Alaska Department of Fish and Game Releases Annual Estimates of Sport Halibut Harvest

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish recently released its final estimates of Pacific halibut harvest by sport anglers in 2009 and a projection of harvest in 2010 to the International Pacific Halibut Commission and the public.

These harvest numbers and weights are used to assess and manage the Pacific halibut fishery along the coasts of Alaska, Canada, and the Lower 48. Sport harvest in Alaska occurs primarily in two of eight large regulatory areas along the coast.

Sport harvest of Pacific halibut during 2009 in Area 2C, an area that encompasses all of southeast Alaska south of Cape Spencer, was 119,151 fish or 2.368 million pounds. In Area 3A, from Cape Spencer westward to just off the southern tip of Kodiak Island, harvest of Pacific halibut was 317,804 fish or 4.758 million pounds. Sport harvest in areas west of Area 3A were fairly small, totaling 3,300 fish.

ADF & G projections of sport harvest during 2010. The breakdowns by area are 120,448 fish or 2.548 million pounds in 2C, 354,098 fish or 5.068 million pounds in 3A, and 4,679 fish in areas west of 3A.

source: Alaska Department of Fish and Game