Directed - IPHC Regulatory Area 2B

British Columbia—Directed Commercial Fisheries

Open: 10 March 2023 at 1200h local time

Closed: 7 December 2023 at 1200h local time

IPHC Regulatory Area 2B is located off of British Columbia, Canada. The IPHC sets the overall total allowable catch and season (called the “fishing period” in IPHC regulations) for the area. The Fisheries and Oceans Canada then allocates Pacific halibut among user groups in IPHC Regulatory Area 2B.

Canada’s directed Pacific halibut fishery operates under an individual vessel quota (IVQ) system, where each licensed vessel is allocated a percentage of the IPHC Regulatory Area 2B fishery limit to harvest at any time over an extended fishing season, historically March to November. In 2006, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) implemented a Groundfish Integrated Fisheries Management Plan (IFMP), where all vessels were accountable for all of their catch, both retained and discarded. All hook-and-line vessels, even those not officially licensed as Pacific halibut vessels, could retain and sell Pacific halibut as long as they had, or purchased, Pacific halibut quota shares to cover their catch.

In IPHC Regulatory Area 2B, in recent years, two British Columbian ports have received roughly 94 percent of the area’s landed catch: Port Hardy and Prince Rupert/Port Edward. In 2021, Port Hardy received 48 percent of the area’s commercial landed catch (1,096 tonnes; 2,416,000 pounds), and Prince Rupert received 46 percent (1,057 tonnes; 2,330,000 pounds).

Commercial fisheries data organized by IPHC Regulatory Area, year, and sector are available here.

Links

• DFO's Pacific Halibut Homepage
• Landing Activity
• Pacific Halibut Activity Report

Integrated Management Plan:

• Pacific Integrated Groundfish Fisheries page
• Groundfish Integrated Fisheries Management Plan

Other References

• Rockfish Conservation Areas (RCAs)
• Marine Forecasts from Environment Canada