The North Pacific Fishery Management Council voted 6-3 on Sunday afternoon in Sitka to cut by 25 percent the amount of halibut that pollock and cod trawlers can catch in the Bering Sea.

On paper, that’s good news for halibut fishermen, who have been demanding a cut in halibut bycatch. In reality, the cut is less than many fishermen had been seeking, and they left Sitka’s Centennial Hall disappointed.

“I don’t want anybody to leave this meeting thinking this is a step backward,” said council vice chairman Bill Tweit during the meeting.

Tweit, of the Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife, was immediately met by shouts from fishermen in the audience. About an hour earlier, Tweit had suggested an amendment that reduced the cut from 33 percent to 25 percent.

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