A new report published Dec. 9 by seafood company Tradex says the Pacific halibut fishery closed on Dec. 7 with a preliminary catch total indicating that the 2024 harvest may rank among the lowest since the 1970s.
“Sourcing frozen Pacific halibut was tough this year and will get harder with the new season closed until March,” the publication reported. “Catches and sizes have shown long-term declines, with catches dropping steadily and average sizes significantly smaller compared to earlier decades.”
This year’s catch limit is also one of the lowest on record in recent decades, with spawning biomass nearing the lowest levels since the 1970s, according to the report.
Harvest totals at the end of November showed net weight landings of about 21.4 million pounds, potentially marking a shortfall of 4.5 million pounds from last year, and up to six million pounds less than the previous five-year average.
The current landings represent about 74% of this year’s catch limit, marking one of the lowest percentages in recent years as the fishery has typically achieved around 90% of its limits in recent years.
Consumer demand for this premium white fish in the fresh market was exceptionally strong this year and there is no indication that demand will wane if the Pacific halibut remains available for purchase.
The Tradex report said frozen halibut offerings would be scarce and prices would inevitably trend upward.
Commercial halibut catches peaked at 69 million pounds in 1915, then dropped to 44 million pounds by 1931, shortly after the International Pacific Halibut Commission was established in 1923. Following fluctuations, catches reached 70 million pounds in 1962 but declined to 21 million by the late 1970s, the report said.
A steady rise in the 1980s continued into the early 2000s, followed by a gradual decline since then.
Over the past century, Pacific halibut sizes have fluctuated, with stable size-at-age metrics in the early 20th century, an increase from the 1920s to 1970s, and a significant decline since the late 1970s.
By the 2000s, 12-year-old halibut were three-quarters the length and half the weight of those in the 1980s, while 20-year-old females dropped from 121 pounds in 1988 to 44 pounds by 2014.
By 2023, the size-at-age of Pacific halibut showed signs of improvement for younger fish (under 14 years old), while remaining relatively stable for older individuals across most IPHC regulatory areas and coastwide.
This suggests a potential positive shift in growth rates for younger halibut, though older age classes have not experienced significant changes, the report stated.