Stock managers say Southeast halibut ruling will harm conservation efforts

Mon, June 23, 2008
Posted in Alaska News

Halibut regulators say they would have done things differently if they had known a one-fish charter limit would be blocked. The International Pacific Halibut Commission manages the stock. Executive Director Bruce Leaman says the one-fish limit is needed to keep catch rates within projected quotas. He says the concern is conservation of the species.

Joel Southern, APRN - Washington, DC

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One Comment to “Stock managers say Southeast halibut ruling will harm conservation efforts”

Linda Behnken on June 24, 2008 at 8:06 am

Thank you for one of very few accurate and conservation based stories on this issue. The Plaintiffs and those who support the Plaintiffs have sought to shift focus from the undeniable objective of their lawsuit, which it to allow their industry to over harvest the resource even during this time when Southeast halibut stocks are near historic low levels. The public should also be aware that the Plaintiffs unsuccessfully sought to block consideration by the couts of the Amicus Curiae brief filed by the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC), signed by IPHC Bruce Leaman quoted in your story, which contained factual information on conservation considerations relevant to this case. The IPHC’s management of North Pacific halibut stocks is one of few success stories in fisheries management world-wide. The IPHC has sustained the health of the North Pacific halibut stocks and the fisheries that depend on it for 80 years. Clearly the Plaintiffs’ concern for their own profits outweigh their concern for resource health. Southeast longline fishermen, who have accepted a 43% halibut quota reduction over the past two years, learned years ago that the resouce comes first and that sustainable fisheries management depends on all sectors–charter and longline–remaining below conservation limits.