International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) scientists on Tuesday recommended a 2010 halibut quota of 48.7 million pounds.
If approved at IPHC's annual meeting in Seattle from 26 to 29 January, the 2010 quota would be down 9 percent from the 2009 quota. The IPHC sets quotas for both the U.S. and Canadian fisheries.
Meeting in Seattle on Monday and Tuesday, IPHC scientists presented the results of this year's stock assessment, which led them to propose reducing the quotas in seven of the eight regulatory areas, which stretch from Washington to Alaska's Bering Sea.
Only Area 4B (western Aleutian Islands) would see an increase, from 1.87 million pounds in 2009 to 2.16 million pounds in 2010.
Area 3A (Gulf of Alaska) would see the largest decrease, from 21.7 million pounds in 2009 to 19.99 million pounds in 2010.
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