There's a bunch of people who like to eat halibut throughout the US of A. Most of those can't charter a boat and go out fun fishing and bring a few home to eat. They depend on others to catch their fish for them so they can eat. My guess is halibut was historically a commercial only fisheries that the sports are trying to privatize for themselves.
Dead wrong. It was a subsistance fish long before it was commercially feasible to haul it all the way back to Seattle to market. Sportfishing was big at an early time.
Quite literally, AK cods were not marketable until they wiped out Grand Banks cod and had to find new sources. That was '90s! Lingcod from AK were not marketable until other white fish got scarce, despite the incredible quality.
I think your wrong besides the substance fisheries, but don't let facts get in the way of a good story.
https://fishingbooker.com/blog/history-of-halibut-fishing-in-alaska/You do know that your own link contradicts your assertion and confirms what others have told you, don’t you? From your link…
The first records of Halibut fishing in Alaska date as far back as the late 18th century. While passing near the Shumagin Islands in 1788, Captain Cook witnessed First Nation people catch as many as a hundred Halibut in a single day. Many other explorers recorded the local First Nation’s Halibut fishing prowess since.
The locals originally fished for Halibut exclusively for food. They would catch as many as they could, eating what they needed, and drying the rest for later. However, it would not take long for the tradition to evolve into a valuable source of income.
