ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Federal fisheries managers say they will take two more weeks of public comment on a contentious halibut allocation proposal that could cut the number of flatfish taken by clients of sport fishing charters.
The National Marine Fisheries Service announced the extension Thursday, just as Alaska lawmakers were collecting information on how the proposal will affect Alaska coastal communities dependent on tourism.
The agency says halibut numbers along Alaska’s Panhandle and in the central Gulf of Alaska, which includes the Kenai Peninsula, have seen a steep decline.
The agency says the catch sharing plan is designed to maintain a sustainable fishery by preventing overharvest.
The plan could reduce the halibut bag limit for anglers using a charter to one fish per day, a change charter operators say will devastate their businesses.
