OMG Becky, Look at the Size of that Butt!

[WapitiTalk1]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/08/11/alaska-fishermen-haul-in-near-400-pound-halibut.html

Fish and chips forever 

[PolarBear]

Nice butt, but they need to enact an oversize limit like sturgeon. Think of how old that thing was and how many more it could make.

[Dhoey07]

Nice butt, but they need to enact an oversize limit like sturgeon. Think of how old that thing was and how many more it could make.

 

[JimmyHoffa]

Nice butt, but they need to enact an oversize limit like sturgeon. Think of how old that thing was and how many more it could make.

They did make an oversize limit for charter/guide caught fish.

[Fl0und3rz]

[Gringo31]

They did make an oversize limit for charter/guide caught fish.

And it kind of fell on it's face.  No one wants to pay a guide to go catch a chicken.  Last year you were allowed (I forget now) but I think it was two fish that had to be under 36" or over 80".  I posted a big fish that went 260#'s that taped at 78".  Point is they have a slot but allow for the monsters to be taken.  I agree with the idea of a true oversized limit.

[rodell]

They did make an oversize limit for charter/guide caught fish.

And it kind of fell on it's face.  No one wants to pay a guide to go catch a chicken.  Last year you were allowed (I forget now) but I think it was two fish that had to be under 36" or over 80".  I posted a big fish that went 260#'s that taped at 78".  Point is they have a slot but allow for the monsters to be taken.  I agree with the idea of a true oversized limit.

<=43" or >=80". I was on a charter this year and hated that rule. For that reason, I'm going self-guided next year as it looks like it will be extended to 2017.

[jordanramos_79]

I lived in Dutch Harbor, AK when the record halibut was caught and got to see it. What a monster fish. If I remember correctly, it was almost 11 feet long. The Grand Aleutian Hotel there has a silhouette of the fish on the wall and it is HUGE!!!

[Dan-o]

I thought Smossy might have started this thread................     

[fisheral87]

Great fish.

The big ones don't eat as well. 60LBers all day long for the guy.

Al

[Sitka_Blacktail]

Nice butt, but they need to enact an oversize limit like sturgeon. Think of how old that thing was and how many more it could make.

Yup, taking out the big old spawners makes no sense. Especially commercial fishing where IFQs are involved and even charter fishing which is going to an IFQ system.

As it is now tho, you can't throw back fish if they fit into your IFQ Quota. After you fill your quota, + up to 10% over, if you have extra fish, you can release legal sized fish, but not before.  I had a friend whose crew made a minimum mark for measuring legal sized (commercial) halibut that was one inch over the legal minimum. They did this to make sure they didn't keep any undersized fish by accident. NMFS officers wrote the boat a big ticket for throwing back legal fish. (any fish in the one inch difference between the legal minimum and the mark they made)

By the way, the 10% overage is allowed because getting the weight exact is an inexact science. You measure the length and write it down and use the NMFS weight conversion chart and keep a running total until you get to your individual quota.  But the conversion chart is just an estimate and weights can vary on individual fish. So you are allowed to bring in up to 10% over and anything over your quota is deducted from your next year's quota. In the same way, if you are up to 10% under your quota, that is added to your next year's quota.

[Becky]

I thought Smossy might have started this thread................     

I had to read it