February 12, 2020 — As expected, the International Pacific Halibut Commission set quotas down for 2020 at its annual meeting in Anchorage last week.
Quotas for Pacific halibut will be reduced by just over 5 percent this year as a result of declining stocks. Alaska’s share of the 36.6 million pound total catch is 28.13 million pounds for all user groups. The halibut fishery will open on March 14 and close on Nov. 15.
Industry leaders predicted late in 2019 that the fishery had maxed out its value proposition and likely would not be able to expect a higher dock price to make up for a lower quota.