Alaska fishing boats can catch more cod if they avoid catching halibut

US regulators are shifting unused halibut catch limits to specific cod fishing boats in the Bering Sea. This means these boats can now catch more cod without hitting their halibut bycatch limits.

Fishing quotas are often complex, with limits on target species and also on 'prohibited species catch' (PSC), which are fish caught accidentally. When a fishing group doesn't use all its PSC limit, that limit often goes to waste. This rule lets a specific group of cod trawlers use some of that leftover halibut PSC, which means they can fish longer and catch more cod.