22 December 2023

SEATTLE – The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) is seeking to charter longline vessels (fixed gear or snap-gear) to conduct its Fishery-Independent Setline Survey (FISS) in 2024. The primary purpose of the FISS is to collect standardised data for use in the Pacific halibut stock assessment. This information collected is also used to study aspects of the Pacific halibut resource such as growth, distribution, biomass, age composition, sexual maturity, and relative abundance of other species. Legal-sized Pacific halibut and Pacific halibut less than 32 inches in length that have been sampled, as well as incidentally caught fish (byproduct) that will die upon release will be retained, sampled for biological data and sold by the IPHC to offset FISS expenses. 

The 2023 FISS will cover at least 11 charter regions within the IPHC Convention Area with a standard grid of stations from St James (2B) to the northern Bering Sea including the Aleutian Islands. The FISS must be completed between 24 May and 15 September 2024.

The IPHC will consider only those vessels with captains and crews that have recent (within five years) Pacific halibut fishing experience. The IPHC may require an inspection of the vessel prior to awarding the charter.

Vessels need not be licensed for Pacific halibut fishing in Canada or the USA to be eligible. The IPHC is not restricted as to nationality of the vessels it charters for operation in any region as long as customs and immigration regulations are followed.

Interested vessel owners are invited to submit tenders based upon the 2024 IPHC Fishery-Independent Setline Survey (FISS) Vessel Tender Specifications. The Tender Specifications and Vessel Tender Forms for this project may be downloaded and accessed directly from the IPHC website: Vessel Recruiting | IPHC.

The IPHC will not be obligated to accept the tender with the lowest bid or any tender received and will contract according to its best interests.

Vessels will be rated using the following criteria:

1) seaworthiness and general condition of the vessel and its equipment,
2) the vessel’s availability within the schedule determined solely by the IPHC Secretariat,
3) the vessel captain’s experience and fishing record,
4) the qualifications of the selected crew,
5) IPHC operating costs (tender amounts)
6) Previous interactions with the IPHC and its Secretariat, experience with the IPHC FISS, scheduling flexibility, and ability to take additional Secretariat are other factors to be potentially considered in the decision-making process.

Both fixed gear and snap gear vessels are welcome to bid on all IPHC Charter Regions.

Submissions must be completed no later than 23:59 (Pacific) on 3 February 2024.

For further information please contact the IPHC Secretariat at secretariat@iphc.int or 206.634.1838.

IPHC Secretariat
International Pacific Halibut Commission
2320 W. Commodore Way, Suite 300
Seattle, WA 98199-1287
206-634-1838 | www.iphc.int

7 December 2023

SEATTLE – In accordance with the IPHC Fishery Regulations (2023), Section 9 (Commercial Fishing Periods), please note that all commercial fishing for Pacific halibut in the IPHC Convention Area  ceased for the year at 1200 local time on 7 December. The fishery is now closed.

For further information please contact the IPHC Secretariat at secretariat@iphc.int or 206.634.1838.

IPHC Secretariat
International Pacific Halibut Commission
2320 W. Commodore Way, Suite 300
Seattle, WA 98199-1287
206-634-1838 | www.iphc.int

6 December 2023

SEATTLE – Dr. David T. Wilson: “On behalf of the IPHC I would like to extend a personal invitation to all stakeholders and interested parties to attend the 100^th Session of the IPHC Annual Meeting (AM100) and its associated subsidiary bodies. The 100^th Session marks a significant milestone for our organisation and I hope you are all able to join us as we commemorate a century of the IPHC.“

General notice: The meeting series will commence on 22 January 2024 with the AM100 starting at 12:30 pm in the main ballroom of The Hotel Captain Cook, Anchorage, AK, USA. We have organized a meeting rate of US$175/night which can be accessed via the below link to the hotel (code: AM100). The meeting rate is available for a limited time so we ask that you book early.

HOTEL BOOKING (CODE AM100)

Links to each meeting, including in-person and remote registration, documents and presentations are available at the following links:

• 100^th Session of the IPHC Annual Meeting (AM100) (22-26 January 2024)
• 100^th Session of the IPHC Finance and Administration Committee (FAC100) (22 January 2024)
• 94^th Session of the IPHC Conference Board (CB094) (23-24 January 2024)
• 29^th Session of the IPHC Processor Advisory Board (PAB029) (23-24 January 2024)

For further information please contact the IPHC Secretariat at secretariat@iphc.int or 206.634.1838.

IPHC Secretariat
International Pacific Halibut Commission
2320 W. Commodore Way, Suite 300
Seattle, WA 98199-1287
206-634-1838 | www.iphc.int

2. The second opportunity will occur via a public session at the Hilton Hotel in Anchorage Alaska on 5 December 2023 (17:30-19:00 hrs, AKST, Dillingham/Katmai Room). This in-person session is primarily designed for those attending the NPFMC meetings but is open to all interested parties.
3. The third opportunity will be at the Canadian Halibut Advisory Board (HAB) meeting, on 11 December 2024, 09:00-12:00 hrs This is a HAB member only session at the request of Canada.

At the start of 2024, Dr Stewart will update the Pacific halibut stock assessment projections with any new data received up until early January (e.g. non-directed discard mortality estimates, and subsistence data), and the papers and presentations referred to above will be revised and published on the IPHC website, AM100 page. Once updated, Dr Stewart will be providing the following two additional, extended information sessions for interested stakeholders to ask questions and hear from Dr Stewart:

4. The fourth opportunity is designed to target Pacific halibut harvesters from all sectors, in particular the Conference Board (CB) membership: Date: 16 January 2024; Time: 13:00-15:00 hrs PST, online. Meeting link being sent to harvesters directly.
5. The fifth opportunity is designed to target Pacific halibut processors, in particular the Processor Advisory Board (PAB) membership: Date: 17 January 2024; Time: 13:00-15:00 hrs PST, online. Meeting link being sent to processors directly.

Finally, Dr Stewart will present the final, updated Pacific halibut stock assessment at the 100^th Session of the IPHC Annual Meeting (AM100), that commences on 22 January 2024.

6. The sixth opportunity: 100^th Session of the IPHC Annual Meeting (AM100): 22-26 January 2024. Please register and attend either in-person, or remotely via the link to be provided.

Please join Dr Stewart at one or more of the above opportunities.

For further information on how to join these presentations and the associated question and answer sessions, please contact the IPHC Secretariat at secretariat@iphc.int or 206.634.1838.

IPHC Secretariat
International Pacific Halibut Commission
2320 W. Commodore Way, Suite 300
Seattle, WA 98199-1287
206-634-1838 | www.iphc.int