APPENDIX III APPENDIX III 
While the condition of the Pacific halibut stocks is still 
critical, the International Pacific Halibut Commission be- 
lieves long term prospects have improved. During the 1975 
season, the catch and the catch per unit of effort increased, 
the abundance of juveniles in the Bering Sea increased, the 
incidental catch declined, and the trawl closures for foreign 
fleets were extended. Far greater improvements are needed 
before evidence of recovery is certain. 
Value of U.S. halibut landings has fluctuated widely. 
Almost identical U.S. landings of halibut in 1965, 1966, and 
1967, of 40.8, 40.6, and 40.1 million pounds, live weight, 
resulted in values for the total catch of $9.3, $9.8, and 
$6.5 million, respectively. 
The low prices received in 1967 and 1968, which caused 
many fishermen to drop out of fishing, resulted in a 1968 
catch of about 26.0 million pounds live weight, valued at 
about $4.3 million. The drop in price was due to the market- 
ing as halibut large quantities of imported turbot, a fish 
Similar to halibut. In 1969 Canada and the United States 
prohibited substitution of this fish for halibut and the 
price of halibut rebounded. In 1974 a U.S. landing of about 
18.4 million pounds live weight was valued at $9.4 million. 
The U.S. landings of halibut by weight, dollar value, and 
distance caught from shore for 1972-74 are shown in table 8. 
Of the nine Pacific coast fisheries studied, halibut 
ranked as number seven in weight landed and number six in 
dollar value in 1974. 
Table 8 
U.S. Landings of Halibut b 
Location, Dollar atuan and Live Weight 
1972 11973 (note a) _ 1974 (note a) 
Pounds Value Pounds Value Pounds Value 
(000 omitted) 
Pacific (Alaska and 
Hawaii): 
0 to 12 miles 9,144 $ 4,438 8,521 $ 4,400 11,593 $5,812 
12 to 200 miles 17,424 8,510 15,463 8,002 6,680 3,393 
Beyond 200 miles 45 21 18 t 
Atlantic (except 
Florida): 
0 to 12 miles 138 121 116 121 111 138 
12 to 200 miles 82 63 52 46 34 32 
Beyond 200 miles 1 26 23 31 29 
Total: 
0 to 12 miles 9,282 4,559 8,637 4,521 11,704 5,950 
12 to 200 miles 17,506 8,573 15,515 8,048 6,714 3,425 
Beyond 200 miles 46 21 44 31 
32 
—= 
Total 26,834 $13,153 24,196 $12,601 18,449 $9,404 
a/1973 and 1974 figures are preliminary. 
Source: Fishery Statistics of the United States; 1960, 1965, 
1970. 
Pisheries of the U.S.; 1972-74. 
15 
