September 21, 2001

The International Pacific Halibut Commission Interim Meeting will be held in Seattle, Washington, on November 28-29, 2001 to discuss administrative, financial, and preliminary 2000/2001 research results and future projects. On Wednesday, November 28, the Commission will meet in private to discuss administrative and financial issues internal to the Commission. The following day, Thursday, November 29, the Commission will meet in Administrative Session to hear staff discussion and reports on 2000/2001 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. 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-Eighth Annual Meeting of the International Pacific Halibut Commission will be held in Seattle, Washington, from Tuesday, January 22 through Friday, January 25, 2002. Please note the change to a Tuesday-Friday format. The sessions will be held at the Seattle Hilton Hotel in downtown Seattle. The hotel is located at 1301 Sixth Avenue, Seattle. A block of rooms has been reserved for attendees until January 1, 2002 at a special rate of $109.00 U.S. plus taxes for a single or $129 U.S. for a double. Please identify yourself as part of the IPHC 2002 Annual Meeting to receive the special rate. Please note: cancellations within 72 hours of the reservation will be charged for one night. For reservations please call (206) 624-0500 or (800) 774-1500. Reservations can also be faxed to (206) 682-9029 or visit the website at http://www.hilton.com.

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 2002 catch limit changes should be submitted to the Commission by December 31, 2001. All information pertaining to the 2002 Annual Meeting, including regulation and catch limit proposal forms, can be located by following the Annual Meeting hyperlink on the Commission’s web site or by calling the IPHC office at (206) 634-1838.

Requests for 2002 regulatory measures or IPHC management actions should be submitted to the Commission by October 31, 2001. 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 Tuesday morning and that the Conference Board and the Processor Advisory Group (PAG) will begin its deliberations on Tuesday afternoon. This schedule will again allow more time for discussion between the Commission, the Conference Board, and the PAG.

Tuesday, 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 2001 halibut fishery, and present its regulatory proposals for the 2002 halibut fishery. Meeting materials will be available on the Commission’s web page by early January.

Wednesday, 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 2002 fishery.

Thursday, 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.

Friday, 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 2002 halibut fishery.