plenty of halibut from last year sitting in the freezer.

Both seem to be driven by consumers who are reluctant to buy expensive fillets in grocery stores and restaurants, but also by a new competitor that’s taking over a large portion of the market.

That begs the question: will Pacific halibut maintain its spot on the menu or be replaced?

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration removed a reference to renegotiating the “Halibut Treaty” between the U.S. and Canada from a press release Wednesday. NOAA issued the release Monday to announce the final regulatory rule for the 2018 halibut season, but later removed the reference.

The total allowable catch for the 2018 Pacific halibut season in the Gulf of Alaska and Southeast will be set slightly lower than what U.S. commissioners on the International Pacific Halibut Commission had asked for.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will publish a final rule in the Federal Register Tuesday setting combined charter and commercial quotas in Southeast, area 2C, at 4.4 million pounds. That’s about a 17-percent drop from the total allowable catch in 2017.

The National Marine Fisheries Service announced nominees to fill two seats on the International Pacific Halibut Commission Thursday. Four Alaskans were nominated to fill two upcoming vacancies on the commission.

Current Commissioner and Executive Director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association Linda Behnken is among the list of six names.

Commissioner Robert Alverson of Washington and general manager of the Fishing Vessel Owners’ Association in Seattle was also nominated.

Both Behnken and Alverson’s terms expire at the end of the month.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, published an interim rule for the 2018 halibut season Friday.

It set the season opening and closing dates on March 24 and November 7. The rule also put quotas from 2017 in place, but that is likely to change.

The International Pacific Halibut Commission, which regulates halibut in U.S. and Canadian waters, typically sets both season dates and quotas.

The International Pacific Halibut Commission, which regulates halibut fisheries in U.S. and Canadian waters, heard a presentation on reducing or eliminating the minimum size limit for commercially caught halibut at its interim meeting in Seattle Wednesday. It’s estimated removing the limit would boost the total catch across all districts by about 4 percent, but commissioners and fishermen questioned whether the change would reduce prices at the docks.