Initiative aims to reduce injury to released fish
July 30, 2014
907-274-9698
7/24/2014
A voluntary program called Every Halibut Counts is aiming to change the way charter boat crews and sport fishermen handle halibut this season.
About half of all halibut caught by Alaska anglers are released, due to regulation or fisherman preference. A small percentage of released halibut will succumb to stress or injury.
The Every Halibut Counts project started with a few charter captains who recognized the need to keep release mortality to a minimum while maximizing angler opportunity.
The captains contacted the Alaska Marine Conservation Council, a nonprofit organization with a long history of promoting responsible fisheries in the state. AMCC secured a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and then partnered with the University of Alaska Fairbanks' Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program to develop outreach materials and an informational campaign.
The central message of Every Halibut Counts is this: If you choose to release a halibut, treat it gently, minimize handling and unhook it in the water if possible. If the fish must be brought aboard, handle it carefully, cradle it when handling to protect its spine and internal organs, and slip it headfirst back into the sea.
The gentle handling practices are recommended by a steering committee of six charter boat captains and an adviser from both the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the International Pacific Halibut Commission. Informational products on sport halibut release include a brochure, a website at www.everyhalibutcounts.org and a laminated placard that a boat owner can display on board. A short video illustrating halibut release best practices is posted on the Alaska Sea Grant YouTube page at www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSWs_LFBkpE. Links to the brochure, placard and video are also available at http://seagrant.uaf.edu/map/recreation/halibut-release/index.html.
ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Terry Johnson, Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program, 907-274-9695 or terry.johnson@alaska.edu; Kelly Harrell at AMCC, 277-5357 or kelly@akmarine.org.
DM/7-30-14/023-15