by Rep. Kevin McCabe
Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) used to tip the scales at hundreds of pounds, these giants of the deep and icons of Alaska’s rich fisheries were a vital part of our coastal economy. But today, these fish are getting smaller, and fast. A 12-year-old halibut now weighs only about half of what it did in the 1980s (IPHC Growth Data). And the poundage of the 2024 harvest is the lowest we’ve seen since 1901 at just 20.5 million pounds. Even more troubling: the spawning biomass has dropped to a historic low of 145 million pounds (Assessment of Pacific Halibut Stock 2024).
So I have to ask; what’s really driving this decline, and is the industry shooting itself in the foot? To be honest there is no single smoking gun here. But the fishing industry’s own practices are a big piece of the puzzle. Bottom trawling, high bycatch, and a legacy of highgrading are taking their toll on flatfish. If we want a future with halibut in it, we need to take a hard look in the mirror.
Halibut stocks have been managed by the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) for over a century. But since the late 1990s, we’ve seen fewer recruits and slower growth. This year’s stock assessment shows we’re down to 38 percent relative spawning biomass, with a high chance we’ll fall below the 30 percent “concern threshold”, and significant chance of dropping under 20 percent, where fishing could be shut down altogether. Shut. Down. Altogether!
The Bering Sea is sounding the loudest alarm bell. Over 50 percent of halibut bycatch there is pinned on the Amendment 80 trawl fleet (alaskafish.news Article on Pacific Halibut). This isn’t just a bad streak. It’s a man-made crisis that can and will cripple our Halibut stocks in the Bering.
So, let’s start with bottom trawling. Seems like we would know that taking steel doors, heavy netting, and chains, and dragging them across the seafloor like a bulldozer looking for groundfish is damaging. It’s no surprise it’s compared to rototilling the ocean floor – with no replanting. That gear destroys benthic habitat, plants, shellfish beds, sediment layers, and the entire nursery where juvenile halibut find food and cover (Impact of Bottom Trawling).
Every year, this method stirs up 22 gigatons of sediment, as much as all rivers deposit on continental shelves. That chokes out the base of the food web and permanently changes these ecosystems.
If young halibut can’t find shrimp, crab, or small fish, they don’t grow. It’s that simple. Studies show these deep-sea ecosystems can take decades to recover, if they recover at all (Trawling’s Impact on Marine Ecosystems).
Then there’s the bycatch of halibut caught unintentionally by boats targeting other species. This isn’t just a nuisance. It’s a major reason our stocks are in trouble. In 2022, 6.6 million pounds of halibut were discarded as bycatch across non-directed commercial fisheries (IPHC on Bycatch).
Half of that came from the Bering Sea, again mostly from the Amendment 80 fleet. And these aren’t just small fish. This includes prime breeding females and juveniles. Even when released, many are too injured to survive. Survival rates are worse than we thought, 1.5 to 2 times lower than prior assumptions (Injury and Mortality of Halibut Bycatch).
Fewer breeding fish means fewer young, which means fewer big halibut. Simple biology. One study shows that for every 2.2 pounds of halibut bycatch avoided, the fishery gains 2.7 to 2.8 pounds in future harvests (alaskafish.news Article on Pacific Halibut). That’s not theory. That’s lost money and lost opportunity.
Before IFQs came along in 1995, we had derby-style halibut fisheries. Short, frantic openers, sometimes just 24 hours. That system encouraged highgrading, throwing back smaller fish, even legal ones, to make room for bigger, more valuable halibut. That might’ve been legal, but it was shortsighted. It likely skewed the size distribution for years, removing smaller fish that could’ve grown into the giants of tomorrow (Case Studies on IFQs).
Even today, the incentive is still there. Bigger fish command a better price, $5.50 to $5.75 per pound in 2021, compared to less for smaller fish (Highgrading and IFQs). The IFQ system helped, no question. But the damage from the past and any ongoing highgrading adds up.
Here’s the bottom line. The industry’s own actions are hurting halibut and hurting Alaska.
Bottom trawling destroys halibut habitat. Bycatch kills off breeding stock. And previous Highgrading skewed the population toward smaller fish.
And what’s driving all this? Short-term profit. Trawling is efficient and profitable for groundfish harvests, but the cost is dumped on halibut fishermen, processors, coastal communities, and future generations.
Management tools like IFQs and Prohibited Species Catch (PSC) limits helped, but they haven’t gone far enough. The Amendment 80 fleet still burns through halibut bycatch quotas while sustainable gear and practices sit on the shelf.
Let’s be real. We can’t keep cashing checks on borrowed fish. It’s time for accountability. It’s time we focused on the resource.
Sure, other variables are in play. Climate change is altering ocean chemistry and food webs. Ocean acidification may be affecting growth. Size-selective fishing, where bigger fish get caught first, also plays a role.
But these are global problems. We can’t fix those from Juneau or Kodiak. What we can fix is our own industry’s footprint.
Here’s what the industry and regulators should do if they’re serious about reversing the decline:
•Use selective gear: Lighted nets and improved excluders reduce halibut bycatch without harming groundfish yields (Bycatch Reduction Report).
•Protect key habitat: Create no-trawl zones in known halibut nursery areas like parts of the Bering Sea (Trawling’s Impact on Marine Ecosystems).
•Strengthen bycatch limits: Enforce tighter PSC limits and fund better observer coverage.
•Incentivize sustainability: Reward practices that protect future stocks through certification, bonus quotas, or market preference (Pacific Halibut Sustainability).
Pacific halibut aren’t just fish. They’re jobs. They’re food security. They’re tradition and culture. And right now, in Alaska, they’re in trouble, not because of some mystery, but because of choices being made on the water every season by the industry.
We need the fishing industry to step up and protect the resource. That means smarter gear, tighter controls on bycatch, and an end to the mindset that prioritizes short-term haul over long-term survival. Halibut is Alaska’s fish. Let’s fight like we believe it.
Representative Kevin McCabe Represents District 30 which includes Big Lake, the West Susitna, Point Mackenzie all the way up to Anderson. He lives in Big Lake and has been an Alaska resident for 45 years. He has lived in Kodiak, Anchorage, and has flown as a bush pilot throughout Alaska.
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