Halibut Values Facing Strong Headwinds

Alaska halibut is facing strong headwinds that have dampened the value of the catch shares needed to go fishing.

Increasing imports of Atlantic halibut from eastern Canada, reports of several million pounds of halibut holdovers in freezers, speculation of reduced catches again next year, and dock prices down by $2 or more have caused a “major readjustment” in the market for individual fishing quotas (IFQ), according to Alaska brokers.

“That definitely dims enthusiasm for buying quota, and prices have come down quite a bit from last year,” said Doug Bowen of Alaska Boats and Permits in Homer. “The stuff that was trading at $65 to $66 per pound last year is down between $50 and $55.”

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