29 January 2021
SEATTLE – The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) completed its 97th Annual Meeting (AM097) in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A. (electronically) on 29 January 2021 with decisions on total mortality limits, fishery limits, fishing period dates, and other fishery regulation changes. A total of 278 individual Pacific halibut stakeholders attended the meeting via the electronic platform.
The Commission adopted the distributed mortality (TCEY) limits for each IPHC Regulatory Area as shown in Table 1.
Table 1. Distributed mortality (TCEY) limits by IPHC
| TCEY limits (net weight)[1] | |||
| IPHC Regulatory Area | Pounds (Mlb) | Metric tons (t) | |
| Area 2A (California, Oregon, and Washington) | 1.65 | 748 | |
| Area 2B (British Columbia) | 7.00 | 3,175 | |
| Area 2C (southeastern Alaska) | 5.80 | 2,631 | |
| Area 3A (central Gulf of Alaska) | 14.00 | 6,350 | |
| Area 3B (western Gulf of Alaska) | 3.12 | 1,415 | |
| Area 4A (eastern Aleutians) | 2.05 | 930 | |
| Area 4B (central/western Aleutians) | 1.40 | 635 | |
| Areas 4CDE (Bering Sea) | 3.98 | 1,805 | |
| Total | 39.00 | 17,690 | |
[1] net weight” of a Pacific halibut means the weight of Pacific halibut that is without gills and entrails, head-off, washed (without ice and slime). If a Pacific halibut is weighed with the head on or with ice and slime, the required conversion factors for calculating net weight are a 2 percent deduction for ice and slime and a 10 percent deduction for the head.
The IPHC recommended an overall fishing period (season) of 6 March – 7 December 2021 for all directed commercial Pacific halibut fisheries in Canada and the USA. In IPHC Regulatory Area 2A, the tribal and non-tribal commercial fisheries will occur within these dates.
In accordance with the IPHC Convention[2], the fishery regulations approved by the IPHC, including mortality and fishery limits, and fishing periods, will be recommended to the Contracting Parties for implementation according to their domestic laws and regulations.
Meeting information, documents, presentations, and audio recordings, are available on the meeting page at the IPHC website: 97th Session of the IPHC Annual Meeting (AM097) | IPHC. The final report of the meeting will be publishing in due course.
For further information please contact the IPHC Secretariat at secretariat@iphc.int or 206.634.1838.
IPHC Secretariat
International Pacific Halibut Commission
2320 W. Commodore Way, Suite 300
Seattle, WA 98199-1287
206-634-1838 | www.iphc.int
[2] The Convention between Canada and the United States of America for the Preservation of the [Pacific] Halibut Fishery of the Northern Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea.
