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Seafood Watch - Seafood Guide
Halibut, Pacific
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Atlantic Halibut
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Hirame
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U.S. Atlantic
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Wild-caught
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California Halibut
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Monterey Halibut, Chicken Halibut, Southern Halibut
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U.S. Pacific
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Hook-and-line, Bottom Trawl
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California Halibut
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Monterey Halibut, Chicken Halibut, Southern Halibut
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U.S. Pacific
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Set Gillnet
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Greenland Halibut
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Greenland Turbot
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U.S. Pacific
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Wild-caught
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Pacific Halibut
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Alaskan Halibut
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U.S., Canadian Pacific
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Wild-caught
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Pacific Halibut
Most Pacific halibut is caught with bottom longlines that cause little habitat damage and have low levels of accidental catch.
The Pacific halibut fisheries of Alaska, Washington and Oregon are certified as sustainable to the standard of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).
Summary
Pacific halibut is a bottom-dwelling groundfish that nestles into the sandy seafloor, often seen with only its eyes and mouth uncovered. Primarily found in the coastal North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea, it migrates hundreds of miles from shallow coastal waters to the deep, open ocean to spawn in winter. Most return, year after year, to the same coastal feeding grounds.
Most Pacific halibut is caught either in Alaska or off the west coast of Canada. In Alaska, fishing for Pacific halibut is strictly limited to the bottom longlining method, which causes little habitat damage or bycatch. Pacific halibut is also caught using troll lines and bottom trawl nets.
The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC), composed of U.S. and Canadian scientists, manages Pacific halibut in Alaska and Canada. Each year, the IPHC conducts a population assessment and reviews independent assessments to set annual catch limits. These limits are allocated among licensed fishing vessels, giving each boat a prescribed percentage of the total. In the U.S. and Canada, this process has resulted in longer fishing seasons, while keeping the population healthy and abundant. As a result, we recommend Pacific halibut as a "Best Choice."
Scientific Reports About Our Ratings
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