29 January 2021

SEATTLE – The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) completed its 97^th Annual Meeting (AM097) in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A. (electronically) on 29 January 2021 with decisions on total mortality limits, fishery limits, fishing period dates, and other fishery regulation changes. A total of 278 individual Pacific halibut stakeholders attended the meeting via the electronic platform.     

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

Table 1. Distributed mortality (TCEY) limits by IPHC 

		TCEY limits (net weight)[1]
IPHC Regulatory Area		Pounds (Mlb)	Metric tons (t)
Area 2A (California, Oregon, and Washington)		1.65	748
Area 2B (British Columbia)		7.00	3,175
Area 2C (southeastern Alaska)		5.80	2,631
Area 3A (central Gulf of Alaska)		14.00	6,350
Area 3B (western Gulf of Alaska)		3.12	1,415
Area 4A (eastern Aleutians)		2.05	930
Area 4B (central/western Aleutians)		1.40	635
Areas 4CDE (Bering Sea)		3.98	1,805
Total		39.00	17,690

^[1] 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 6 March – 7 December 2021 for all directed commercial Pacific halibut fisheries in Canada and the USA. In IPHC Regulatory Area 2A, the tribal and non-tribal commercial fisheries will occur within these dates. 

In accordance with the IPHC Convention^[2], the fishery regulations approved by the IPHC, including mortality and fishery limits, and fishing periods, will be recommended to the Contracting Parties for implementation according to their domestic laws and regulations.    

Meeting information, documents, presentations, and audio recordings, are available on the meeting page at the IPHC website:  97th Session of the IPHC Annual Meeting (AM097) | IPHC. The final report of the meeting will be publishing in due course.

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

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^[2] 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.

21 January 2021

SEATTLE – The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) Regulatory Area 2A is located on the West Coast of the U.S.A. in waters off Washington (WA), Oregon (OR), and California (CA). The IPHC sets the overall total fishery removals (mortality limit) for the Regulatory Area. The domestic Catch Sharing Plan (for IPHC Regulatory Area 2A), as adopted by the Pacific Fishery Management Council and NOAA-Fisheries, is then used to further allocate the total fishery removals among user groups/sectors.

However, commercial and recreational charter vessels retaining Pacific halibut in IPHC Regulatory Area 2A must be licensed by the IPHC. Only vessels with a license issued from the IPHC may participate in these fisheries and is eligible to receive allocation within the directed commercial fishery as a fishing period limit, which is also set and issued by the IPHC.

Applicants may choose from among three commercial and one recreational charter fishery licenses by the application deadlines noted below. All applications must be completed no later than 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time) on the applicable deadline date. Late applications will not be accepted. Federal and state licensing requirements may also apply.

Application Deadlines for 2021:

Recreational Pacific Halibut Charter – none
Incidental Commercial Pacific halibut during Salmon Troll – 15 March 2021
Incidental Commercial Pacific halibut during Longline Sablefish Fishery – 31 May 2021
Directed Commercial – 30 April 2021

Applications must be submitted via the IPHC website at the following link:

2021 license application form: https://www.iphc.int/management/fisheries/directed-commercial-fisheries/directed-iphc-regulatory-area-2a

Please contact the IPHC Secretariat at: secretariat@iphc.int, should you have any questions or require assistance.

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

13 January 2021

SEATTLE – Accreditation of Processor Advisory Board membership for 2021

The Processor Advisory Board (PAB) is a subsidiary body of the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) that represents the commercial Pacific halibut processing industry from Canada and the United States of America. The PAB consists of accredited members from Canada and the USA. PAB Members are companies or associations, including sole-proprietorships, corporations, or partnerships whose direct business is purchasing, processing and selling Pacific halibut caught in Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, or California.

The Chairperson (Jesse Keplinger – USA) and Vice-Chairperson (Carl Nordmann – Canada), are calling for all interested companies or associations, including sole-proprietorships, corporations, or partnerships whose direct business is purchasing, processing and selling Pacific halibut caught in Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, or California, to complete the online accreditation form as soon as possible in preparation for the upcoming 26th Session of the PAB (PAB026).

This information is being requested given the electronic format of the meeting in 2021 and the need for optimal organisation, coordination, transparency and reporting. The accreditations will assist the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and the IPHC Secretariat in managing the meeting, as well as serve as a formal record of membership of the PAB moving forward. Please note that even if you attended the previous PAB meeting, we are requesting you complete the form.

The online accreditation form is accessible via the following link:

PROCESSOR ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER ACCREDITATION (2021) QUESTIONNAIRE

Once you have completed the accreditation form, please also register each individual participant via the meeting page registration link. This will give you access to the link to the electronic meeting commencing on 26 January 2021.

PAB026: https://www.iphc.int/venues/details/26th-session-of-the-iphc-processor-advisory-board-pab026

At the commencement of the PAB026 on 26 January 2021, the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson will review the accreditations with all those present.

Should you have any questions regarding PAB representation, please contact the IPHC Secretariat for clarification: Secretariat@iphc.int.

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

12 January 2021

SEATTLE – Accreditation of Conference Board membership for the 91^st Session of the IPHC Conference Board (CB091)

The Conference Board (CB) consists of accredited members from Canada and the USA. CB Members are Pacific halibut harvester organisations and associations and include commercial, guided sport/recreational, unguided sport/recreational, subsistence, and First Nations/Tribal interests.

The Co-Chairpersons of the CB, Jim Lane (Canada) and Linda Behnken (USA), have indicated that CB accreditation operates on a fixed 5-year period, the most recent being 2016-20. Thus, the Co-Chairpersons are calling for all interested Pacific halibut harvester organisations and associations to complete the online Accreditation Form as soon as possible for the next 5-year accreditation period, which will operate from 2021-25 inclusive.

Pacific halibut harvester organisations and associations may access the online accreditation form via the following link:

CONFERENCE BOARD MEMBER ACCREDITATION QUESTIONNAIRE (2021-25)

Once you have submitted the Accreditation Form, please also register each individual participant via the meeting page registration link. This will give you access to the electronic meeting link.

CB091: https://www.iphc.int/venues/details/91st-session-of-the-iphc-conference-board-cb091

At the commencement of the CB091 on 26 January 2021, the Co-Chairpersons will review all accreditation requests with those present.

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

11 January 2021

SEATTLE – IPHC provides an indication of the path forward for Management Strategy Evaluation of Pacific halibut

Last week, the IPHC intended on holding a Special Session to look at potential modifications to existing MPs as part of the IPHC Secretariat’s MSE program of work. Unfortunately, due to a range of connectivity issues, the agenda for the intended session has been deferred to the 97th  Session of the IPHC Annual Meeting (AM097). This item will be discussed under agenda item 9.1 IPHC Management Strategy Evaluation: update, which is scheduled to occur on Tuesday morning, 26 January 2021. The Commission would like to convey the following statement regarding its intentions on Management Strategy Evaluation moving forward and the work completed to date:

“The Commission would like to express its appreciation for the work completed to date by the IPHC Secretariat in developing a range of Management Procedure options, with input from the MSAB and stakeholders more broadly. This work has included the development of distribution procedures which the Commission is yet to reach a decision on. At this time, the Commission is directing the IPHC Secretariat to pause any further work on evaluating the Management Procedure options. Commissioners intend on reviewing the latest material in detail prior to the 97th Session of the IPHC Annual Meeting (AM097) scheduled to be held later this month (25-29 January 2021). At the AM097, the Commission intends on providing further direction for the IPHC Secretariat to implement over the coming period, which may include a redirection or refocus of its efforts. The Commission recognises and thanks the MSAB for their work over the past years in fulfilling its Terms of Reference, as stipulated in the IPHC Rules of Procedure (2020), and notes that those TORs may need revising given the work completed and any further directives from the Commission that may arise at AM097.”

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