2017 halibut quotas

The 2017 quotas are up about 5% overall from last year. If my math is correct, the WA sport quota would be 307,762 lbs, but the "incidental" take by the sablefish fleet fishing N of Point Chehalis will, unless something changes which I doubt, get the full 70,000 lbs the 2A catch share plan gives to them off the sport quota leaving us with an increase of about 23,652 lbs to a total of 237,762 lbs.


• Area 2A (West Coast): 1.33 million pounds, up from 1.14 million pounds last year
• Area 2B (British Columbia): 7.45 million pounds, up from 7.3 million pounds last year
• Area 2C (Southeast Alaska): 5.25 million pounds, up from 4.95 million pounds last year. Recreational charter anglers will have 915,000 pounds of this total.
• Area 3A (Central Gulf of Alaska): 10 million pounds, up from 9.6 million pounds last year. Recreational charter anglers will have 1.9 million pounds of this total.
• Area 3B (Western Gulf) – 3.14 million pounds, up from 2.71 million pounds last year
• Area 4A (Aleutians): 1.39 million pounds, the same as last year
• Area 4B (Eastern Bering Sea): 1.14 million pounds, the same as last year
• Area 4CDE (Central Bering Sea): 1.7 million pounds, up from 1.66 million pounds.

Fishing harder into a shrinking biomass.

SERIALLY?

Lots of discussion about the shrinkage. The commercials fishing the N end of 2A (tribal) and the Canadians for 2B say they're seeing lots of fish. If the success rate of the 2A sport fishery, according to WDFW statistics, is any indicator, there are/were lots of fish in MA 5 last year.

The IPHC trend lines appear to increasing slightly for most areas. The IPHC has changed some of the survey protocols. Timing of the surveys probably factor into the estimates, especially if they're done after the various openers. The migratory habits of halibut can also play into the survey numbers.

At a recent meeting I heard that halibut size at age is shrinking, which will complicate management if true.

That was true for at least the recent past but not sure if that is a current phenomenon. Too much halibut food ending up in McFish meals?