The Pacific halibut stock appears to be rising from the ashes, and that bodes well for catches in some fishing regions next year. It would turn the tide of a decades-long decline that has caused halibut catches to be slashed by more than 70 percent in Alaska, Washington, Oregon and British Columbia.

Three Alaska areas showed improvement in the annual stock surveys that range from Oregon to the Bering Sea and could have higher catch levels in 2015. That's according to information revealed at the International Pacific Halibut Commission's interim meeting last week in Seattle. 

Two are the most prime halibut fishing spots, Southeast and the Central Gulf; the third is the Alaska Peninsula region. 

The surveys showed that the fish are still growing much slower than normal, but after more than a decade of conservative management, the halibut stock is showing signs of rebounding. Surveys this year showed total weights per unit of effort (fishing gear) were 6 percent higher than in 2013.

Read the full story at the Alaska Dispatch>>

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