  puffin home  Harriman Expedition Retraced   expedition log
David Policansky  It's Just a Fish: Alaskan Salmon and Halibut
Fisheries  Fishing is enormously important in Alaska's economic
and political life. It is related to many issues that Harriman's
expedition encountered and debated, and many that the Retraced
expedition has met as well. I wanted to talk about salmon and
halibut because they are among the most important fishes for
commercial, subsistence, and recreational fishing. They have
fascinating life histories and illustrate so many problems of
resource management.  Halibut are enormous flatfish; they can
weigh as much as 800 pounds, and 100-pounders are common. They
are related to the flounders and soles commonly found in fish
markets and restaurants. When they hatch from eggs, about a
third of an inch long, they are symmetrical, like other fishes,
but soon part of their skull rotates, bringing one eye with it,
and the fish changes into a very asymmetrical animal that has
both of its eyes on th