Commerce Secretary Moves to Reduce Halibut Bycatch in BSAI

Molly Dischner/KDLG

The U.S. Secretary of Commerce has signed off on a plan to reduce halibut bycatch in the Bering Sea.

The plan, which likely won’t go into effect until spring, will reduce the amount of halibut the Bering Sea fishing fleet can catch while out targeting Pollock and other groundfish. The National Marine Fisheries Service says the new limits would reduce the halibut bycatch by 361 metric tons compared to 2014.

The plan cuts the prohibited species catch limit for four different fishing sectors by 15 to 25 percent. Community development quota organizations will see a reduction of 20 percent under the plan. Pollock trawlers will take a 15 percent reduction, while non-pollock trawlers will have their limit cut by 25 percent.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council voted for the plan last June, and the National Marine Fisheries Service says the commerce secretary has now signed off on the plan. The new limits will go into effect after a final rule is published in the federal register.