The countdown is on as halibut lovers wait for their favourite flatfish to show up on seafood counters and in restaurants. The commercial fishery for Pacific halibut — the largest groundfish in the world — opens at today noon.
“People are waiting for it,” said Ken Baird, meat manager at the Market at Yates. “It is very popular for sure. People love it when it is fresh.”
The white-fleshed fish has a broad appeal because of its mild flavour and is often used for fish and chips. If all goes smoothly, the first fresh halibut will start showing up Wednesday or Thursday, said Baird said.
The price is unknown at this point as it usually depends on what is set by wholesalers.
At Finest At Sea Ocean Products Ltd. in James Bay, workers are aiming to be the first in town with fresh halibut for sale. “We always have a little bit of fun with it,” Paul Chaddock, company vice-president, said Friday. “We have a crew that is hot-to-trot.”
The crew is heading out from Victoria this morning on the Nordic Spirit, after meeting at 6 a.m. to bait hooks with squid. The commercial opening is a hook-and-line fishery. William Fraumeni, son of Finest at Sea founder Bob Fraumeni, will be captain. William’s brother, Alec, will be among the crew as well.
Provided the fishery and weather co-operates, the boat will return to Victoria Harbour on Monday morning to offload its catch.
Chaddock said the goal is to start selling halibut that afternoon or by Tuesday for sure, and have it out to restaurants as well.
A display of fresh halibut will go in front of the store and professional filleters will cut fish to order, he said. The opening is coming just in time. Only a few whole frozen halibut remain in stock, Chaddock said.
B.C.’s total halibut allocation this year is 7.45 million pounds, an increase from 7.3 million pounds in 2016. The commercial fishery’s total allowable catch this year is 6.27 million pounds, said the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
There are about 430 commercial halibut licences in B.C., including commercial communal licences issued to First Nations.
This year’s Canada-U.S. total allowed catch is 31.4 million pounds, up from 29.89 million pounds in 2016. Catch levels are set by the International Pacific Halibut Commission through a joint management process.
A large halibut can weigh in at 660 pounds or more and be 8.8 feet long.
The average age of a halibut caught in the commercial fishery is about 12 years, federal officials said.
About 96 per cent of Pacific halibut exports are sent to the U.S., with the rest going to Taiwan and Japan.
B.C.’s 2013 halibut export value was $44.5 million.
