Reduced halibut catch has brokers buying

There's a lot of halibut out there, but the fish are growing so slowly that the rate is keeping a downward press on the amount of fish being made available for harvest. Fisheries for the Pacific coast, British Columbia and Alaska could be cut by 19 percent next year if managers accept the recommendations of fishery scientists.

The International Pacific Halibut Commission released preliminary numbers last week that show a combined catch of 41 million pounds for fisheries on the Pacific coast, British Columbia and Alaska. Of that, 32.5 million pounds is allocated to Alaska fishermen, down from 40 million pounds of halibut this year.

The reductions would be especially brutal again for Southeast Alaska, where halibut catch limits have dropped by more than 60 percent over the past five years. For 2011, a whopping 47 percent cut is being proposed for the Panhandle, to just 2.3 million pounds.

For the state's biggest halibut hole, the Central Gulf of Alaska, next year's catch could be slashed by 28 percent to 14.3 million pounds. The recommended catch for the Western Gulf is 7.5 million pounds, down 24 percent.

Smaller fisheries along the Aleutians could see slight increases to 4.6 million pounds. Likewise, Bering Sea fishermen would get a slight bump to 3.7 million pounds of halibut.

The reduced supply of halibut will have a serious market impact, said analyst John Sackton of Seafood.com.

"Already halibut prices are the highest in more than 10 years, with dressed fish wholesaling for more than $7 in Seattle. The lower landings already have buyers bidding up prices, and that will be a bigger problem next year. Halibut is a very popular food service fish on a lot of menus, and it is not easy for many restaurants to change course," he said.

Sackton cautioned that total removals of sport and commercially caught halibut have been running 9 to 14 percent per year above recommended levels.

"The fish are growing so slowly that the scientists are asking the halibut commission to consider a management strategy to reduce catches even further, given the current biological situation."

The international commission will make final decisions on 2011 halibut catches at its annual meeting Jan. 25-29 in Vancouver. The Pacific halibut fishery opens in March.

FISH EARMARKS

Both of Alaska's senators voted against a proposed three-year moratorium on federal budget earmarks, saying the state has needs that are best served by the assignment of money to specific purposes identified by congressmen.

An earmark is anything requested by a member of Congress not included in the president's budget, explained Sen. Lisa Murkowski in a phone call from Washington, D.C.

"It is so important to understand that so much of what we include in legislation are initiatives that have been requested by states that the administration doesn't even know about, and there are many competing interests," she added.

"I don't view construction of a harbor as pork or abusive wasteful spending," Murkowski said, using a $750,000 appropriations request for dredging at Kodiak harbor as an example.

"That is an earmark because it is not included in the president's budget. It is something I have requested be inserted in the energy and waters appropriation bill because it is a priority for Kodiak."

A good chunk of earmark money funds fishery research grants in Alaska. A $400,000 earmark funds the annual crab stock assessments in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands. No assessments, no fishery. Another $500,000 bankrolls research for Alaska seals and Steller sea lions

Murkowski called the recent push by Congress to ban all earmarks "long on bravado but short on substance."

Laine Welch is a Kodiak-based fisheries journalist. Her Fish Radio programs can be heard on stations around the state. Her information column appears every other Sunday. This material is protected by copyright. For information on reprinting or placing on your Web site or newsletter, contact msfish@alaska.com.