IPHC News Release 2019-004 International Pacific Halibut Commission Completes 95th Annual Meeting

1 February 2019

INTERNATIONAL PACIFIC HALIBUT COMMISSION

COMPLETES 95^TH ANNUAL MEETING

The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) completed its 95^th Annual Meeting (AM095) in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada on 1 February 2019. A total of 198 Pacific halibut stakeholders attended the meeting, with over 142 more participating in web broadcasts of the meeting. Meeting information, documents, and presentations are available on the meeting page at the IPHC website (https://www.iphc.int/venues/details/95th-session-of-the-iphc-annual-meeting-am095).

The Commission adopted distributed mortality (TCEY) values for each IPHC Regulatory Area as shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Distributed mortality (TCEY) by IPHC Regulatory Area

IPHC Regulatory Area	Distributed mortality limits (TCEY) (net weight*)
	Metric tons (t)	Pounds (lb)
Area 2A (California, Oregon, and Washington)	748.43	1.65M
Area 2B (British Columbia)	3,098.04	6.83M
Area 2C (southeastern Alaska)	2,875.78	6.34M
Area 3A (central Gulf of Alaska)	6,123.50	13.50M
Area 3B (western Gulf of Alaska)	1,315.42	2.90M
Area 4A (eastern Aleutians)	879.97	1.94M
Area 4B (central/western Aleutians)	657.71	1.45M
Areas 4CDE (Bering Sea)	1,814.37	4.00M
Total	17,513.20	38.61M

*“net weight” of a Pacific halibut means the weight of Pacific halibut that is without gills and entrails, head-off, washed (without ice and slime). If a Pacific halibut is weighed with the head on or with ice and slime, the required conversion factors for calculating net weight are a 2 percent deduction for ice and slime and a 10 percent deduction for the head.

The IPHC recommended an overall fishing period (season) of 15 March – 14 November 2019 for all commercial Pacific fisheries in Canada and the USA. In IPHC Regulatory Area 2A, the tribal commercial fisheries and the incidental Pacific halibut fisheries will occur within these dates, and the non-tribal directed commercial fishery will consist of 10-hour derby fishing periods, including but not limited to 26 June, 10 July, 24 July, 7 August, 21 August, 4 September, and 18 September. 

In accordance with the Convention^[1], the fishery regulations approved by the IPHC, including fishery limits and fishing periods, will be recommended to the Contracting Parties for implementation according to their domestic law and regulation.    

A subsequent IPHC News Release will provide more details of the 95^th Annual Meeting, including the meeting report, regulatory changes, and other actions taken by the IPHC.                                       

ONGOING SUBSCRIPTION TO IPHC NEWS RELEASES

Dear Reader: The IPHC is moving towards fully electronic information distribution. As such, if you would like to continue to receive IPHC news in the future, please click the following link to subscribe to electronic communications: https://www.iphc.int/form/news-letter. Hard copies of news releases and other bulletins will cease in early 2019.                                                                                  

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^[1] The Convention between Canada and the United States of America for the Preservation of the [Pacific] Halibut Fishery of the Northern Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea.

David T. Wilson, Ph.D.
Executive Director, IPHC
Phone: (206) 634-1838
Fax:     (206) 632-2983
Web:  www.iphc.int