Go Fish

The Canadian and Alaskan halibut harvest, which used to be a two-day binge resulting in one week’s worth of fresh fish and 51 week’s worth of frozen, has been reformed. Look for better fish at better prices for a longer time.

In a change that has been compared to the fencing of the American prairies, the new season--which started in mid-March--is based on a quota system.

Historically, the harvest was limited by time rather than quantity--fishermen crowded the waters for one or two days to catch as much as they could. They would return dangerously overloaded with fish that was frequently mishandled. The market would zoom, then crash and then zoom again, depending on availability.

This year, each commercial fisherman has been given the rights to a certain amount of fish based on their previous years’ haul and they have six months in which to catch it. There is a down side: The new laws restrict the number of people who can fish--any new fishermen will have to buy the allotment of someone who is already fishing. And for family fishermen locked into small allotments, it may be difficult to make back the cost of fishing.

On the other hand, we can count on a pretty constant supply of good-quality fresh halibut through October.

“Prices are just starting to come down off their initial high and quality is really good,” says Paul Johnson, owner of San Francisco’s renowned Monterey Seafood. “California halibut will be starting soon, but it’s going to have a tough time. It’s a flounder, not a true halibut, and the eating quality is just not as good.”

Other fish to watch for this spring include salmon (sportfishermen are having a record year off Monterey; commercial fishing begins May 1); Chesapeake Bay soft-shell crabs (also starting May 1 and much better than Louisiana’s, according to Johnson), and white sea bass in early June.