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HALIBUT COMMISSION COMPLETES 2005 ANNUAL MEETING
The International Pacific Halibut Commission completed its
Eighty-first Annual Meeting in Victoria, British Columbia, with
Dr. Richard J. Beamish of Nanaimo, British Columbia presiding as
Chair. The
Commission is recommending to the governments of Canada and the
United States, catch limits for 2005 totaling 73,820,000 pounds,
a 3.5% decrease from the 2004 catch limit of 76,510,000 pounds.
The Commission
staff reported on the 2004 assessment of the Pacific
halibut stock which implemented only minor technical changes
from the previous year. The
halibut stock is healthy in the central and southern portions of
the range (Areas 3A through 2A) but is believed to have declined
in Areas 3B through Area 4, and lower catch limits are required
in those areas. The
recruitment of the 1994 and 1995 year classes appears to be
relatively strong in most areas, although Area 4B is showing a
notably lower level of recruitment of these same year classes
compared with other regulatory areas.
Estimates of fishing rate, hence exploitable biomass,
derived from mark-recapture analysis of PIT-tagged halibut are
not yet used directly for determining recommended catch limits.
The primary tagging took place in 2003 and there are not
yet sufficient recoveries of tagged fish, particularly for the
western areas, to determine mixing rates among and exploitable
biomass within regulatory areas.
In 2004, Commission staff identified a
25% harvest rate as a candidate target rate for use with a new
population assessment, pending its evaluation using the
sex-specific population model.
This updated evaluation was completed and indicated that
a harvest rate less than 25% would result in a 50% lower
probability that the stock biomass would reach a level requiring
reductions in harvest rate.
Accordingly, the Commission adopted a harvest rate of
22.5% as the baseline harvest rate for the central Gulf of
Alaska and southward regulatory areas.
For the western Gulf of Alaska (Area 3B) and the Bering
Sea (Area 4), a 20% harvest rate is maintained due to concern
that the long term productivity of these areas may not be as
high as that in the central and southern areas of the stock.
Seasons and Catch Limits
The
Commission received regulatory proposals for 2005 from the
scientific staff, Canadian and United States harvesters and
processors, and other fishery agencies.
The Commission will recommend to the governments the
following catch limits for 2005 in Area 2A (California, Oregon,
and Washington), Area 2B (British Columbia), Area 2C
(southeastern Alaska), Area 3A (central Gulf), Area 3B (western
Gulf), Area 4A (eastern Aleutians), Area 4B (western Aleutians),
Area 4C (Pribilof Islands), Area 4D (northwestern Bering Sea),
and Area 4E (Bering Sea flats):
2005 Catch
Limits
| Area |
Catch Limit
(pounds) |
|
2A
Non-treaty directed commercial (south of Point Chehalis)
2A Non-treaty incidental catch in salmon troll
2A Non-treaty incidental catch in sablefish longline
fishery (north of Point Chehalis)
2A Treaty Indian commercial
2A Treaty Indian ceremonial and subsistence (year-round)
2A Sport – North of Columbia River
2A Sport – South of Columbia River
Area 2A total
2B
(includes sport catch allocation)
2C
3A
3B
4A
4B
4C
4D
4E
Area 4 total |
226,203
39,918
70,000
452,500
38,000
237,257
266,122
1,330,000
13,250,000
10,930,000
25,470,000
13,150,000
3,440,000
2,260,000
1,815,000
1,815,000
359,000
10,240,000 |
| Total |
73,820,000 |
The Department of
Fisheries and Oceans, Canada will allocate the adopted Area 2B
catch limit between sport and commercial fisheries.
The IPHC sets
biologically-based catch limits for Areas 4A, 4B, and a combined
Area 4C-D-E. The catch
limits for Regulatory Areas 4C, 4D, and 4E reflect the
catch-sharing plan implemented by the North Pacific Fishery
Management Council (NPFMC). The
catch-sharing plan allows Area 4D Community Development Quota (CDQ)
harvest to be taken in Area 4E.
The catch-sharing
plan implemented by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC)
for Area 2A was adopted by the Commission and is reflected in the
catch limits adopted for the Area 2A fisheries.
In Area 2A, seven 10-hour fishing periods for the
non-treaty directed commercial fishery are recommended: June 29,
July 13, July 27, August 10, August 24, September 14, and
September 28, 2005. All
fishing periods will begin at 8:00 a.m. and end at 6:00 p.m. local
time, and will be further restricted by fishing period limits
announced at a later date.
Area 2A fishing
dates for an incidental commercial halibut fishery concurrent with
salmon troll fishing seasons and the incidental commercial halibut
fishery during the sablefish fishery north of Point Chehalis will
be established under United States domestic regulations by the
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
The remainder of the Area 2A catch-sharing plan, including
sport fishing seasons and depth restrictions, will be determined
under regulations promulgated by NMFS. For further information of
the depth restrictions in the commercial directed halibut fishery,
incidental halibut during the sablefish fishery, and the sport
fisheries, call the NMFS hotline (1-800-662-9825).
The
Commission continued its discussions on the season extension issue
and received several industry proposals and public testimony.
The Commission also received a staff report indicating very
little difference between the size compositions of halibut landed
in the first two weeks compared with that during the last two
weeks of March in 2004. After
reviewing staff information and proposals from the harvesting and
processing sector, the Commission voted on a season similar to
2003 and 2004. Further,
it was agreed to open the season on a Sunday to facilitate
marketing. Therefore,
seasons will commence at 12 noon local time on February 27 and
terminate at 12 noon local time on November 15, 2005 for the
following fisheries and areas: the
treaty Indian commercial fishery in Area 2A, the Canadian
Individual Vessel Quota (IVQ) fishery in Area 2B, and the United
States Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) and CDQ fisheries in Areas
2C, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E.
In addition, the Commission formed a working group,
composed of staff and members of its advisory bodies, to examine
and report on the relative merits and expense of different
research to understand the timing and extent of winter migratory
movements of halibut among regulatory areas.
The working group will consider both pop-up satellite and
transponder tagging, as well as an experimental winter fishery,
and make recommendations to the Commission prior to its next
Annual Meeting.
Regulatory
Changes and Issues
The Commission
approved changes to the regulations that will allow Area 4C IFQ
and CDQ fishing to occur in Areas 4C or 4D.
This measure facilitates implementation of action approved
by the U.S. NPFMC. A
component of this measure is a modification of the IPHC clearance
regulations that will allow a vessel to clear simultaneously into
Areas 4C and 4D.
At the
request of NOAA Enforcement, the Commission will clarify its
regulations to ensure that halibut fillets are not allowed on
board a commercial vessel. The
clarification will change the wording and move the regulation
paragraph from the size limit section to the receipt and
possession section. This
clarification will not change the current exceptions for cheeking
of halibut in accordance with NMFS regulations, or for filleting
of weighed and recorded IFQ fish (Section 13 (2) (a) and (b)).
Other Actions
The staff proposal
to recognize First Nations’ ceremonial and subsistence fishing
in IPHC regulations was deferred, pending clarification of this
regulation.
The Commission and
its advisory bodies reviewed the request from the Alaska Food
Coalition for a food bank donation program in the Gulf of Alaska,
funded by retained halibut bycatch from trawl fisheries. Neither
the Commission nor its advisory bodies approved of this proposal.
While the Commission understood the intent of the proposal,
it believed that this proposal would work against the
Commission’s agreement between the two countries to reduce
halibut bycatch mortality in non-target fisheries.
The advisory bodies also believed that other available
sources of acceptable fish protein should be thoroughly evaluated.
The
Commission honoured Mr. Casey Knight of Petersburg, Alaska as the
third recipient of the IPHC Merit Scholarship. Mr.
Knight was unable to attend the meeting because of academic
commitments but has been presented with a certificate and plaque,
as well as the scholarship of $2,000 (U.S.).
The Commissioners expressed their continued support for the
scholarship program and commended the Scholarship Committee for
their efforts in assessing the candidates.
The
Commission noted that halibut bycatch mortality in non-target
fisheries was reduced slightly in 2004, and was at the lowest
level since 1987, continuing the trend initiated by the 1991
Commission agreement to achieve lower bycatch mortality levels.
However, the Commission agrees that further reductions are
desirable and that current levels of mortality reduce yield to the
directed halibut fisheries. The
Commission will continue to work with agencies of the two
governments to achieve reductions in halibut bycatch mortality.
The
recommended regulations for the 2005 halibut fishery will become
official as soon as they are approved by the Canadian and United
States Governments. The
Commission will publish and distribute regulation pamphlets.
The next Annual
Meeting of the Commission is planned for Bellingham or Seattle,
Washington from January 17 to 20, 2006.
The United States Government commissioner, Dr. James
Balsiger, was elected Chair for the coming year.
The Canadian Government commissioner, Dr. Richard Beamish,
was elected as Vice Chair. Other
Canadian commissioners are Clifford Atleo and John Secord.
The other United States commissioners are Ralph Hoard and
Phillip Lestenkof. Dr.
Bruce Leaman is the Executive Director of the Commission.
- END -
Bruce M. Leaman,
Executive Director
Phone: (206) 634-1838
FAX: (206) 632-2983
Web: www.iphc.washington.edu |
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