Wild halibut fisheries welfare concerns include bycatch mortality, handling stress during line fishing operations, and discard mortality for undersized or unwanted individuals.
Wild halibut fishery welfare encompasses not just the target halibut but the diverse community of non-target species caught as bycatch. Longline fishing that leaves gear soaking for extended periods before hauling creates prolonged distress for all hooked animals — not just from the hook wound but from the restraint, struggling, and predator exposure that follows. Discard practices that return apparently healthy but physiologically stressed fish have welfare costs that go untracked in fishery monitoring. Welfare-informed fishery management addresses bycatch species welfare through gear modification (circle hooks, bycatch excluders), reduced soak times, and careful handling and release protocols for non-target species.