Alaskan Halibut: A Bycatch Trifecta

The bycatch of fish and other marine wildlife poses a problem of incredulous proportions. According to a 2014 Oceana report “global bycatch may amount to 40 percent of the world's catch, totaling 63 billion pounds per year.” Although there remains a degree of uncertainty regarding global bycatch numbers, current estimates represent waste in the order of eight pounds of fish for every person on earth this year. The United States is not immune to the bycatch scourge. Estimates put U.S. fishing discards at between 17 and 22 percent of total catch. For Pacific halibut in and near Alaska, the numbers are far worse. This articles examines some of the reasons for the dismal state of Alaskan Halibut.