19 March 2024

SEATTLE – With the revision of Section 19 (Logs) of the IPHC Fishery Regulations in January 2024, the IPHC is now authorised to accept logbook data from the vessels engaged in commercial fishing in Alaska, USA, reported through approved electronic logbooks.

In 2024, the IPHC will be testing an electronic equivalent to the IPHC Pacific halibut logbook for Alaska, accessible through Deckhand®.

The electronic logbook application is designed to facilitate the sharing of data with IPHC representatives present at the offload site via direct transfer (tablet to tablet data transmission). Additionally, the application offers post-season data upload feature simplifying compliance with the post-season data submission requirement outlined in the IPHC Fishery Regulations 2024, Section 19, pt. 5(f).

If you are interested in a no-cost trial participation during the 2024 fishing period, contact us at secretariat@iphc.int. Please include the name of the captain, the vessel name and vessel length. The trial will focus on vessels under 60 ft previously using the IPHC Pacific halibut logbook (not NOAA daily fishing logbook/DFL).

Applications will be considered preferential to vessels regularly targeting Pacific halibut for a minimum number of trips per year with landings in ports staffed by the IPHC Secretariat in Alaska (Sitka, Juneau, Petersburg, Homer, Seward, Kodiak, St. Paul and Dutch Harbor).

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

 06 March 2024

SEATTLE – The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) will be conducting its annual fishery-independent setline survey (FISS) this year. The FISS will be conducted off the coast of British Columbia, and Alaska during the 2024 fishing period. IPHC will be selling Pacific halibut caught and sampled during these operations to offset the costs associated with conducting the research, in accordance with 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 (Article III, paragraph 2).

This media release is intended to notify processors of the IPHC’s plan to sell fish and to update lists of interested buyers in ports where IPHC-chartered vessels will offload catch. 

 A total of five (5) vessels will be involved in the IPHC FISS, with landings between early June and mid-September. Average trip poundage for Pacific halibut ranges from 5,000 to 35,000 pounds, plus lesser amounts of rockfish (Sebastes spp.) and Pacific cod. Please note that IPHC will continue to sell U32 Pacific halibut that have been sampled during the FISS. The condition of fish prior to each landing will be communicated in the individual sales announcement. As an update to our fish sales protocols for 2024, all applicable tax deductions must be listed on the bid with exact rates shown.

Sales will be awarded based on the IPHC’s objectives of achieving a fair market price. Sales agreements will be based on prices at the time of the sale. The IPHC will not enter into any consignment or profit-sharing arrangements. The IPHC plans to contact interested Pacific halibut buyers prior to each landing. Preferences will be given to buyers with a history of successfully marketing Pacific halibut and following ethical business practices. In awarding sales, the IPHC will consider: (1) price; (2) the number of years buyers have been buying and marketing Pacific halibut; (3) how fish are graded, including the determination of No. 2 Pacific halibut and chalky fish; and (4) promptness in settlements following deliveries. Obtaining a fair market price will be a primary consideration in awarding fish sales. The IPHC will also attempt to distribute sales among as many qualified buyers as possible, subject to fair market value.

All buyers (including those with past IPHC sales history) interested in purchasing IPHC FISS fish in 2024 should complete the Interested Buyer Form.

Replying to this news release will ensure you are kept informed of purchasing opportunities throughout our field season. this news release will ensure you are kept informed of purchasing opportunities throughout our field season. 

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

28 February 2024

SEATTLE – The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) is seeking to charter a longline fishing vessel to conduct ten (10) days of fishing (over a two-trip window) investigating a device intended to reduce marine mammal depredation of catch from longline gear. The purpose of the charter is to: 1) investigate the logistics of setting, fishing, and hauling an underwater shuttle catch protection device; and 2) investigate the basic performance of the gear on catch rates and fish size compared to traditional gear. This project will help refine a device that can be used in the Pacific halibut fishery to protect catch on the gear from removal or damage by whales and to potentially interrupt the cycle leading to depredation.

The IPHC will consider only those vessels with captains and crews that have recent (within five (5) years) longline 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 Catch Protection Study (CPS) Vessel Tender Specifications. The Tender Specifications and Vessel Tender Forms for this project may be downloaded and accessed directly from the IPHC website: Opportunities | IPHC (click on “IPHC Research Charters”).

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. The IPHC’s operating costs (tender amounts);
6. Previous interactions with the IPHC and its Secretariat, experience operating as a charter vessel, scheduling flexibility, and ability to take additional Secretariat are other factors to be potentially considered in the decision-making process.

Submissions must be completed no later than 16:59 (Pacific) on 25 March 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

28 February 2024

SEATTLE – The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) 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.A. students connected to the Pacific halibut fishery and its industry. Generally, a single new scholarship valued at US$4,000 per year is awarded every two years. The scholarships are renewable annually for the normal four-year period of undergraduate education, subject to maintenance of satisfactory academic performance. A selection panel of industry and Commission representatives reviews applications and determines recipients based on academic qualifications, career goals, and relationship to the Pacific halibut industry. 

The scholarship for 2024 will be available for educational entrance or continuation in Fall of 2024. Applications must be submitted via the electronic form posted under the IPHC Merit Scholarships tab on the Commission’s website Opportunities page linked here: https://www.iphc.int/the-commission/opportunities

Deadline for applications is 15 June 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

16 February 2024

SEATTLE – The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) is chartering longline vessels to conduct its Fishery-Independent Setline Survey (FISS) in 2024. The primary purpose of the FISS is to collect standardised fishery-independent data for use in our Pacific halibut stock assessment. This information is used to study aspects of the Pacific halibut resource such as growth, distribution, biomass, age composition, sexual maturity, and relative abundance of other species.

2024 IPHC FISS Contract Awards       

Note: ¹ Bycatch processing lump sum payments

15 February 2024

SEATTLE – The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) will be implementing a Fishery-Independent Setline Survey (FISS) design in 2024 that will involve sampling across three (3) of the four (4) bioregions, and in five (5) of the eight (8) IPHC Regulatory Areas. In total, we intend on sampling 525 stations in 2024, with the first hooks expected to hit the water on 25 May 2024. Below are the charter area specifics for 2024:

The IPHC Secretariat is in the process of finalising vessel assignments, staffing, and deployment plans, and will notify relevant parties in due course.

 We would like to thank all those who bid on the 2024 FISS tenders, and eagerly await the first data to start rolling in by late May.

 Wishing all of our FISS captains, crew, and staff a successful and safe 2024 FISS.