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The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) completed
its Eighty-fourth Annual Meeting in Portland, OR, with Dr. James
W. Balsiger of Juneau, AK presiding as Chair. The Commission is
recommending to the governments of Canada and the United States,
catch limits for 2008 totaling 60,400,000 pounds, a 7.3%
decrease from the 2007 catch limit of 65,170,000 pounds.
The Commission staff reported on the 2007 Pacific halibut
stock assessment which implemented a coastwide estimation of
biomass, compared with previous assessments which assessed stock
biomass for each individual IPHC regulatory area. This approach
was introduced for the 2006 stock assessment but not endorsed by
the Commission at its 2007 Annual Meeting. Following a June 2007
stock assessment workshop and external peer review of the
assessment, the Commission and its advisory bodies endorsed the
coastwide approach to the assessment of halibut stock abundance
at the 2008 Annual Meeting. While the staff catch limit
recommendations, arising from IPHC survey-based apportionment of
the coastwide biomass estimated were accepted for most areas,
the Commission requested additional investigation of
apportionment methods during 2008.
For 2008, the Commission recommends a 20% harvest rate for
use in Areas 2A through 4A. However, the Commission staff
expressed concern over harvest rates in Area 4A and will conduct
a comprehensive examination of optimum harvest rates for Area 4
as a whole during 2008. In addition, the IPHC standardized
setline assessment survey will be extended into the eastern
Bering Sea flats during 2008, repeating a survey first conducted
in this area in 2006. Low levels of recruitment and lower
estimated levels of productivity in Areas 4B and 4CDE continued
to support harvest rates lower than 20% for these areas.
Accordingly, the Commission adopted catch limits based on a
harvest rate of 15% for Areas 4B and 4CDE. Catch limits adopted
for 2008 were lower over the entire coast reflecting stock
biomass declines as the exceptionally strong 1987 and 1988 year
classes pass out of the fishery. Recruitment of the 1994 and
1995 year classes are above average and the 1999 and 2000 year
classes are also estimated to be above average but several years
away from making major contributions to the exploitable biomass
of the stock.
Seasons and Catch Limits
The Commission received regulatory proposals for 2008 from
the scientific staff, Canadian and United States harvesters and
processors, and other fishery agencies. The Commission will
recommend to the governments the following catch limits for 2008
in Area 2A (California, Oregon, and Washington), Area 2B
(British Columbia), Area 2C (southeastern Alaska), Area 3A
(central Gulf), Area 3B (western Gulf), Area 4A (eastern
Aleutians), Area 4B (western Aleutians), Area 4C (Pribilof
Islands), Area 4D (northwestern Bering Sea), and Area 4E (Bering
Sea flats):
2008 Catch Limits
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Regulatory Area
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Catch Limit (pounds)
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Area 2A
Non-treaty directed commercial (south of Pt.
Chehalis)
Non-treaty incidental catch in salmon troll fishery
Non-treaty incidental catch in sablefish longline
fishery (N. of Pt. Chehalis)
Treaty Indian commercial
Treaty Indian ceremonial and subsistence
(year-round)
Sport North of Columbia River
Sport South of Columbia River
Area 2A total
Area 2B
(includes sport catch allocation)
Area 2C
Area 3A
Area 3B
Area 4A
Area 4B
Area 4C
Area 4D
Area 4E
Area 4 total
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213,674
37,707
70,000
397,000
30,000
220,238
251,381
1,220,000
9,000,000
6,210,000
24,220,000
10,900,000
3,100,000
1,860,000
1,769,000
1,769,000
352,000
8,850,000
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Total
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60,400,000
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The Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada (DFO) will
allocate the adopted Area 2B catch limit between sport and
commercial fisheries.
The IPHC sets biologically-based catch limits for Areas 4A,
4B, and a combined Area 4CDE. The catch limits for Regulatory
Areas 4C, 4D, and 4E reflect the catch-sharing plan implemented
by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC). The
catch-sharing plan allows Area 4D Community Development Quota (CDQ)
harvest to be taken in Area 4E and Area 4C Individual Fishing
Quota (IFQ) and CDQ to be fished in Area 4D.
The catch-sharing plan implemented by the Pacific Fishery
Management Council (PFMC) for Area 2A was adopted by the
Commission and is reflected in the catch limits adopted for the
Area 2A fisheries. The Commission received a request for an
earlier starting date for the directed commercial fishery. The
proposal was for mid-May, however Washington and Oregon
Departments of Fish and Wildlife officials expressed concern
over an earlier opening and requested that the proposal be
reviewed more thoroughly during 2008. Therefore, the Commission
adopted an Area 2A commercial fishery opening date two weeks
earlier than in 2007. In Area 2A, seven 10-hour fishing periods
for the non-treaty directed commercial fishery are recommended:
June 11, June 25, July 9, July 23, August 6, August 20,
September 3, and September 17, 2008. All fishing periods will
begin at 8:00 a.m. and end at 6:00 p.m. local time, and will be
further restricted by fishing period limits announced at a later
date.
Area 2A fishing dates for an incidental commercial halibut
fishery concurrent with salmon troll fishing seasons, and the
incidental commercial halibut fishery during the sablefish
fishery north of Point Chehalis, will be established under
United States domestic regulations by the National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS). The remainder of the Area 2A
catch-sharing plan, including sport fishing seasons and depth
restrictions, will be determined under regulations promulgated
by NMFS. For further information of the depth restrictions in
the commercial directed halibut fishery, incidental halibut
during the sablefish fishery, and the sport fisheries, call the
NMFS hotline (1-800-662-9825).
After reviewing staff information and proposals from the
harvesting and processing sector, the Commission approved a
season opening date of March 8. The Saturday opening date is to
facilitate marketing. Therefore, seasons will commence at 12
noon local time on March 8 and terminate at 12 noon local time
on November 15, 2008 for the following fisheries and areas: the
Canadian Individual Vessel Quota (IVQ) fishery in Area 2B, and
the United States IFQ and CDQ fisheries in Areas 2C, 3A, 3B, 4A,
4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E. All Area 2A commercial fishing including the
treaty Indian commercial fishery will fall within March 8 -
November 15, 2008.
Regulatory Changes and Issues
The current IPHC definition of net weight is halibut which
are gutted, head-off, and without ice and slime. The Commission
approved adding the conversion factors that will be required to
be used if halibut is weighed with head-on and with ice and
slime. The conversion factors will be defined in regulation as a
10% deduction for head and 2% for ice and slime.
The Commission approved adding the Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) voluntary sablefish logbook as an
acceptable logbook that can be used by U.S. operators in the
commercial halibut fishery.
The Commission adopted a regulation that restricts tagging of
halibut to IPHC-authorized programs, and by state and federal
agencies. Individuals and organizations outside of state and
federal agencies will be required to obtain a permit from IPHC
for any halibut tagging program.
For Alaska, the Commission adopted a sport regulation that no
person shall possess on board a fishing vessel, including
charter vessels and pleasure craft, halibut that has been
filleted, mutilated, or otherwise disfigured in any manner
except that each halibut may be cut into no more than two
ventral and two dorsal pieces and two cheeks, all with skin on.
The change allows enforcement officers to count the number of
fish possessed by an angler. Additionally, in Area 2C the NMFS
regulation that requires charter vessels to retain halibut
carcasses remains in effect unless superseded by new NMFS
regulations.
Other Actions
A proposal to allow Pacific hake (whiting) shoreside trawl
vessels operating in Area 2A to retain halibut until offloading
was not adopted. This practice, which has been previously
allowed through an IPHC permitting process, will continue in
this manner while IPHC and NMFS staffs work on the development
of U.S. domestic regulations for this program.
Commercial fishing vessels are not allowed to have fishing
pots capable of catching halibut on board the vessel. A proposal
to allow sport or personal use crab pots on board commercial
halibut vessels was not adopted. The IPHC staff, enforcement
agencies, and industry agreed to further discuss and review the
proposal prior to the 2009 Annual Meeting.
The catch in sport fisheries and enforcement of sport fishing
regulations, particularly for charter vessels, were discussed at
length. For the 2009 Annual Meeting, the Commission will request
reports from NMFS and Alaska State enforcement agencies
concerning enforcement of regulations for the Alaska sport
charter fishery.
An industry proposal to reduce the commercial size limit for
halibut was reviewed. The IPHC staff was directed to review how
a reduced size limit would affect assessment, yield, and
long-term productivity of the halibut stock.
The Conference Board supported the coastwide assessment model
but asked for a workshop on apportionment methods. The
Commissioners directed the staff to conduct a workshop in early
fall 2008 to review apportionment procedures, with special
consideration of migration, updated PIT tag results, and harvest
policy.
The Conference Board and the Processor Advisory Group asked
the staff to host a workshop on bycatch programs and bycatch
reduction strategies. The Commissioners directed the staff to
assemble material reviewing bycatch reduction targets, reduction
methodology, progress in other jurisdictions, and update the
1991 IPHC Bycatch Work Group results. This information will be
made available and used in planning for a potential bycatch
workshop in 2009.
The Commission honoured Mr. Myron Melovidov Jr. of St. Paul,
AK as the sixth recipient of the IPHC Merit Scholarship. Mr.
Melovidov was presented with a certificate and plaque, as well
as the scholarship of $2,000 (U.S.). The Commissioners expressed
their continued support for the scholarship program and
commended the Scholarship Committee for their efforts in
assessing the candidates.
The recommended regulations for the 2008 halibut fishery will
become official as soon as they are approved by the Canadian and
United States Governments. The Commission will publish and
distribute regulation pamphlets.
The Commission is pleased to announce that it has
re-appointed Dr. Bruce M. Leaman as the IPHC Executive Director.
Dr. Leaman was first appointed to this position in 1997 and the
new appointment will expire in January 2013.
The next Annual Meeting of the Commission is planned for
Vancouver, B.C. from January 13 to 16, 2009. The Canadian
Government Commissioner, Dr. Laura J. Richards of Nanaimo, B.C.,
was elected Chair. The United States Government Commissioner,
Dr. James W. Balsiger of Juneau, AK, was elected Vice-Chair for
the coming year. Other Canadian Commissioners are Clifford Atleo
(Port Alberni, B.C.) and Gary Robinson (Vancouver, B.C.). The
other United States Commissioners are Ralph Hoard (Seattle, WA)
and Phillip Lestenkof (St. Paul, AK). Dr. Bruce M. Leaman is the
Executive Director of the Commission.
- END -
Bruce M. Leaman, Executive Director
Phone: (206) 634-1838
FAX: (206) 632-2983 |
