The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) set the 2026 Pacific halibut harvest at a historic low last week, following tense U.S.-Canada negotiations that included threats of economic sanctions against Canadian halibut exports.
The Northern Journal reported that the four-day annual IPHC meeting in Bellevue, Washington, came amid strained relations between the two countries under the Trump administration, whose tariff policies and rhetoric toward Canada have fueled political friction.
Serving as the non-voting head of the U.S. delegation was Drew Lawler, a political appointee to NOAA. During private negotiations, U.S. representatives threatened tariffs or other trade restrictions unless Canada agreed to reduce British Columbia’s share of the halibut catch.
During the final day of the meeting, commissioners set an overall coastwide limit of 29.3 million pounds of halibut for U.S. and Canadian commercial, recreational, and subsistence fisheries. Of that, the commercial allocation totals 19.3 million pounds- the lowest commercial harvest in more than a century and more than 70 percent below early- 2000s levels.
Canada ultimately agreed to a 7.2 percent cut to its 2026 allocation, while the U.S. quota remained unchanged, a departure from Canada’s long-held position that conservation cuts should be shared equally between the two countries.
“After some challenging discussions where livelihoods were threatened, I did what I felt was best for the Canadian stakeholders and the halibut resource,” Canadian commissioner Peter DeGreef, a commercial fisherman, said during the public portion of the meeting. “Now we're taking the cut in Canada, knowing that the halibut stock in Canada will ultimately reap the benefits and the rewards. I wish that other areas would have done the same.”
Lawler declined an interview request after the talks, according to Northern Journal, but said in a statement that “Each of us got a little something, which is generally how fishing negotiations go.” His role drew praise from U.S. fishermen who have long argued that Canada receives a disproportionate share of the coastwide quota.
The cuts come as the halibut fishery continues a prolonged downturn. Scientists told the commission that halibut abundance and average fish size have declined sharply since the early 2000s, with spawning biomass estimates down nearly 80 percent from late- 1990s levels. While models suggest stocks remain above a level where recovery would be impossible, scientists cautioned that future productivity remains uncertain.
