HALIBUT COMMISSION COMPLETES 2006 ANNUAL MEETING
The International Pacific Halibut
Commission completed its Eighty-second Annual Meeting in
Bellevue,
Washington, with Dr. James Balsiger of
Juneau,
Alaska
presiding as Chair. The Commission is recommending to the
governments of Canada and the United States, catch limits for
2006 totaling 69,860,000 pounds, a 5.37% decrease from the 2005
catch limit of 73,819,000 pounds.
The Commission
staff reported on the 2005 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.
Recoveries of PIT-tagged halibut from the Bering Sea and
western
Gulf of Alaska
have been very low and do not provide information sufficient to
estimate exploitable biomass reliably in these areas.
Such low recovery rates suggest very high biomass levels
in the
Bering Sea
but steadily declining commercial and survey catch rates in most
areas suggest that fishing mortality rates of halibut are
similar to those in the central and eastern Gulf of Alaska.
The Commission does not yet know why the recaptures of
tagged halibut from these areas are low and is continuing to
examine the problem. However,
the Commission’s analytic assessment and survey data for these
areas continue to indicate stock declines and the requirement
for reductions in harvest.
In 2005, Commission staff implemented a
22.5% harvest rate for use in Areas 2A through 3A and a rate of
20% for Areas 3B through 4E.
Low levels of recruitment and a new examination of
productivity in Areas 4B and 4CDE indicated that harvest rates
lower than 20% were more appropriate for these areas.
Accordingly, the Commission adopted catch limits based on a
harvest rate of 15% for Areas 4B and 4CDE.
This is the second year in a row that harvest rates for
these areas have been lowered as a precautionary measure, and
while additional research projects are conducted in 2006.
Seasons and Catch Limits
The
Commission received regulatory proposals for 2006 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 2006 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):
2006 Catch
Limits
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 4CDE. 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
28, July 12, July 26, August 9, August 23, September 6, and
September 20, 2006. 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).
After
reviewing staff information and proposals from the harvesting
and processing sector, the Commission voted on a season opening
date of March 5. The Sunday opening date is to facilitate
marketing. Therefore,
seasons will commence at 12 noon local time on March 5 and
terminate at 12 noon local time on November 15, 2006 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.
Regulatory
Changes and Issues
The Commission
approved regulations to change the sport fishery possession
limits in Area 2A. The sport fishery possession limit on land
will be two halibut (U.S.
origin) in
Washington, three daily bag limits in
Oregon, and two daily bag limits in California. The sport possession limit on the water in Area 2A will be the
same as the daily bag limits.
For the Area 2A
fishery, the Commission passed a regulation requiring that the
person completing the State fish ticket (first recipient,
commercial fish processor, or buyer) record on the fish ticket
whether the halibut weight is head-on or head-off fish, or
record the corresponding product code.
The Commission
approved recognizing in IPHC regulations the First Nation’s
Food Fishery in Area 2B. Also, the IPHC regulations will be
changed to require the new British Columbia Integrated Fisheries
logbook, replacing the requirement to complete the Halibut
Fishery Logbook. Additionally, the Commission approved removing
the requirement that the logbooks in Area 2B be completed not
later that 24 hours after midnight local time for each day
fished and prior to offload, as it will be obsolete with the new
fisheries plan.
For landings in Alaska, the IPHC regulations will be revised to allow the Interagency
Electronic Recording System, eLandings, as an option along with
State fish tickets.
The Commission
removed an obsolete regulation that requires vessel operators to
record personal use halibut in the vessel’s logbook within
24-hours of offload. This is not required as all halibut caught
is recorded in the logbook and all halibut retained is weighed
and recorded on the landing documentation whether it is sold or
retained for personal use.
The Commission
agreed to add the definition of net weight of halibut to the
IPHC regulations. Net weight is defined as gutted, head-off, and
without ice and slime. The catch limits are always in terms of
net weight and this will also be stated in the regulations.
Other
Actions
The industry
proposal to allow live halibut landings to processors was
discussed. There was concern by the IPHC staff, NOAA Enforcement
and industry on the ability of enforcement to track the movement
of live halibut. Therefore, the option of butchering the halibut
at the dock prior to weighing was reviewed and practical
questions were raised. The Commission asked the staff to work
with other agency staff to review this option and provide a
recommendation at the next IPHC Annual Meeting.
The Commission
supports the use of electronic logbooks and asked the staff to
work with the person who proposed allowing IPHC approved
electronic logbooks for
U.S.
and
Canada. When a logbook design is completed, the Commission will review
each specific logbook.
The Commission
did not take action on proposals to implement a legal size limit
for all fisheries, including the sport and sport charter
fisheries, or to require IFQ holders in
Alaska
to record dogfish bycatch in logbooks, or to allow offloads to
floating processors in Area 4.
The Commission
did not approve the allowance for proxy fishing in Alaska.
The Commission
will request that NMFS finish amending their Quota Share
regulations for the Individual Fishery Quota fishery in
Alaska
to reference the dates of the halibut season, rather than
specific dates of the year.
The
Commission spent considerable time discussing the state of
understanding about halibut stocks in the Bering Sea,
particularly on the eastern
Bering Sea
shelf. The advisory
bodies to the Commission recommended additional research to
obtain data necessary for a better understanding of the status
and productivity of halibut stocks in the area.
Accordingly, the Commission approved a four-part research
program to address this issue, to be initiated in 2006.
The program will incorporate both a new survey of the
eastern
Bering Sea
shelf, expansion of some segments of the existing survey program
in the area, analysis of historical trawl surveys conducted by NMFS,
and an estimation of the catching efficiency of the NMFS trawl
gear, for halibut.
In addition, the
Commission will generate a research project to address the lack
of detailed knowledge of the timing of spawning migrations of
halibut between Areas 2B and 2C. This project will involve
tagging and deployment of halibut with pop-up satellite tags
that will release during February-March of 2007.
Together with information on exploitation rates from the
two areas, this project should allow the staff to estimate the
approximate proportions and timing of potential interceptions of
halibut originating in Area 2B, that might be caught by the
fishery in Area 2C in March.
The
Commission honoured Mr. Tyler Jones of Bellingham,
Washington
as the fourth recipient of the IPHC Merit Scholarship. Mr.
Jones 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 2005, 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 Commission was also asked to send a letter
to the NPFMC on the management of the sport charter fishery. The
Commission deferred on this request until NOAA General Counsel
completes a legal examination of the management authority.
The
recommended regulations for the 2006 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 Victoria,
British Columbia
from January 16 to 19, 2007. The Canadian Government
commissioner, Dr. Laura Richards, was elected as Chair for the
coming year. The United States Government commissioner, Dr.
James Balsiger, was elected Vice-Chair. Other Canadian
commissioners are Clifford Atleo and Gary Robinson. 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
