U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) welcomed a decision by the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) to defer review of a regulatory proposal that would have altered the state’s unguided recreational Pacific halibut limits.
The proposal, submitted by a Seattle-based trade association, sought to reduce the daily bag limit for Alaska’s unguided recreational halibut fishery from two fish to one. Sullivan previously raised concerns about the proposal in a letter to Neil Jacobs, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, arguing that the IPHC was not the appropriate body to consider such an allocation change.
“I am relieved by the International Pacific Halibut Commission’s decision to defer review of a regulatory proposal submitted by a Seattle-based trade association that targets Alaska’s unguided recreational Pacific halibut limits to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council,” Senator Sullivan said in a statement.
Sullivan said the proposed change would have directly affected the livelihoods of Alaska’s halibut fishermen, particularly recreational and subsistence harvesters, and emphasized that the IPHC lacks jurisdiction to make such a change.
“This decision reaffirms that the IPHC does not have the authority to make this change,” Sullivan said. He added that Pacific halibut harvested off Alaska’s coast is a shared resource subject to extensive management review to ensure conservation, noting that Alaska’s families and coastal communities have practiced sustainable stewardship for generations.
Sullivan said he will continue advocating for fisheries management systems that follow the law, respect local knowledge, and support strong, sustainable fisheries in the state.
