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As soon as January, regulators are expected to boost catch limits for the remaining boats by as much as 50 percent for Dover sole, thornyheads and sable fish - stocks that live deeper and farther out than the protected rockfish.


"I'm hoping to see those trip limits go up even further," said Brad Pettinger, a commercial fisherman in Brookings and executive administrator of the Oregon Trawl Commission, an industry group.


"As those trip limits go up, you'll have drag boats that can actually make a living," he said.


Pettinger and his brother retired two boats in the buyback. With one remaining boat, they expect to earn more money than they made with three.