Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) |
|||||||
* Size:
Can
grow to be at least 3 meters
long, weighing
more than 200 kg.
Biology: An
anglers dream: The
halibut is an excellent swimmer spending the most of its life on deep
waters in the northeastern part of the Atlantic Ocean. To many anglers a
big halibut represents the ultimate catch. A grown halibut means hours of
work while forcing this strong fish to the surface. Smaller halibuts are
not that rare, and they can be found on 20 meters depth and deeper. The
halibut loves mackerel. Over
fishing:
The halibut stock is very vulnerable for over fishing. This happened in
Norway in the 1930`s. The introduction of halibut nets in 1935, gave a
fantastic result (and income) for the fishermen the first seasons. The
halibuts where caught on their spawning grounds north in Norway. From 1935
to 1936 the catches increased with 230 %. In 1937 the catches dropped with
80%. The spawning grounds had been fished down after only two seasons
using nets. The same year (in 1937) the scientist feared a collapse in the
stock and the halibut fishery was regulated by law. The Norwegian
scientists were not surprised by the sudden decrease in the spawning stock.
The same had happened earlier when using long lines. In the 1880`s and
1920`s new spawning grounds had been found, but after a couple of years of
fishing the catches had fallen dramatically. That explains the quick
reaction from the scientists in 1937. Even back then they knew that the
halibut was a vulnerable specie. In addition to strict regulations in
1937, the halibut stock were "saved" by The Second Word War. *
Other species Tagging halibuts
|
|
|
fishing in Norway tackle angler sea fishing |