Regulators adopt new rules to limit Alaska halibut bycatch

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Fishing regulators are adopting new rules to limit the unintentional capture of halibut by fishermen trawling U.S. waters in the Bering Sea off Alaska. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council adopted the policy earlier this month. It’s due to take effect in 2023. Seattle-based trawling ships target groundfish such as sole and yellowfin sole but the vessels also unintentionally catch halibut. Currently, the fishermen must stop fishing if they hit a static bycatch limit. The new rules keep the same cap when halibut stocks are high. But when stocks drop, the bycatch limits will shrink as much as 35%.