September 22, 2000

The International Pacific Halibut Commission Interim Meeting will be held in Seattle, Washington, on November 28-29, 2000 to discuss administrative, financial, and preliminary 1999/2000 research results and future projects. On Tuesday, November 28th, the Commission will meet in private to discuss administrative and financial issues internal to the Commission. The following day, Wednesday, November 29th, the Commission will meet in Administrative Session to hear staff discussion and reports on 1999/2000 research projects and proposed future research projects, as well as stock assessment and catch limits. Staff assessment of the fishery and catch limit recommendations will be released to the public following this meeting. The meeting is not open to the general public and Commission delegates from each government determine attendance at the Administrative Session meeting and should be contacted for information and attendance requests. Results from the meeting will be made public in a News Release after the Interim Meeting.

The Seventy-Seventh Annual Meeting of the International Pacific Halibut Commission will be held in Vancouver, Canada, from Monday, January 22nd through Thursday, January 25th, 2001. The sessions will be held at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Vancouver. The hotel is located at 791 West Georgia Street, Vancouver. A block of rooms has been reserved for attendees until December 23, 2000 at a special rate of $130.00 Cdn ($92 U.S.) plus taxes for a single or $155 Cdn ($110 U.S.) for a double. Please identify yourself as part of the IPHC 2001 Annual Meeting to receive the special rate. For reservations please call (604) 689-9333 or (800) 819-5053. Reservations can also be faxed to (604) 684-4555 or visit the website at http://www.fourseasons.com/locations/Vancouver.

The Commission will distribute a brief summary of stock assessment information and staff recommendations to the public by early December. This information will also be available on the Commission’s web page at http://www.iphc.washington.edu. Requests for 2001 catch limit changes should be submitted to the Commission by December 29, 2000. All information pertaining to the 2001 Annual Meeting, including regulation and catch limit proposal forms, can be located by following the IPHC Annual Meeting hyperlink or by calling the IPHC office.

Requests for 2001 regulatory measures or IPHC management actions should be submitted to the Commission by October 31, 2000. The Commission will not guarantee consideration of proposals received after this date. The submission form can be downloaded from our web site or can be requested by calling the Commission offices at (206) 634-1838. A summary of all recommendations will be distributed to industry and will also be posted on the IPHC web site.

Please note that the Public Session will be Monday morning and that the Conference Board and the Processor Advisory Group (PAG) will begin its deliberations on Monday afternoon. This schedule will again allow more time for discussion between the Commission, the Conference Board, and the PAG.

Monday, January 22nd the Commission will meet in private session from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. The public session will run from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon or longer, as required. Fishermen, vessel owners, processors, and all other interested parties are welcome to attend the public session and are encouraged to ask the Commission staff questions. At this session the Commission staff will present the results of recent research, summarize results of the 2000 halibut fishery, and present its regulatory proposals for the 2001 halibut fishery. Meeting materials will be available on the Commission’s web page by early January.

Tuesday, January 23rd from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. the Commission will meet privately in an administrative session. The Conference Board and the PAG will also meet from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to discuss their recommendations for the 2001 fishery.

Wednesday, January 24th from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. the Conference Board and the PAG will present its report to the Commission. From 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon the Commission will meet privately in an administrative session. From 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. the Commission will meet with the Conference Board and the PAG, if necessary.

Thursday, January 25th from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon the Commission will meet with the public and make decisions and set catch limits regarding the 2001 halibut fishery.

Bruce M. Leaman, Director
Phone: (206) 634-1838
Fax: (206) 632-2983
WWW: www.iphc.washington.edu