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North Pacific Fishery Management Council

Managing Fisheries off the Coast of Alaska

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  • Bycatch
  • Halibut
  • Salmon
  • Crab
  • Groundfish
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Halibut Bycatch

Halibut is not only integral to the health of Alaska marine ecosystems, they are of great economic and cultural importance to stakeholders in Alaska and elsewhere in the United States. The Pacific halibut longline fishery was one of the first fully domestic fisheries to become established off Alaska.

Halibut is taken as bycatch by vessels using all types of gear (trawl, hook-and-line, pot, and jig gear) in both the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands area but primarily occurs in the trawl and hook-and-line groundfish fisheries. As the groundfish fisheries developed, regulations were implemented to limit the bycatch of halibut and minimize the impacts on the directed halibut fisheries.

Regulations require that all halibut caught incidentally in groundfish fisheries must be discarded, regardless of whether the fish is living or dead. Halibut bycatch is controlled in the groundfish fisheries using prohibited species catch (PSC) limits for specific target fisheries, gear types, and seasons. Groundfish fishing is prohibited once a halibut PSC limit has been reached for a particular sector or season, and in some years, this has resulted in the closure of specific groundfish fisheries prior to harvesting the total allowable catch (TAC) for the year.

The staff contact is Diana Stram.

Resources

NPFMC
Resources

Bycatch Update Flyer
IFQ Committee

External Resources

NOAA: Bycatch in Alaska

Search our eAgenda

More NPFMC Documents
Halibut Bycatch Background Documents
Bering Sea FEP: Climate Change Action Module Taskforce

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CALENDAR

  • 7th National SCS Workshop
    Aug 15, 2022 9:00 am -
    Aug 17, 2022 6:00 pm
    Harrigan Centennial Hall, 330 Harbor Dr, Sitka, AK 99835, USA
  • Crab Plan Team
    Sep 12, 2022 8:00 am -
    Sep 16, 2022 5:00 pm

  • Partial Coverage Fishery Monitoring Advisory Committee
    Sep 12, 2022
    8:00 am - 3:00 pm
    Alaska Fishery Science Center
  • Groundfish Plan Teams
    Sep 19, 2022 8:00 am -
    Sep 23, 2022 5:00 pm

  • Scientific and Statistical Meeting
    Oct 3, 2022 8:00 am -
    Oct 5, 2022 5:00 pm

  • Advisory Panel
    Oct 4, 2022 8:00 am -
    Oct 7, 2022 5:00 pm

  • Council Meeting
    Oct 6, 2022 8:00 am -
    Oct 11, 2022 5:00 pm

  • Local Knowledge/Traditional Knowledge Subsistence Action Module Taskforce
    Nov 1, 2022 9:00 am -
    Nov 2, 2022 4:00 pm

  • Groundfish Plan Team (T)
    Nov 14, 2022 8:00 am -
    Nov 18, 2022 5:00 pm

  • NPFMC Meeting
    Dec 5, 2022 8:00 am -
    Dec 13, 2022 5:00 pm

  • Crab Plan Team Meeting (T)
    Jan 17, 2023 8:00 am -
    Jan 20, 2023 5:00 pm

  • February Council Meeting
    Feb 6, 2023 8:00 am -
    Feb 13, 2023 5:00 pm

  • April Council Meeting
    Apr 3, 2023 8:00 am -
    Apr 11, 2023 5:00 pm

  • Crab Plan Team Meeting (T)
    May 15, 2023 12:00 am -
    May 19, 2023 11:59 pm

  • June Council Meetings
    Jun 5, 2023 12:00 am -
    Jun 13, 2023 11:59 pm

 

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