Search

Search
Close this search box.
Search
Close this search box.
  1. /
  2. Research Pages
  3. /
  4. Stock Assessment

Stock Assessment

Stock Assessment

The IPHC conducts an annual stock assessment using data from the Fishery-Independent Setline Survey (FISS), the commercial Pacific halibut and other fisheries, as well biological information from its research program. The assessment includes the Pacific halibut resource in the IPHC Convention Area, covering the Exclusive Economic Zones of Canada and the United States of America. Data sources are updated each year to reflect the most recent scientific information available for use in management decision making.

Most Recent Stock Assessment

The 2023 stock assessment relied on an ensemble of four population dynamics models to estimate the probability distributions describing the current stock size, trend, and demographics. The ensemble is designed to capture both uncertainty related to the data (estimation) and stock dynamics (process) as well as uncertainty related to our understanding of the way in which the Pacific halibut stock functions and is best approximated by a statistical model (structural).

Stock assessment results are used as inputs for harvest strategy calculations, including mortality tables for the upcoming year that reflect the IPHCs harvest strategy policy and other considerations, as well as the harvest decision table which provides a direct tool for the management process. The harvest decision table uses the probability distributions from short-term (three year) assessment projections to evaluate the trade-offs between alternative levels of potential yield (catch) and the associated risks to the stock and fishery.

The 2023 stock assessment documents:

Document
Title
PDF
Availability
IPHC-2024-SA-01
Assessment of the Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) stock at the end of 2023 (I. Stewart & A. Hicks)
05 Jan 2024
IPHC-2024-SA-02
Overview of data sources for the Pacific halibut stock assessment, harvest policy, and related analyses (I. Stewart & R. Webster)
05 Jan 2024

The 2022 stock assessment included an ensemble of 4 individual assessment models. Below are the raw input data files for each of the four models in the format required by stock synthesis (Methot, R.D., and Wetzel, C.R. 2013. Stock synthesis: A biological and statistical framework for fish stock assessment and fishery management. Fish. Res. 142(0): 86-99. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2012.10.012).

Please contact the IPHC Secretariat (secretariat@iphc.int) for more information about the contents of these files and for permission to use them for any analysis.

Document
Title
PDF
Availability
IPHC-2024-SA-03
2023 Pacific halibut areas-as-fleets long time-series model
05 Jan 2024
IPHC-2024-SA-04
2023 Pacific halibut areas-as-fleets short time-series model
05 Jan 2024
IPHC-2024-SA-05
2023 Pacific halibut coastwide long time-series model
05 Jan 2024
IPHC-2024-SA-06
2023 Pacific halibut coastwide short time-series model
05 Jan 2024

Peer review of the IPHC Stock Assessment currently takes two forms: 1) Scientific Review Board – an annual peer review process, and 2) External peer review – a periodic peer review by an external independent reviewer approximately every three (3) years.

SCIENTIFIC REVIEW BOARD

The Scientific Review Board (SRB) meets twice annually and provides an independent scientific peer review of stock assessment and associated inputs (among other tasks). 

While early meetings of the SRB were focused solely on reviewing the stock assessment inputs, modelling and results, in recent years the IPHC Secretariat’s scientific output, in terms of volume and complexity have increased substantially.

All SRB documents and reports containing recommendations regarding the stock assessment are available on the IPHC meeting website under “Scientific Review Board“.

EXTERNAL PEER REVIEW

At the 95th Session of the IPHC Annual Meeting (AM095) in January 2019, the Commission agreed to implement an additional process of periodic external peer review of the IPHC Stock Assessment. The following is a list of key documents relating to the 2019 external peer review:

Title
PDF
Availability
Independent Peer Review for the 2019 IPHC Stock Assessment - Prepared by Kevin Stokes
02 August 2019

Stock assessment documents from prior years:

Document
Title
PDF
PPT
Availability
IPHC-2023-SA-01
Assessment of the Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) stock at the end of 2022 (I. Stewart & A. Hicks)
15 Dec 2022
IPHC-2023-SA-02
Overview of data sources for the Pacific halibut stock assessment, harvest policy, and related analyses (I. Stewart & R. Webster)
15 Dec 2022
IPHC-2023-SA-03
2022 Pacific halibut areas-as-fleets long time-series model
15 Dec 2022
IPHC-2023-SA-04
2022 Pacific halibut areas-as-fleets short time-series model
15 Dec 2022
IPHC-2023-SA-05
2022 Pacific halibut coastwide long time-series model
15 Dec 2022
IPHC-2023-SA-06
2022 Pacific halibut coastwide short time-series model
15 Dec 2022
IPHC-2022-SA-01
Assessment of the Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) stock at the end of 2021 (I. Stewart & A. Hicks)
16 Dec 2021
IPHC-2022-SA-02
Overview of data sources for the Pacific halibut stock assessment, harvest policy, and related analyses (I Stewart & R. Webster)
16 Dec 2021
IPHC-2022-SA-03
2021 Pacific halibut areas-as-fleets long time-series model
16 Dec 2021
IPHC-2022-SA-04
2021 Pacific halibut areas-as-fleets short time-series model
16 Dec 2021
IPHC-2022-SA-05
2021 Pacific halibut coastwide long time-series model
16 Dec 2021
IPHC-2022-SA-06
2021 Pacific halibut coastwide short time-series model
16 Dec 2021
IPHC-2022-AM098-10
Summary of the data, stock assessment, and harvest decision table for Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) at the end of 2021 (I. Stewart, A. Hicks, R. Webster, D. Wilson, & B. Hutniczak)
20 Dec 2021
IPHC-2021-SA-01
Assessment of the Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) stock at the end of 2020 (I. Stewart & A. Hicks)
23 Dec 2020
IPHC-2021-SA-02
Overview of data sources for the Pacific halibut stock assessment, harvest policy, and related analyses (I. Stewart & R. Webster)
23 Dec 2020
IPHC-2021-AM097-08
Stock Assessment: Summary of the data, stock assessment, and harvest decision table for Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) at the end of 2020 (I. Stewart, A. Hicks, R. Webster & D. Wilson)
15 Dec 2020
IPHC-2021-SA-03
2020 Pacific halibut areas-as-fleets long time-series model
23 Dec 2020
IPHC-2021-SA-04
2020 Pacific halibut areas-as-fleets short time-series model
23 Dec 2020
IPHC-2021-SA-05
2020 Pacific halibut coastwide long time-series model
23 Dec 2020
IPHC-2021-SA-06
2020 Pacific halibut coastwide short time-series model
23 Dec 2020
IPHC-2020-SA-01
Assessment of the Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) stock at the end of 2019(I. Stewart & A. Hicks)
10 Jan 2020
IPHC-2020-SA-02
Overview of data sources for the Pacific halibut stock assessment, harvest policy, and related analyses (I. Stewart & R. Webster)
06 Jan 2020
IPHC-2020-SA-03
2019 Pacific halibut areas-as-fleets long time-series model
08 June 2020
IPHC-2020-SA-04
2019 Pacific halibut areas-as-fleets short time-series model
08 June 2020
IPHC-2020-SA-05
2019 Pacific halibut coastwide long time-series model
08 June 2020
IPHC-2020-SA-06
2019 Pacific halibut coastwide short time-series model
08 June 2020
IPHC-2020-AM096-09 Rev_1
Stock assessment: Summary of the data, stock assessment, and harvest decision table for Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) at the end of 2019 (I. Stewart, A. Hicks, R. Webster & D. Wilson)
19 Dec 2019 9 Jan 2020
IPHC-2019-AM095-08
Overview of data sources for the Pacific halibut stock assessment, harvest policy, and related analyses (I. Stewart & R. Webster)
20 Dec 2018
IPHC-2019-AM095-09
Assessment of the Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) stock at the end of 2018 (I. Stewart & A. Hicks)
17 Dec 2018
IPHC-2018-IM094-08 Rev_1
Summary of the data, stock assessment, and harvest decision table for Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) at the end of 2018 (I. Stewart, A. Hicks, R. Webster & D. Wilson)
25 Oct 2018 20 Nov 2018
IPHC-2018-AM094-08
Summary of the data, stock assessment, and harvest decision table for Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) at the end of 2017 (I. Stewart, A. Hicks, R. Webster & D. Wilson)
19 Dec 2017
IPHC-2018-AM094-09
Overview of data sources for the Pacific halibut stock assessment, harvest policy, and related analyses. (I. Stewart & R. Webster)
21 Dec 2017
IPHC-2018-AM094-10
Assessment of the Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) stock at the end of 2017 (I. Stewart & A. Hicks)
21 Dec 2017
IPHC-2017-AM093-07
Assessment of the Pacific halibut stock at the end of 2016 (I. Stewart and D. Wilson)
11 Jan 2017
IPHC-2016-BB-P136
Assessment of the Pacific halibut stock at the end of 2015 (I. Stewart, C. Monnahan, and S. Martell)
25 Jan 2016
IPHC-2016-BB-P047
Overview of data sources for the Pacific halibut stock assessment and related analyses (I. Stewart and C. Monnahan)
25 Jan 2016
IPHC-2021-SACH-005
Historical Coastwide IPHC Stock Assessments 2012 to 2015– Compendium of documents
08 Oct 2021
IPHC-2021-SACH-004
Historical Coastwide IPHC Stock Assessments 2006 to 2011– Compendium of documents
07 Oct 2021
IPHC-2021-SACH-003
Historical Coastwide IPHC Stock Assessments 1998 to 2005– Compendium of documents
07 Oct 2021
IPHC-2021-SACH-002
Historical Coastwide IPHC Stock Assessments 1988 to 1997– Compendium of documents
06 Oct 2021
IPHC-2021-SACH-001
Historical Coastwide IPHC Stock Assessments 1978 to 1987 – Compendium of documents
05 Oct 2021

Share:

Share:

In this Section

Migration and Population Dynamics

Generation of genomic resources

Gear modifications for bycatch reduction

Fishing technology

Discard survival assessment in the guided recreational Pacific halibut fishery

Discard survival assessment in the commercial Pacific halibut fishery

Economic Research

Management Strategy Evaluation

FISS – Catch Per Unit Effort

Vessel Recruiting

In this Section

Design and Implementation

IPHC Fishery-Independent Setline Survey (FISS) The purpose of the FISS

Biological and Ecosystem Science Research

Since its inception, the IPHC has had a long history

Tag Recovery and Reward

A reward of a hat or $10 is offered for most recovered

Non-directed Commercial Discard Mortality

Pacific halibut are captured in large numbers by vessels fishing