Giving Pacific halibut their day in court
On behalf of Pacific halibut and all who appreciate them, we want to thank you.
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“The significance of halibut to fishing communities and processors has grown recently, as the value of other species, such as Gulf of Alaska salmon and sablefish fisheries, have deteriorated. The Bering Sea is a nursery area for juvenile halibut which are likely to migrate from there to the Gulf of Alaska where most Alaska commercial fishermen harvest halibut. When Amendment 80 companies kill juvenile halibut, fewer halibut migrate to other areas, harming halibut-dependent communities throughout Alaska.”
Norm Pillen, Seafood Producers Cooperative
“Two-thirds of halibut fishery earnings accrue to Alaska communities and over three-fourths of fishery participants in the halibut fishery are Alaska residents. Put simply—the halibut fishery is fundamental to the socioeconomic health of coastal Alaska.”
Linda Behnken, Executive Director, Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association
“The Boat Company and halibut fishery stakeholders from all over Alaska and the Pacific Northwest have been asking the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to reduce halibut bycatch in the trawl fisheries to a level commensurate with direct fishery harvest losses and declines in the spawning biomass. The new regulation challenged by the Amendment 80 trawl companies simply links bycatch limits for the trawl fleet responsible for most of the halibut bycatch in the Bering Sea to abundance.”
Hunter McIntosh, owner, The Boat Company
“Amendment 123 to the Fishery Management Plan for the groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands went through a long, thorough North Pacific Fishery Management Council process with many levels of analysis and deliberation. NPFA has stepped up to defend NOAA’s implementation of the Council’s long crafted decision.”
Malcolm Milne, President, North Pacific Fisheries Association
“Halibut are vital to West Coast fishermen. They sustain our livelihoods, are embodied in cultural practices, support tourism, and ensure food security for rural communities. It is essential to manage and protect this resource for the benefit of future generations. We worked together to institute a bycatch limit that is linked to halibut abundance, and together we will fight to maintain it. Wanton waste of this valuable fish is unacceptable.”
Marissa Wisniewski, Executive Director, Alaska Marine Conservation Council
About Us
Defending a legacy together.
We represent a broad coalition of organizations intervening in litigation to defend limits on halibut bycatch by trawlers.
Resources
Read and download documents related to the Halibut Defense Alliance's work.
Please Consider Helping Any Way You Can!
Gulf of Alaska communities are highly dependent on the halibut fishery. It is the second most valuable fishery in most communities, topped only by salmon. Your help will have a direct effect on the lives of everyone involved in the industry!
