3 August 2017

Regulatory Area 2A Non-treaty Directed Commercial Pacific Halibut Fishery Closed

The International Pacific Halibut Commission reports that the total catch limit for the IPHC Regulatory Area 2A non-treaty directed commercial Pacific halibut fishery has been reached following the 26 July 2017 fishing period. Therefore, the IPHC Regulatory Area 2A non-treaty directed commercial Pacific halibut fishery is closed for the remainder of 2017.

Quota Share Commercial Fisheries Update

The 2017 quota share Pacific halibut fisheries opened on 11 March 2017. It is estimated that the following commercial landings, in pounds and numbers, were made in the Alaskan IFQ and CDQ fisheries through 30 July 2017 and in the British Columbian IVQ fishery through 26 July 2017.

IPHC Regulatory Area	Catch Limit (000s pounds)	Catch (000s pounds)	Number of Landings
2C	4,212	2,925	805
3A	7,739	4,892	911
3B	3,140	1,479	180
4A	1,390	511	62
4B	1,140	589	49
4CDE	1,700	604	358
Alaska Total	19,321	11,000	2,365
2B	6,272	3,447	347
Grand Total	25,593	14,447	2,712

The catch off Alaska represents 57% of Alaska’s 2017 commercial fishery catch limit. For comparison, 11.3 million pounds, or 62% of the 2016 catch limit, were landed in the Alaskan fishery by this same date in 2016.

The catch from British Columbia (IPHC Regulatory Area 2B) waters represents 55% of the 2017 commercial fishery catch limit. For comparison, 3.3 million pounds, or 53% of the 2016 catch limit, had been landed from IPHC Regulatory Area 2B by this same date in 2016.

IPHC Regulatory Area 2A Commercial Treaty Indian Fisheries

In 2017, the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) allocated 435,900 pounds of Pacific halibut for commercial use to the Treaty Indian tribes of Regulatory Area 2A-1. An estimated catch of 305,847 pounds of Pacific halibut was reported after unrestricted fisheries beginning on 20 March 2017 and 15 April 2017 and a restricted fishery beginning on 1 May 2017. Mop-up fisheries scheduled for 19-20 May 2017 (Washington coast), 22-23 May 2017 (Puget Sound), 18-19 June 2017, and 21-22 July 2017 resulted in the landing of 123,864 pounds of Pacific halibut. A total of 429,711 pounds of Pacific halibut have been reported landed thus far in 2017.

IPHC Regulatory Area 2A Incidental Commercial Pacific Halibut Fishery During the Salmon Troll Season

The total allowable incidental commercial catch of Pacific halibut allocated to the IPHC Regulatory Area 2A salmon troll fishery is 39,810 pounds. Incidental catch of Pacific halibut in the salmon troll fishery was allowed beginning 1 April 2017. It is estimated 36,642 pounds of Pacific halibut have been landed through 31 July 2017. Landing limits effective 1 July 2017: one Pacific halibut per each four Chinook, except one Pacific halibut may be possessed or landed without meeting the ratio requirement, and no more than 10 Pacific halibut may be possessed or landed per trip. For details on incidental fishery retention information, call the NMFS hotline (1 800-662-9825 press 7 for Pacific halibut information).

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 70,000 pounds. Incidental catch of Pacific halibut in the sablefish fishery was allowed beginning 1 April 2017. Preliminary landing estimates indicate that 10,173 pounds of Pacific halibut have been landed through 26 July 2017. 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	Catch (net pounds)	Number of Vessels
14 – 16 April	2,994	23
05 – 07 May	5,158	12
19 – 21 May	7,914	18
02 – 04 June	5,356	10
16 – 18 June	10,136	15
30 June – 02 July	5,076	8
14 – 16 July	5,778	11
28 – 30 July	4,227	10

The total landed weight of Pacific halibut reported to date is 46,639 pounds. The Metlakatla Indian Community and the Bureau of Indian Affairs will announce future Pacific halibut openings.

– END –

8 September 2017

SPORT FISHERIES: California Closure

Closed: California’s Pacific halibut sport fishery – The preliminary catch estimate for California’s Pacific halibut sport fishery through 3 September 2017 is 31,422 pounds, leaving an estimated 3,158 pounds to be harvested. As a result, the California Pacific halibut sport fishery will close at the end of the day (23:59 PDT) Sunday, 10 September 2017. This fishery will then be closed for the remainder of 2017.

More information is available on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) website:
https://cdfgnews.wordpress.com/2017/09/08/recreational-pacific-halibut-fishery-to-end-sunday-sept-10/.

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

– END –

11 September 2017

DISCARD MORTALITY STUDY CHARTER ANNOUNCEMENT 

The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) is seeking commercial longline and research vessels to conduct a Pacific halibut discard mortality study in the latter part of October to early November 2017. The study will require fishing conventional fixed gear in an area southeast of Chignik, AK, bounded between the following points (56°05’N, 158°10’W), (56°05’N, 157°25’W), (55°26’N, 156°23’W), (54°55’N, 157°15’W), (54°55’N, 158°10’W), and (55°40’N, 158°50’W). Three sets of 8 skates (1,800’ feet long (300 fathoms) with 100 hooks (#3 (16/0 Mustad)) at 18’ intervals) will be fished per day. A secondary roller will need to be in place in board the rail to enable release of fish into an area where they can be assessed, tagged, and released. Release methods (careful shake, hook straightening, gangion cutting, and hook stripper) will be randomly assigned by skate throughout each set. Two trips of six days will be conducted following an initial two days of test fishing to finalize the experimental protocols. The vessel must be capable of taking three (3) IPHC field biologists for data and sample collections. IPHC will bear bait and ice costs; fuel costs will be borne by the vessel. Some Pacific halibut will be retained and sold by IPHC, and limited retention of Pacific cod and rockfish bycatch may be allowed.

The purpose of the charter is to (1) evaluate the effects of fish handling practices on injury levels and their association with the physiological condition of captured Pacific halibut, (2) investigate the effects of fish handling methods and associated injury level and physiological condition on post-release survival of sublegal Pacific halibut discards, and (3) validate the ability of electronic monitoring (EM) to correctly identify release methods and associated fish handling methods to post-release survival. This project will help refine current estimates of discard mortality rates (DMRs) in the directed Pacific halibut fishery by investigating the relationship between hook release methods, injury levels, physiological condition, and survival post-release. Additionally, it will pioneer the use and application of EM to associating fish handling practices with survival.

Charter specifications and bid tender forms are available from IPHC via mail and on our website (www.iphc.int). The IPHC will consider only those vessels and captains having a history of commercial longline fishing. Vessel must have accommodations for three IPHC employees (including women) in addition to an experienced captain and crew, capable of fishing 24 skates per day and handling halibut in adverse weather conditions. The IPHC will evaluate vessels based upon the experience of the captain and crew with longline fishing, the safety features of the vessel, and charter costs. Vessel will provide setline gear and all associated equipment normally required for commercial halibut fishing. The IPHC will replace all fishing gear lost in the course of being put into the sea for fishing.

The IPHC is not restricted as to the nationality of vessels it charters in any region, and will contract according to its own best interests. The lowest or any bid will not necessarily be accepted. Interested owners can contact IPHC for more information on charter specifications and to obtain tender forms. Sealed tenders must be received at the IPHC office in Seattle no later than 12:00 noon (Pacific Daylight Time) on Monday, 25 September 2017. Interested parties should contact Claude Dykstra (ext. 7662), Josep Planas (ext. 7687), or Timothy Loher (ext. 7674) at (206) 634-1838 for further information.

– END –

19 September 2017

Quota Share Commercial Fisheries Update

The 2017 quota share Pacific halibut fisheries opened on 11 March 2017. It is estimated that the following commercial landings, in pounds and numbers, were taken in the Alaskan IFQ and CDQ fisheries through 17 September 2017 and in the British Columbian IVQ fishery through 14 September 2017.

IPHC Regulatory Area	Catch Limit (000s pounds)	Catch (000s pounds)	Number of Landings
2C	4,212	3,629	1,146
3A	7,739	6,386	1,199
3B	3,140	2,400	279
4A	1,390	983	129
4B	1,140	895	76
4CDE	1,700	1,412	597
Alaska Total	19,321	15,705	3,426
2B	6,272	4,743	513
Grand Total	25,593	20,448	3,939

The catch off Alaska represents 81% of Alaska’s 2017 commercial fishery catch limit. For comparison, 15.7 million pounds, or 86% of the 2016 catch limit, were landed in the Alaskan fishery by this same date in 2016.

The catch from British Columbia (IPHC Regulatory Area 2B) waters represents 76% of the 2017 commercial fishery catch limit. For comparison, 4.5 million pounds, or 73% of the 2016 catch limit, had been landed from IPHC Regulatory Area 2B by this same date in 2016.

IPHC Regulatory Area 2A Commercial Treaty Indian Fisheries

In 2017, the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) allocated 435,900 pounds of Pacific halibut for commercial use to the Treaty Indian tribes of IPHC Regulatory Area 2A. After two unrestricted fisheries, a restricted fishery, and a series of mop-up fisheries, a total of 432,482 pounds of Pacific halibut have been reported landed as of 15 September 2017.

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 70,000 pounds. Incidental catch of Pacific halibut in the sablefish fishery was allowed beginning 1 April 2017. Preliminary landing estimates indicate that 26,353 pounds of Pacific halibut have been landed through 15 September 2017. 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	Catch (net pounds)	Number of Vessels
14 – 16 April	2,994	23
05 – 07 May	5,158	12
19 – 21 May	7,914	18
02 – 04 June	5,356	10
16 – 18 June	10,136	15
30 June – 02 July	5,076	8
14 – 16 July	5,778	11
28 – 30 July	4,227	10
11 – 13 August	4,682	10
25 – 27 August	3,118	6

The total landed weight of Pacific halibut reported to date is 54,439 pounds. The Metlakatla Indian Community and the Bureau of Indian Affairs will announce future Pacific halibut openings.

– END –

21 November 2017

Pacific Halibut Landing Report No. 6

The following has closed for the Pacific halibut sport fishery in Oregon, U.S.A.:

IPHC Regulatory Area 2A Commercial Fisheries

The total allowable incidental commercial catch of Pacific halibut allocated to the IPHC Regulatory Area 2A salmon troll fishery was 39,810 pounds (~18.06 metric tons, t). A total of 38,621 pounds (~17.52 t) were landed during the 2017 season.

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, was 70,000 pounds (~31.75 t). A total of 35,866 pounds (~16.27 t) were landed during the 2017 season.

The total allowable directed commercial catch of Pacific halibut allocated to the non-treaty fishery, which operates in IPHC Regulatory Area 2A south of Point Chehalis, Washington, was 225,591 pounds (102.33 t). A total of 230,000 pounds (~104.33t) were landed during the 2017 season, over three 10-hour openings.

The total allowable commercial catch of Pacific halibut allocated to the treaty fisheries in IPHC Regulatory Area 2C was 435,900 pounds (~197.72 t). A total of 432,482 pounds (~196.17 t) were landed during the 2016 season.

Quota Share Commercial Fisheries Update

The 2017 quota share Pacific halibut fisheries opened on 11 March 2017. It is estimated that the following commercial landings, were made in the Alaskan Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) and Community Development Quota (CDQ) fisheries and in the British Columbian Individual Vessel Quota (IVQ) fishery during the 2017 commercial season, which closed on 7 November 2017.

IPHC Regulatory Area	Catch Limit (000s pounds)	Catch (000s pounds)	Number of Landings
2C	4,212	4,044	1,358
3A	7,739	7,587	1,470
3B	3,140	3,022	364
4A	1,390	1,270	174
4B	1,140	1,048	94
4CDE	1,700	1,620	620
Alaska Total	19,321	18,590	4,080
2B	6,272	6,193	705
Grand Total	25,593	24,783	4,785

The catch from Alaskan waters represents 96% of the State’s 2017 commercial fishery catch limit. For comparison, 17.7 million pounds (~8,028.59 t), or 97% of the 2016 catch limit, were landed in 2016.

The catch from British Columbian waters represents 99% of the 2017 Regulatory Area 2B commercial fishery catch limit. For comparison, 6.0 million pounds (~2,721.55 t), or 98% of the 2016 catch limit, had been landed from Regulatory Area 2B in 2016.

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	Catch (net pounds)	Number of Vessels
14 – 16 April	2,994	23
05 – 07 May	5,158	12
19 – 21 May	7,914	18
02 – 04 June	5,356	10
16 – 18 June	10,136	15
30 June – 02 July	5,076	8
14 – 16 July	5,778	11
28 – 30 July	4,227	10
11 – 13 August	4,682	10
25 – 27 August	3,118	6
8 – 10 September	6,403	13
22 – 24 September	2,125	7
6 – 8 October	1,096	3

The total landed weight of Pacific halibut reported for 2017 Annette Island Reserve Fishery is 64,363 pounds (~29.19 t).

– END –

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

04 December 2017

Outcomes of the 93rd Session of the IPHC Interim Meeting (IM093)

The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) conducted the 93rd Session of its Interim Meeting at the Grand Hyatt Seattle in Seattle, Washington on 28 and 29 November 2017. The IM093 report, documents, presentations and webcast recordings are posted on the Commission’s website at https://www.iphc.int/.

Fishery-Independent Setline Survey

This was the fourth year of the IPHC’s six-year fishery-independent setline survey (FISS) expansion program, with 108 additional stations fished in IPHC Regulatory Area 2A and 113 in 4B during the 2017 setline survey, with almost 1500 stations coastwide. For 2018, the IPHC plans to undertake expansions into Regulatory Areas 2B and 2C, adding approximately 158 new stations to the standard setline survey grid.

The space-time modeling approach introduced in 2016 was used for the analysis of IPHC setline survey data. This modeling approach is a clear improvement over the previous empirical method as it makes greater use of the information within the data, and better accounts for uncertainty in the estimation.

The 2017 Stock Assessment

This year’s stock assessment is based on an ensemble of four models used since 2014. Recruitment cohorts from 2006 through 2013 are estimated to be smaller than those from 1999-2005, indicating a high probability of decline in both the stock and fishery yield as recent recruitments become increasingly important to the age range over which much of the harvest and spawning takes place.

A summary of the preliminary 2017 stock assessment results is presented in paper IPHC-2017-IM093-08 on the IPHC website at https://www.iphc.int/, and will be updated for the 94th Annual Meeting.

Draft Harvest Decision Table for 2018

The IPHC Secretariat’s provisional harvest advice is prepared in the form of a decision table for the Commission’s consideration as it sets the annual catch limits. This provisional harvest decision table (Table 1, next page) presents estimates of risk over a range of potential harvest options for 2018 (the columns) as measured by different stock and fishery metrics (the rows), and will be updated and presented again at the Annual Meeting (AM094) in January 2018.

The orientation of this table has changed from previous analyses in order to make the comparison of additional metrics easier and to increase consistency with the results produced from the IPHC Management Strategy Evaluation.

Values in the table represent the probability, in “times out of 100,” of a particular risk. Total removals include all Pacific halibut mortality caused by humans, i.e., all removals except natural mortality. The center column (shown as wider than the others) represents the application of the current interim management procedure to the stock assessment results, corresponding to an average Spawning Potential Ratio (SPR) of F46. Alternative metrics of performance, as well as different increments of total removals, may be considered in the Commission’s decision-making process.

Interim Harvest Strategy Policy

In addition to adopting an average SPR of F46 as the reference level of coastwide fishing intensity to be used as an interim management procedure while a harvest strategy policy is being developed, the Commission directed the IPHC Secretariat to provide for future management decisions to be based on Total Constant Exploitation Yields (TCEY), rather than Fishery Constant Exploitation Yields (FCEY). This allows catch limits to be more directly comparable across IPHC Regulatory Areas.

The combination of the stock distribution from the 2017 O32 fishery-independent setline survey catch and relative target harvest rates among IPHC Regulatory Areas results in the target distribution for the annual TCEY shown in Table 2.

Pacific halibut mortality projected for 2018 based on the reference SPR (46%) and the target TCEY distribution, for each component of the TCEY (each sector) in each of the IPHC Regulatory Areas, is presented in Table 3.

The reference projection TCEY results for 2018 represent a reduction of 21% from the reference level calculated based on the 2016 stock assessment, and 24% from the TCEYs adopted for 2017. This comparison is shown in Table 4.

A summary of the Regulatory Area-specific mortality projections for 2018 based on the interim management procedure and other alternatives is presented in paper IPHC-2017-IM093-09 on the IPHC website at https://www.iphc.int/.

Table 1. Preliminary harvest decision table for 2018. Columns correspond to yield alternatives and rows to risk metrics. Values in the table represent the probability, in “times out of 100” (or percent chance) of a particular risk.

View table 1 by downloading and viewing the pdf file for this news release.

Table 2. IPHC Regulatory Area stock distribution from the 2017 O32 fishery-independent setline survey catch, IPHC Regulatory Area-specific relative target harvest rates, and resulting 2018 target TCEY distribution based on the IPHC’s current interim management procedure.

View table 2 by downloading and viewing the pdf file for this news release.

Table 3. Pacific halibut mortality projected for 2018 based on the reference SPR (46%) and interim management procedure for TCEY distribution. All values reported in millions of net pounds.

View table 3 by downloading and viewing the pdf file for this news release.

Table 4. Comparison of TCEY values. All values reported in millions of net pounds.

View table 4 by downloading and viewing the pdf file for this news release.

Regulatory Proposals for 2018, including Catch Limit Proposals

A total of twenty-two regulatory proposals were considered at the IM093, five from the IPHC Secretariat, three from the United States of America (NOAA-Fisheries), and fourteen from other stakeholders. All proposals will be further considered at the 94th Session of the IPHC Annual Meeting (AM094) to be held in January 2018.

The Commission invites additional regulatory proposals, including proposals for catch limits, as well as public comment to be considered at the 94th Annual Meeting. Proposals or comments should be submitted to the IPHC Secretariat no later than 23 December 2017 using the submission form on the IPHC website (https://www.iphc.int/).

Report of the 93rd Session of the IPHC Interim Meeting (IM093)

The report of the 93rd Session of the IPHC Interim Meeting (IM093) is available on the IPHC website (https://www.iphc.int).

Looking Ahead to 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 at 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. All sessions are open to the public and webcast.

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/). The website will be updated regularly with new information as the meeting date approaches, including 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.

– END –

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

19 December 2017

IPHC NEWS RELEASE 2017-33

NEW IPHC WEBSITE LAUNCHED

The IPHC Secretariat is pleased to announce that our new website was launched on Friday, 15 December 2017: https://www.iphc.int/.

Our new website has five categories of content which include ‘The Commission, Science and Research, Fisheries, Data, Meetings, and Documents’.

The Meetings section of our website contains all the information about the Commission and its subsidiary body meetings including meeting documents, agenda, schedule, and registration links. Additionally, IPHC publications, meeting documents, and reports can be found and downloaded from the Documents section of the website. 

The IPHC Secretariat staff will continue to develop different ways to publish data and statistics for our stakeholders. This is evident through our interactive maps and our online fishery-independent setline survey data query. Areas we are still developing will be indicated on the website as such and be completed over the coming months.

Updated weblinks:

Noting that the launch of the new website has resulted in new webpage address links, below are a list of a few key pages required for the upcoming 94^th Session of the IPHC Annual Meeting (AM094):

• 94^th Session of the IPHC Annual Meeting (AM094), containing all documents for the meeting: https://www.iphc.int/venues/details/94th-session-of-the-iphc-annual-meeting-am094
• AM094 participant registration: https://iphcam094.eventbrite.com
• The process and guidelines for the development, submission, consideration, and adoption of Fishery Regulations at the AM094: https://www.iphc.int/the-commission/fishery-regulations/

– END –

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

20 April 2018   

INTERNATIONAL PACIFIC HALIBUT COMMISSION REQUESTS NEW CHARTER BIDS

FOR TWO REGIONS OF THE 2018 FISHERY-INDEPENDENT SETLINE SURVEY

The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) is seeking to charter longline vessels to conduct its fisheries-independent setline survey (setline survey) in 2018. The purpose of the setline survey is to collect standardized data for use in the 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. Legal-sized Pacific halibut from all skates and some bycatch will be retained, sampled for biological data, and sold by the IPHC to offset setline survey expenses.

In IPHC News Release 2018-002 the IPHC requested bids for all 30 regions of the 2018 setline survey. Since then it has become necessary to seek new bids for two setline survey regions in waters off British Columbia: Goose Island and St. James.

Vessels will fish 7 skates of gear at each setline survey station in these regions following standard setline survey protocol. A maximum of 4 stations will be permitted per day. Most regions require 12-22 fishing days plus additional days for running, loading and offloading gear and fish, foul weather days, etc. Depending on the region, total charter duration for each region can be expected to be 20-36 days. Vessels may bid for one or both regions. Setline survey fishing must be completed between 28 May and 31 August 2018.

Vessels need not be licensed for Pacific halibut fishing in Canada or the U.S.A. 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.

The IPHC will consider only those vessels with captains and crews that have recent (within 5 years) Pacific halibut fishing experience. Most areas require vessels that have adequate deck space and suitable accommodations for two to three male or female IPHC employees. Vessels must supply conventional fixed-hook setline gear conforming to IPHC standards (see Charter Specifications) as well as all associated equipment normally required for commercial halibut fishing.

The IPHC may require an inspection of the vessel prior to awarding the charter. Bids will be evaluated based on (1) the Pacific halibut fishing experience of captain and crew, (2) the characteristics and safety features of the vessel, (3) the vessel’s availability, and (4) the IPHC operating costs. The lowest or any bid will not necessarily be accepted, and the IPHC will contract according to its own interests. 

Interested vessel owners are invited to submit bids based upon standard IPHC contract structure as described in the IPHC Request for Proposal specifications. Charter Specifications and Vessel Tender Forms for this project may be downloaded directly from the IPHC web site at https://www.iphc.int/the-commission/opportunities or requested from the IPHC Secretariat office. Bids must be received at the IPHC office in Seattle by 12:00 noon (Pacific Time) on Friday, 27 April 2018.

For further information please contact Tracee Geernaert (ext. 7665), or Eric Soderlund (ext. 7678) at (206) 634-1838. 

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

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

24 April 2018   

REPRODUCTIVE ASSESSMENT COLLECTION 2018 CHARTER ANNOUNCEMENT

The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) is seeking commercial longline and research vessels to conduct two monthly Pacific halibut collection charters, in July and August 2018. Collections will be confined to the greater Portlock Bank region, bounded between the following points (58°03’N, 152°44’W); (58°55’N, 151°58’W), (57°45’N, 148°41’W), and (56°59’N, 150°04’W) in the Gulf of Alaska. Fishing is to occur between the 1^st and 15^th of each month (July and August 2018). The objective of the monthly charters will be to obtain reproductive samples (ovaries, testes, blood, ultrasound imagery, weights) from a total target number of 60 Pacific halibut (up to 30 males [>70cm], up to 30 females [>90 cm]) in each of the two collection charters (July and August 2018). The vessel must be capable of taking up to two (2) IPHC field biologists for the data and sample collections. Vessel crew may set as much gear as they feel is necessary to achieve the sampling targets; however, once the targets are met, all remaining gear must be hauled and all fish released with minimal injury if the charter is not combined with quota fishing. It is expected that during these months the targets likely can be obtained in 2-3 fishing days. IPHC will bear bait and ice costs; fuel costs will be borne by the vessel. Unless combined with quota fishing, some Pacific halibut will be retained and sold by IPHC, and limited retention of Pacific cod and rockfish bycatch may be allowed.

The main purpose of this study is to document and describe temporal changes (changes over time) in gonadal (sex organs) morphological characteristics as well as the levels of reproductive hormones and physiological condition throughout an entire annual reproductive cycle in order to improve and update our estimation of maturity in this species. Understanding the reproductive biology of Pacific halibut is important for estimating the reproductive potential and spawning biomass of the stock and, consequently, for optimizing the management of the species.

Charter specifications and bid tender forms are available from IPHC via email and on our website (https://www.iphc.int/the-commission/opportunities). The IPHC will consider only those vessels and captains having a history of commercial longline fishing. Vessels must have accommodations for two IPHC employees (including women) in addition to an experienced captain and crew, capable of fishing 25 or more skates per day and handling Pacific halibut in adverse weather conditions. The IPHC will evaluate vessels based upon the experience of the captain and crew with longline fishing, the safety features of the vessel, and charter costs. Vessels must have a bait shed or a sheltered space for sample collection and data recording and to protect personnel from weather. The vessels will provide setline gear and all associated equipment normally required for commercial Pacific halibut fishing. The IPHC will replace all fishing gear lost in the course of being put into the sea for fishing.

The IPHC is not restricted as to the nationality of vessels it charters in any region, and will contract according to its own best interests. The lowest or any bid will not necessarily be accepted. Interested owners can contact IPHC for more information on charter specifications and to obtain tender forms. Sealed tenders must be received at the IPHC office in Seattle no later than 12:00 noon (Pacific Daylight Time) on Monday, 7 May 2018. Interested parties should contact IPHC Administration at secretariat@iphc.int or (206) 634-1838 for bid and contract information and/or Josep Planas (ext. 7687) for technical/scientific questions.

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

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

10 May 2018

IPHC NEWS RELEASE 2018-009

Recreational FISHERIES: Columbia River Closure

Closed: Columbia River (WDFW Marine Area 1, ODFW Columbia River Sub-area) all-depth Pacific halibut recreational fisheries. The combined Washington and Oregon preliminary catch estimates from the Columbia River total 8,455 pounds (3.8 tonnes), against an allocation of 11,182 pounds (5.1 tonnes), following three days of recreational fishing. As a result, the Columbia River all-depth Pacific halibut recreational fisheries will close at the end of the day Friday, 11 May 2018. These fisheries will then be closed for the remainder of 2018.

For more information on these updates please refer to:

Washington: Department of Fish and Wildlife website:

https://fortress.wa.gov/dfw/erules/efishrules/erule.jsp?id=2128

Oregon: Department of Fish and Wildlife website:

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

For further recreational fishery retention information, call the NMFS hotline (1-800-662-9825 press 7 for Pacific halibut information).

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

– END –

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