CHAPTER 9 



The Halibut Fisheries 



John A. Dassow 



Halibut {Hippoglossus hippoglossus, the Atlantic species, and H. 

 sienolepsis, the Pacific species) have been a major food fish since ancient 

 times for populations of the northern Atlantic and Pacific areas. The 

 Vikings from Scandinavia, Celtic fishermen from Scotland, the native 

 peoples from Greenland, and the Indians of the northwest coast of 

 America fished halibut from the earliest years of the Christian Era. 



During the first decades of the twentieth century the increasing 

 exploitation of halibut in both the Atlantic and the Pacific brought about 

 a serious decline in the annual landings. Conservation measures and 

 modern fishery management (see Chaper 2 for additional discussion) 

 restored the North Pacific halibut fishery to the status of a major fishery 

 with a controlled annual yield of around 65 to 70 million pounds. The 

 North Atlantic halibut fishery contributes currently a much smaller 

 annual yield, around 8 to 12 million pounds. 



Fishing Operations 



The halibut, largest member of the flounder family (Figure 9.1), lives 

 near the bottom in the colder northern waters at depths from 10 to over 

 100 fathoms. It feeds on squid, octopus, herring, crabs, and other marine 

 life. Commercially, fish to 700 pounds have been caught but those from 

 20 to 80 pounds comprise the bulk of the current landings. Halibut has 

 long been esteemed for the excellent keeping qualities of the fresh and 

 frozen fish, the snow-white color of the flesh, and the mild flavor and firm, 



120 



