Stormy summer forecast for halibut sport fishing

How many mom-and-pop Alaska businesses will fall victim to a new, U.S. Department of Commerce order that regulates the number of halibut charter licenses allowed in waters off the state's coast? No one can say. What the consequences will be for state tourism in places dependent on small, sport-fishing businesses is not clear. Whether anglers will end up paying significantly more to go halibut fishing because of the change is unknown, although almost everyone in the charter business thinks the plan will lead to fee increases, according to a detailed article by Alaska Dispatch this week that looks into the regulations and their implications for the state's sport fishing industry. Officials with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game remain largely silent about the plan, saying it's a federal scheme. Some legislators have spoken out in protest, but they say no one is listening. The basic law of supply and demand is in play: the fewer charters available to anglers the more likely the price of charters goes up. Read the full story.