A battle between charter boat operators and long-line fisherman over halibut allocations in Southeast Alaska is heading for a final decision later this year in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer is expected to decide sometime this fall whether to issue a summary judgment, as urged in an intervenor motion by a group that includes long-line fishermen, the Halibut Association of North America, North Pacific Seafoods Inc. and the Hoonah Indian Association, among others.
The Charter Halibut Task Force, which represents a group of charter boat operators in Southeast Alaska, asked the court to vacate the one-halibut a day bag limit imposed by Collyer on June 4.