Quota Share Commercial Fisheries Update

The 2013 quota share halibut fisheries opened on March 23. It is estimated that the following catches and numbers of landings were made in the Alaskan IFQ fishery through April 20, 2013 and in the British Columbian IVQ fishery through April 18, 2013. No Alaskan Community Development Quota (CDQ) landings have occurred thus far in 2013.

The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) will be conducting research operations off Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska during 2013. Halibut caught on the surveys will be sampled for biological data and then sold to offset costs associated with conducting the survey. Any sampling that may affect the quality of fish for sale will be detailed in the sale announcement. This news release is intended to notify the industry of the IPHC plan to sell fish and seeks offers for fish sales arrangements from interested buyers.

Charter Announcement:
IPHC Requests Bids for 2013 Stock Assessment Charters

The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) is seeking commercial longline vessels to conduct survey fishing in 2013.

The purpose of the setline survey is to collect standardized data used for halibut stock assessment. This information is used to study aspects of the halibut resource such as growth, distribution, biomass, age composition, sexual maturity, and relative abundance of other species. The 2013 setline survey will cover 28 regions, from northern California to the northern Bering Sea including the Aleutian Islands. All regions are open for single year bids. Vessels will fish 6 skates of gear at each station following standard survey protocol. A maximum of 4 stations will be permitted per day. Most regions require 12 - 22 fishing days plus additional days for running, loading and offloading gear and fish, foul weather days, etc. Depending on the region, total charter duration can be expected to be 21 - 35 days. Vessels are encouraged to bid for multiple areas, and may be awarded up to three regions. Survey fishing must be completed between May 26th and August 31st, 2013.

At its recent Annual Meeting, the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC, or Commission) advanced the development of a Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) program for the halibut resource. The Commission approved the formation of a Management Strategy Advisory Board (MSAB) to advise the Commission on the development and evaluation of candidate objectives and strategies for managing the fishery.

The International Pacific Halibut Commission funds several Merit Scholarships to support University, Technical College, and other post-secondary education. The scholarship fund has been established to assist the further education of Canadian and U.S. students connected to the halibut fishery and its industry. Generally, a single scholarship valued at $2,000 (US) per year will be awarded. The scholarships are renewable annually for the normal four-year period of undergraduate education, subject to maintenance of satisfactory academic performance.