Charter boats hoping to catch halibut in Southeast Alaska and the Central Gulf of Alaska are now subject to a catch-sharing plan in order to prevent fishing overages.
On Monday, members of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) recommended the catch-sharing plan to replace the guideline harvest level “with a clear allocation between the commercial and charter sectors,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Under the new plan, which begins in 2014, commercial and charter halibut operations will have a combined catch limit determined by the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) each year prior to the fishing season.
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