Convention for the Preservation of the Halibut Fishery of the Northern Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea, 1953 (TIAS 2900)
Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982 (as amended: 50 Stat. 325; 67 Stat. 494; 79 Stat. 902; 97 Stat. 78).
Member Nations: Canada and the United States.
Commission Headquarters:
International Pacific Halibut Commission
P.O. Box 95009
University Station
Seattle, Washington 98145-2009
Director: Dr. Bruce Leaman
Phone: (206) 634-1838
Fax: (206) 632-2983
Web Site:
http://www.iphc.washington.edu
The base budget for the fiscal year running from October 1, 1997, through September 30, 1998, is $1,600,000. The figure for the succeeding year is the same, although Canada is on the record as desiring a change in the way the budget is derived and allocated. The budget is supplemented by funds generated by Commission staff from the sale of halibut gathered during stock assessment cruises. The United States and Canada, by treaty, contribute equal shares to fund the base budget.
Appointment Process:
The United States is represented on the IPHC by three Commissioners who are appointed by the President for a determinate period. Of these Commissioners, one must be a NOAA official, one must be a resident of Alaska, and one must be a nonresident of Alaska. In addition, one of these three Commissioners must be a voting member of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. The Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce, may designate from time to time Alternate U.S. Commissioners to the IPHC.
U.S. Commissioners:
Steven Pennoyer (designated Alternate Commissioner)
Director, Alaska Region
National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA
P.O. Box 21668
Juneau, Alaska 99802
Ralph Hoard (designated Alternate Commissioner)
Executive Vice President
Icicle Seafoods, Inc.
4019 21st Avenue West
P.O. Box 79003
Seattle, Washington 98119
Andrew Scalzi (1/00)
41685 Redoubt Circle
Homer, Alaska 99663-9215
Advisory Structure:
There are no formal provisions for a U.S. Advisory Committee to IPHC, although informal groups made up of U.S. and Canadian industry representatives, known as the IPHC Conference Board and the Processor Advisory Group, do attend and provide recommendations to annual Commission meetings.
Mission/Purpose:
The IPHC was created to conserve, manage, and rebuild the halibut stocks in the Convention Area to those levels which would achieve and maintain the maximum sustainable yield from the fishery.
The halibut resource and fishery have been managed by the IPHC since 1923. The IPHC was established by a Convention between the United States and Canada, which has been revised several times to extend the Commission's authority and meet new conditions in the fishery. The most recent change, a protocol, was concluded in 1979, and involved an amendment to the 1953 Halibut Convention.
"Convention waters" are defined as the waters off the west coasts of Canada and the United States, including the southern as well as the western coasts of Alaska, within the respective maritime areas in which either Party exercises exclusive fisheries jurisdiction. For purposes of the Convention, the "maritime area" in which a Party exercises exclusive fisheries jurisdiction includes without distinction areas within and seaward of the territorial sea or internal waters of that Party.
Organizational Structure:
The IPHC consists of a Commission and staff. The Commission consists of six members; three representatives appointed by each Contracting Party. All decisions of the Commission are made by a concurring vote of at least two of the Commissioners of each Contracting Party. The research programs and regulatory actions of the Commission are coordinated by the IPHC staff, in consultation with the Commissioners. The IPHC staff currently includes 31 employees, most of whom are fishery biologists; the rest are administrative and support staff.
Programs:
Under the Protocol to the Convention, the Commission retains a research staff and recommends, for the approval of the Parties, regulations designed to achieve the purpose of the Convention. The Protocol provides for: (1) the setting of quotas in the Convention Area, and (2) joint regulation of the halibut fishery in the entire Convention Area under Commission regulations. Neither U.S. nor Canadian halibut fishing vessels are presently allowed to fish in the waters of the other country.
Conservation and Management Measures:
In 1991, Canada implemented an individual vessel quota (IVQ) system; a similar, individual fishing quota (IFQ) system for Alaska was implemented by the United States in 1995. The Indian commercial fishery in Area 2A, (Washington, Oregon, and California), the Canadian IVQ fishery in Area 2B (British Columbia), and the United States IFQ fisheries in Areas 2C, 3, and 4 (Alaska) commence on March 15, 1998 and terminate on November 15, 1998. The non-treaty directed commercial fishery in Area 2A will operate during five 10-hour fishing periods. The remainder of the Area 2A catch sharing plan, including sport fishing seasons, will be determined under regulations promulgated by the National Marine Fisheries Service.
The IPHC held its Interim Meeting November 18-19, 1997 in Seattle, Washington and its 74th Annual Meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, January 26-29, 1998. The Commission discussed fishing areas, catch limits, fishing periods and other 1998 management measures, and recommended government action.
At the Interim Meeting, the Commission discussed the new method for estimating biomass and recruitment, and reviewed concerns about the impact of bycatch on halibut stocks from other fisheries and the serious efforts taken by both parties to reduce halibut bycatch mortality.
At the Annual Meeting, the Commission agreed to a catch limit for 1998 of 71.84 million pounds, up 5.64 million pounds from the 1997 level. The increased catch limits resulted from the staff's assessment of the halibut resource and reflected healthy stock conditions. These increases also reflect advice received from the industry. The following catch limits for 1998 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):
| Area | Catch Limit (pounds) |
|---|---|
| 2A Non-treaty directed commercial (south of 2A-1) fisheries | 143,617 |
| 2A Non-treaty incidental catch in salmon troll | 25,344 |
| 2A Treaty Indian commercial | 272,000 |
| 2A Treaty Indian ceremonial and subsistence (year-round) | 15,000 |
| 2A Sport - North of Columbia River | 195,078 |
| 2A Sport - South of Columbia River | 168,961 |
| Area 2A total | 820,000 |
| 2B | 13,000,000 |
| 2C | 10,500,000 |
| 3A | 26,000,000 |
| 3B | 11,000,000 |
| 4A | 3,500,000 |
| 4B | 3,500,000 |
| 4C | 1,590,000 |
| 4D | 1,590,000 |
| 4E | 320,000 |
| Area 4 total | 10,500,000 |
| Experimental commercial longline fishery for halibut in the Chukchi Sea | 20,000 |
| Total | 71,840,000 |
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 NPFMC modified its catch sharing plan in Area 4 to allow the Commission to set biologically-based catch limits for Areas 4A, 4B, and a combined Area 4C-D-E.
The Commission will not issue IPHC sport charter vessel licenses for Alaska or British Columbia in 1998. The licensing of all Area 2A vessels will continue as in 1997. The licenses issued for the directed commercial fishery in Area 2A will not be issued if the license applications are postmarked after 11:59 p.m. on April 30. Moreover, area 2A licenses for the incidental commercial catch fishery will not be issued if the license applications are postmarked after 11:59 p.m. on March 31.
For 1998, all United States commercial vessels 26 feet and over fishing for halibut are required to keep the halibut log information in one of the following three logbooks: the NMFS catcher vessel daily fishing logbook, Alaska hook-and-line sablefish logbook, or the logbook issued by IPHC. The IPHC-issued logbooks are available from the Seattle office of IPHC, and are currently the green hardcovered books the Commission has provided for many years. They will also be available during the fishing season from IPHC port samplers, NMFS Enforcement, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Closed Area in the Bering Sea was redefined to allow vessels from False Pass to transit and possess halibut on board the vessel while in part of Isanotski Strait. The area of Isanotski Strait between 55 00" N and 54 49" N latitudes is still closed to halibut fishing, but persons on board the vessels can have halibut in their possession.
The Commission approved an experimental commercial longline fishery for halibut in the Chukchi Sea (north of Area 4D) for 1998. The plan for an experimental fishery will be developed by IPHC, NMFS, Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G). The fishery will be limited to 20,000 pounds of halibut, and ADF&G will provide a report to the Commission in January 1999 detailing the results from the fishery.
The Commission amended existing regulations on the minimum size limit to allow Community Development Quota (CDQ) fishers in Area 4E to land undersized halibut caught with commercial gear for subsistence use. This action helped implement allocation decisions made by the NPFMC and does not pose conservation or enforcement concern.
The IPHC staff and the Processors Advisory Group will continue to evaluate the occurrence of chalky halibut, a condition that affects the color and texture of halibut flesh and renders the halibut unmarketable. A questionnaire will be sent again in 1998 to all halibut processors, the media, and fishers' groups to determine the magnitude, areas, and timing of chalky halibut.
At the 1996 Annual Meeting, the Commission approved a pilot program proposed by Northwest Food Strategies for limited retention of dead trawl-caught halibut for donation to food banks. A variety of technical and legal problems delayed the program. At the 1998 Annual Meeting, the Commission agreed with proposed NMFS regulations to allow halibut donation, and modified Commission regulations to allow retention for this purpose only. The Commission specified that the donation program would be limited to 50,000 pounds, limited to Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and that donated halibut should meet industry quality standards. The Commission will review the donation program annually.
Delegates from the Canadian and United States Governments conducted a bilateral discussion on a revised formula for sharing the joint expenses of the Commission. No agreement was reached and both parties will continue dialogue over the coming year.
The Canadian Government commissioner Richard J. Beamish was elected Chair for the coming year and Steven Pennoyer was elected Vice Chair.
Future Meetings:
The Commission agreed to convene a joint meeting with the NPFMC in October 1998 to discuss halibut bycatch and other issues of mutual concern. The next Interim meeting will be held in Seattle, Washington, December 2-3, 1998, and the 75th Annual Meeting of the Commission will be held in Prince Rupert or Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, January 25-28, 1999.
NOAA Fisheries:
Dean Swanson, F/SF4
Room 14141
1315 East-West Highway
Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
Phone: (301) 713-2276
Department of State:
David Hogan
OES/OMC - Room 5806
Department of State
Washington, D.C. 20520
Phone: (202) 647-2335
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