Marketing 



Halibut is a most versatile species for marketing purposes. Its large size permits 

 it to be cut into transverse slices or steaks (Figure 32) or to be sliced longitudinally as 

 boneless fillets or flitches. Is can also be sold in chunks and in measured portions. 



It can be successfully frozen whole or in pieces, and has excellent keeping 

 qualities, both in the fresh and frozen state. 



From a dietetic standpoint, halibut is verv low in fat and sodium content, 

 sharply contrasting with what prevails in some flounders which, from time to time, 

 have been marketed misleadinglv as halibut. 



SPORT CATCH OF HALIBUT 



The taking of halibut by sport fisher- 

 men is usually incidental to saltwater fish- 

 ing for salmon, except in Alaska where it 

 is a primary sport objective in a few areas. 

 However, on all sections of the coast the 

 large size of halibut tends to make it a 

 prestige or trophy fish for sportsmen. One 

 36-pound halibut was taken in Puget Sound 

 on July 31, 1969 in 22 feet of water; this 

 catch set a then world record for the Salt- 

 water Fly Rodders of America in the 10- 

 pound test tippet class. In Portage Bav, 

 near Petersburg, Alaska, a 346-pound hali- 

 but (live weight) was caught by rod in 

 1969. A 30-pound test leader and 40-pound 

 test line was used. Sports fishing for hali- 

 but is not permitted in areas closed to 

 halibut fishing. 



Figure 33. 



(from Petersburg Press) 

 Record rod-caught halibut. 



ECONOMIC VALUE OF THE RESOURCE 



The Pacific halibut fishery is one of the more valuable fisheries on the North 

 American continent. By value among foodfish it has usually ranked in the top three 

 in Canada, and in the top five in the United States. The average annual catches by 

 decades by the two countries during the past 50 years have been as follows: 



Average Annual Catches by United States and Canadian Fleets 



In Thousands of Pounds by 10-Year Periods Since 1920 



United 

 DECADE States Canada Total 



1920-29 42,591 8,971 51,562 



1930-39 38,290 9,874 48,164 



1940-49 38,957 15,918 54,875 



1950-59 38,296 25,051 63,347 



1960-69 31,483 32,167 63,650 



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