The 2016 Alaska commercial IFQ halibut season runs March 19 through November 7, 2016 for all areas, according to NOAA Fisheries.
NOAA recently issued a notice of the immediate effect of regulations of the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC).
At its annual meeting in January, the IPHC recommended to the governments of Canada and the United States catch limits for 2016 totaling 29.89 million pounds, a 2.3 percent increase from last year. Alaska’s total halibut catch was set at 21.45 million pounds, up 235,000 pounds from 2015.
This season, NOAA Fisheries’ electronic Groundfish/Individual Fishing Quota Daily Fishing Longline and Pot Gear logbook has been added to the list of acceptable logbooks for use in the Alaska commercial halibut fishery.
For more information, visit alaskafisheries.noaa.gov or www.afsc.noaa.gov.
source: NOAA Fisheries Alaska Region