The halibut fishery has long been one of the economic mainstays of small-boat fishermen in Alaska, British Columbia and the Pacific NW. But stocks have plunged across a broad range of the North Pacific.
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Shrinking prize: Challenges mount for Alaska and Washington fishing crews as halibut decline →

The halibut fishery has long been one of the economic mainstays of small-boat fishermen in Alaska, British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest. But stocks have plunged across a broad range of the North Pacific.

This story was supported by grants from the Pulitzer Center and the Alaska Center for Excellence in Journalism, in partnership with The Seattle Times and Northern Journal.

Alaska bottom trawlers face renewed scrutiny amid halibut decline →

To reduce their unintended take of halibut, vessels in the bottom trawl fleet have an escape hatch in their nets that allows some of the larger halibut to swim free.

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