2005 Halibut Landing Report No. 12

Requests for changes in 2006, to regulatory and administrative issue should be submitted to the Commission by November 15, 2005

The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) invites the public and industry to submit statements concerning regulatory (season length, clearances in Area 4, logbook reporting requirements, etc) or administrative issues to the IPHC for inclusion at the 2006 IPHC Annual Meeting. Blank submission forms are available through the IPHC office or from the web page. All completed submissions that are received (or postmarked) by the deadline of November 15, 2005 will be included at the Annual Meeting. Proposals will be posted on the IPHC homepage (www.iphc.washington.edu) and copies will also be available by mail or fax by calling the IPHC offices (206-634-1838).

Area 2A Incidental Commercial Halibut Fishery During the Fixed Gear Sablefish Season is Closing for the Remainder of 2005

The total allowable incidental commercial catch of halibut allocated to the limited entry, fixed gear sablefish fishery which operates in Area 2A north of Point Chehalis, Washington is 70,000 pounds. Preliminary catch estimates of 67,861 pounds and projections through October 23 indicate that the catch limit will be reached. Therefore, the incidental halibut fishery during the fixed gear sablefish season will close at 11:59 p.m. on October 23, 2005. For further incidental fishery retention information, call the NMFS hotline (1-800-662-9825).

Quota Share Commercial Fisheries Update

The quota share halibut fisheries opened on February 27, 2005. It is estimated that the following catches and numbers of landings were made in the Alaskan IFQ/CDQ fisheries through October 20, 2005 and in the British Columbian IVQ fishery through October 19, 2005.

The Alaskan catch represents 92% of the 2005 catch limit. For comparison, from February 29 to October 20, 2004, 56.8 million pounds, or 93% of the 2004 catch limit, were landed in the Alaskan fishery. The British Columbian catch represents 93% of the 2005 catch limit. Between February 29 and October 19, 2004, 10.7 million pounds, or 88% of the catch limit, were landed from Area 2B.

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