IPHC NEWS RELEASE 2018-010

2018 PACIFIC HALIBUT LANDING REPORT NO. 1

IPHC Regulatory Area	Fishery limits (net weight)		Landings (net weight)
	Pounds (lb)	Tonnes (t)	Pounds (lb)	Tonnes (t)
Area 2A (California, Oregon, and Washington)	1,190,000	539,78
Non-treaty directed commercial (south of Pt. Chehalis	201,845	91.56	0.00	0.00
Non-treaty incidental catch in salmon troll fishery	35,620	16.16	no data	no data
Non-treaty incidental catch in sablefish fishery (north of Pt. Chehalis)	50,000	22.68	1,874	0.90
Treaty Indian commercial	389,500	176.68	194,093	88.04
Treaty Indian ceremonial and subsistence (year-round)	27,000	12.25
Recreational – Washington	225,366	102.22	no data	no data
Recreational – Oregon	229,730	104.20	no data	no data
Recreational – California	30,940	14.03	no data	no data
Area 2B (British Columbia)	6,223,985	2,823.18
Commercial fishery	5,295,995	2,402.25	1,433,332	650.15
Recreational fishery	927,990	420.93	no data	no data
Area 2C (southeastern Alaska)	4,450,000	2,018.51
Commercial fishery (IFQ)	3,570,000	1,619.32	1,111,037	503.96
Guided recreational fishery	810,000	367.41	no data	no data
Area 3A (central Gulf of Alaska)	9,450,000	4,286.49
Commercial fishery	7,350,000	3,333.91	1,839,421	834.35
Guided recreational fishery	1,790,000	811.94	no data	no data
Area 3B (western Gulf of Alaska)	2,620,000	1,188.41	270,315	122.61
Area 4A (eastern Aleutians)	1,370,000	621,42	1	1
Area 4B (central/western Aleutians)	1,050,000	476.24	1	1
Areas 4CDE	1,580,000	716,68	1	1
Area 4C (Pribilof Islands)	733,500	332.71	0.00	0.00
Area 4D (northwestern Bering Sea)	733,500	332.71	1	1
Area 4E (Bering Sea flats)	113,000	51.26	0.00	0.00

¹Total landings in IPHC Regulatory Area 4 are combined to meet confidentiality requirements, for a total of 195,790 pounds (88.8 tonnes). 

Quota Share Commercial Fisheries Update

The 2018 quota share Pacific halibut fisheries opened on 24 March 2018. It is estimated that the following commercial landings, by weight and number of landings, were taken in the Alaskan Individual Fishery Quota (IFQ) fishery through 08 May 2018 and in the British Columbian Individual Vessel Quota (IVQ) fishery through 05 May 2018.

IPHC Regulatory Area	Catch Limit		Landings		Proportion	Number of Landings
	‘000s lb	Tonnes	‘000s lb	Tonnes
2C	3,570	1,619	1,111	504	31.12	251
3A	7,350	3,334	1,839	834	25.02	300
3B	2,260	1,025	270	123	11.95	33
4	4,000	1,814	196	89	4.90	21
USA total	17,540	7,956	3,417	1,550	19.48	605
2B (Canada) total	5,296	2,402	1,433	650	27.06	113
Grand Total	22,836	10,358	4,850	2,200	21.23	718

United States of America: The landings from IPHC Regulatory Areas 2C, 3, and 4 (Alaska) represent ~19% of the 2018 quota share commercial fishery catch limit. For comparison, 4.2 Mlb, 1,905 t, or ~22% of the 2017 catch limit, were landed in the Alaskan fishery by this same date in 2017; however, the opening date of the 2017 fishery occurred 13 days earlier in the year than that of the 2018 fishery. For comparison, using a similar fishing period length, during the first 45 days of the 2017 Alaska commercial Pacific halibut fishery, 3.4 Mlb, 1,542 t, or 17% of the catch limit, were landed.

Canada: The landings from IPHC Regulatory Area 2B (British Columbia) waters represent ~27% of the 2018 commercial fishery catch limit. For comparison, 1.3 Mlb, 590 t, or ~21% of the 2017 catch limit, had been landed from IPHC Regulatory Area 2B by this same date in 2017. Also, during the first 42 days of the 2017 IVQ fishery, 1.1 Mlb, 499 t, or 17% of the catch limit, had been landed.

IPHC Regulatory Area 2A Commercial Treaty Indian Fisheries

In 2018, the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) allocated 389,500 pounds (177 tonnes) of Pacific halibut for commercial use to the Treaty Indian tribes of IPHC Regulatory Area 2A. After one unrestricted fishery and one restricted fishery, a total of 194,093 pounds (88 tonnes) of Pacific halibut have been reported landed as of 27 April 2018.

IPHC Regulatory Area 2A Incidental Commercial Pacific Halibut Fishery During the Limited Entry, Fixed-Gear Sablefish Fishery

The total allowable incidental commercial catch of Pacific halibut allocated to the limited entry, fixed-gear sablefish fishery, which operates in IPHC Regulatory Area 2A north of Point Chehalis, Washington, is 50,000 pounds (22.7 tonnes). Incidental catch of Pacific halibut in the sablefish fishery was permitted beginning 01 April 2018. Preliminary landing estimates indicate that 1,874 pounds (0.9 tonnes) of Pacific halibut have been landed through 30 April 2018. For further incidental fishery retention information, call the NMFS hotline (1-800-662-9825 press 7 for Pacific halibut information).

Annette Islands Reserve Fishery in IPHC Regulatory Area 2C

The Metlakatla Indian Community has been authorized by the United States Government to conduct a commercial Pacific halibut fishery within the Annette Islands Reserve. The following table lists Pacific halibut catch and numbers of participating vessels by fishing period.

Fishing Period Dates	Pounds	Tonnes	Number of Vessels
23 – 25 March	1,877	0.85	5
06 – 08 April	748	0.34	4

The total landed weight of Pacific halibut reported to date is 2,625 pounds (1.2 tonnes). The Metlakatla Indian Community and the Bureau of Indian Affairs will announce future Pacific halibut openings.

Completion and Submission of Logbooks for the Commercial Pacific Halibut Fishery in all IPHC Regulatory Areas and for the Alaska Sablefish Fishery

The IPHC has collected commercial logbook information since the 1930s. The weight per unit effort, gear, and location information from the logbook is essential for the annual stock assessment and aids in determining the condition of the Pacific halibut resource. Marine mammal details were added to the logbooks in 2017 in response to requests from the fleet and stock assessors. No changes were made for 2018. We have been successful in managing the resource primarily because of cooperation from participating harvesters. All detailed trip information obtained and retained by the IPHC is kept strictly confidential and cannot be subpoenaed because of IPHC immunities as an international organization.

The IPHC has been contracted by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Auke Bay Laboratory (ABL) to collect sablefish log sheets in Alaska for use in the sablefish stock assessment. This program was developed at the request of the sablefish industry and is voluntary. Any logbook information provided to the NMFS ABL requires a captain’s signature acknowledging and agreeing to the following: ‘IPHC will forward to Sablefish Assessment, Auke Bay Lab’. Only sablefish data that have this acknowledgement are provided to ABL. Sablefish catch, set data, and landing locations are provided, but each vessel is assigned a unique number code preventing the vessel from being identified. These data cannot be obtained by outside parties under the Freedom of Information Act.

For the 2018 season, IPHC has samplers in the following ports in Alaska: Dutch Harbor, Homer, Juneau, Kodiak, Petersburg, Seward, Sitka, and St. Paul. We also have samplers in Bellingham, Washington and Newport and Charleston, Oregon.

Providing the log to the port sampler is the most efficient way to provide accurate data for inclusion in the stock assessment, to clarify details, and to provide you with a venue to ask questions and provide direct feedback to the IPHC and ABL. New tear-out logbooks can be obtained from any port sampler or from the Seattle office. Hardcover logbooks are no longer available. At the end of the fishing season, if a sampler has not collected logbook information from all trips, please tear out the IPHC/IFQ copy from your logbook, or make a copy of the information, sign to release the sablefish catch information, and send it to the Seattle office at 2320 West Commodore Way Suite 300, Seattle, WA, 98199, USA.

Please refer to the attached log example to complete your IPHC-approved log as accurately, legibly, and completely as possible. Thank you again for your continuing cooperation.

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

SEATTLE – The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) is pleased to announce the scheduled data release of the interactive raw and adjusted (for hook competition and timing) data from our most recent Fishery-Independent Setline Survey (FISS):

https://www.iphc.int/data/FISS-catch-per-unit-effort

The 2020 FISS raw and adjusted data results are now available on our interactive data webpage, provided at the link above. The available views allow users to interactively review the raw and adjusted results from the FISS for 2020 and prior years with an ability to drill down and track differences among areas and across years.

This release is focused on Catch-Per-Unit-Data with additional updates coming to FISS 2020 performance data (10 November 2020) and FISS 2020 biological data (18 November 2020)

The updated page may also be accessed via the “Data” link found at the top of each page of the IPHC website.

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

18 July 2017

The 28 June 2017 and 12 July 2017 non-treaty directed commercial fishing periods in IPHC Regulatory Area 2A resulted in an estimated combined catch of 160,000 pounds of Pacific halibut, leaving an estimated 65,500 pounds from the harvest allocation. Therefore, the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) has determined that this fishery will remain open and fishing period limits will be required during the 26 July 2017 10-hour fishing period to avoid exceeding the 225,591 pound (net weight) catch limit. The 26 July 2017 fishing period will begin at 08:00 hrs and end at 18:00 hrs Pacific Daylight Time. The fishery is restricted to waters south of Point Chehalis, Washington (46°53.30′ N. latitude) under regulations promulgated by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Fishing period limits as indicated in the following table will be in effect for this opening.

Vessel Class		Fishing Period Limit (pounds)
Length	Letter	Dressed, head-on with ice/slime
0-25	A	670
26-30	B	835
31-35	C	1,335
36-40	D	3,680
41-45	E	3,960
46-50	F	4,740
51-55	G	5,290
56+	H	7,955

The appropriate vessel length class and letter are printed on each vessel license. The fishing period limit applies to the vessel, not the individual fisher, and any landings over the vessel limit will be subject to forfeiture and fine.

Fishers are reminded that regulations require that all Pacific halibut from IPHC Regulatory Area 2A be landed with the head on. Additionally, fishers are reminded that there is a 72-hour rule, whereby a vessel that will be used in the non-Treaty directed fishery may not be used to fish for any species of fish anywhere in IPHC Regulatory Area 2A during the 72-hour period immediately before the directed commercial fishing period unless all catch of other species has been completely offloaded or the vessel submits to a hold inspection by an authorized officer prior to the start of the fishing period (see IPHC Pacific Halibut Fishery Regulations 2017, sections 19(7)(a)(b) and 19(8)(a)(b)).

NMFS has implemented mandatory area closures that are in effect for the directed Pacific halibut fishery to protect specific rockfish species. For the exact coordinates of the closed areas, go to the following web page:

http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/fisheries/management/groundfish_closures/groundfish_closed_areas.html.

For further information, call the NMFS hotline at 1 800-662-9825, then press “7” for the Pacific halibut fisheries.

Due to the short notice, this notification is posted to our website only, and no paper copy has been mailed.

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28 July 2017

Closed: Oregon’s Central Coast subarea nearshore Pacific halibut sport fishery – The preliminary catch estimate for Oregon’s Central Coast subarea nearshore Pacific halibut sport fishery through 23 July 2017 is 26,073 pounds, leaving an estimated 2,824 pounds to be harvested. As a result, the Oregon Central Coast subarea nearshore Pacific halibut sport fishery will close at the end of the day Sunday, 30 July 2017.  This fishery will then be closed for the remainder of 2017. 

For more information on these updates please refer to:

Oregon: Department of Fish and Wildlife website:

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/finfish/halibut/index.asp

In all marine areas open to Pacific halibut fishing in Washington, Oregon, and California, there is a one-fish daily catch limit and no minimum size restriction.

Due to the short notice nature of this notification, it is posted to our website only, and no paper copy has been mailed out.

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16 August 2017

CALL FOR REGULATORY PROPOSALS
2017 INTERIM MEETING (IM093) ANNOUNCEMENT
2018 ANNUAL MEETING (AM094) ANNOUNCEMENT

This IPHC News Release includes:

• An invitation to submit regulatory proposals for consideration at the 2017 Interim Meeting and the 2018 Annual Meeting
• The announcement of the 2017 Interim Meeting (IM093), and
• The announcement of the 2018 Annual Meeting (AM094)

CALL FOR REGULATORY PROPOSALS

Stakeholders are invited to submit Regulatory Proposals for the Commission’s consideration during its 2017-2018 meeting cycle. Decisions regarding the IPHC Fishery Regulations will be made at the 2018 Annual Meeting (AM094) in January 2018.

IPHC News Release 2017-18 “2017-18 Process and Guidelines for the Development, Submission, Consideration, and Adoption of IPHC Fishery Regulations” (https://www.iphc.int/news-releases/523-iphc-nr-2017-18.html) details the process for submitting proposals for new or amended IPHC Fishery Regulations. This process also applies to catch limit proposals, which are themselves Regulatory Proposals and are included with all other Regulatory Proposals.

Note that the deadline for proposals to be considered at the 2017 Interim Meeting (IM093) is 29 October 2017. Any proposal considered at the Interim Meeting will automatically be considered at the Annual Meeting, either in its original form or as a revised proposal, as appropriate.

The deadline for proposals to be considered at the 2018 Annual Meeting (AM094) is 23 December 2017. A proposal does not need to be considered at the Interim Meeting to be considered at the Annual Meeting.

Note also that Informal Statements by stakeholders may be submitted via email to Statements@iphc.int and will be provided directly to Commissioners at each Session.

IPHC ANNOUNCES THE 2017 INTERIM MEETING (IM093)

The 93rd Session of the IPHC Interim Meeting (IM093) will be held 28-29 November 2017 at the Grand Hyatt Seattle in Seattle, Washington, USA. New this year, the meeting will require attendees to pre-register. Please follow the Interim Meeting registration link (https://iphcim093.eventbrite.com).

All of the staff presentations and discussion will be open to public attendance. These public sessions will also be webcast for those unable to attend in person. The meeting agenda, meeting documents, and webcast information will be posted at the IPHC website (https://www.iphc.int/meetings-and-events/interim-meeting.html) as they become available. The webcast recordings and the meeting presentations will also be posted on the website following the meeting.

The IPHC has reserved a block of rooms at the Grand Hyatt Seattle (721 Pine Street, Seattle, WA 98101) at the rate of $169 USD. The link to the hotel reservation site is located on the event registration page (https://iphcim093.eventbrite.com). The group rate is available until November 6, 2017.

IPHC ANNOUNCES THE 2018 ANNUAL MEETING (AM094)

The 94th Session of the IPHC Annual Meeting (AM094) will be held 22-26 January 2018 at the Hilton Portland Downtown in Portland, Oregon, USA. New this year, the meeting will require attendees to pre-register. Please follow the Annual Meeting registration link (https://iphcam094.eventbrite.com).

The meeting is scheduled to open on Monday with presentations on the fishery, the 2017 stock assessment, and the harvest decision table, and conclude on Friday with Commission approval of catch limits and other regulations for 2018. All public sessions and administrative sessions will be open to the public. These open sessions will also be webcast, and the webcast recordings will be posted on the Commission website.

The most up-to-date information regarding the 2018 Annual Meeting (AM094) can be found on the Annual Meeting page of the Commission’s website (https://www.iphc.int/meetings-and-events/annual-meeting.html) or by calling the IPHC office at (206) 634-1838. The website will be updated regularly with new information as the meeting date approaches, including the agenda, meeting documents, webcast information, and presentations.

The IPHC has reserved a block of rooms at the Hilton Portland Downtown (921 SW Sixth Avenue, Portland, OR 97204) at the rate of $169 USD. The link to the hotel reservation site is located on the event registration page (https://iphcam094.eventbrite.com). The group rate is available until December 27, 2017.

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