The Pacific halibut fishery opened on March 14 amid little fanfare and flattened markets.
The first fish of the eight-month season typically attracts the highest prices and is rushed fresh to high-end buyers, especially during the Lenten season. But that’s not the case in this time of coronavirus chaos, when air traffic is stalled and seafood of all kinds is backlogged in global freezers.
Alaska’s share of the 2020 halibut catch is about 17 million pounds for nearly 2,000 fishermen who own shares of the popular flatfish. A week into the fishery, fewer than 50 landings were made, totaling just over 262,000 pounds, and as anticipated, prices to fishermen were in the pits.
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