Saving Seafood

Fish dip: Commission cuts Pacific halibut quotas based on sex study

February 12, 2020 — As expected, the International Pacific Halibut Commission set quotas down for 2020 at its annual meeting in Anchorage last week.

Quotas for Pacific halibut will be reduced by just over 5 percent this year as a result of declining stocks. Alaska’s share of the 36.6 million pound total catch is 28.13 million pounds for all user groups. The halibut fishery will open on March 14 and close on Nov. 15.

Industry leaders predicted late in 2019 that the fishery had maxed out its value proposition and likely would not be able to expect a higher dock price to make up for a lower quota.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Several fish bills before the Alaska Legislature have wide support from fishermen

February 12, 2020 — Alaska lawmakers are making fast work of several fish bills that have wide support from Alaska’s fishermen.

“I was anticipating a somewhat slow start, but they’re organized and they’re diving right into these issues and taking these bills up. So there’s lots of opportunities to participate,” said Frances Leach, executive director of United Fishermen of Alaska.

The much-discussed bill (HB 35) that would resolve a conflict of interest fix at the state Board of Fisheries has been moving through committee hearings in Juneau and could finally be settled after a 14-year push.

“One of the reasons they’re chosen for that board is they may have a regional expertise or they may have a user group expertise. So we want them to be able to not vote, but participate and lend that expertise in deliberations to provide clarification to other board members who may not be as familiar with that region or fishery,” Leach said.

Read the full story at the Anchorage Daily News

IPHC Adopts 2020 Halibut TCEY of 36.6 Million Pounds, Two Million Pounds Less than 2019

February 10, 2020 — The International Pacific Halibut Commission adopted a total catch limit of 36.6 million pounds for the 2020 season, slightly less than last year. But the Total Constant Exploitation Yield (TCEY) includes non-commercial removals, so when those are subtracted, a commercial fishery catch limit of 27.48 million lbs remains. That amount includes charter sector allocations, and is about one million pounds less than what was caught last year.

The season will start on March 14 and close November 15, 2020.

Read the full story at Seafood News

DNA tests show commercial halibut catch 90% female, influencing catch limits being set this week

February 6, 2020 — For the first time in its 96 year history, the International Pacific Halibut Commission will be setting catch limits for halibut this week with the knowledge that the commercial fleet’s catch has been around 90 percent female, a notably higher proportion than previously thought.

“The Commission has long known that the directed commercial Pacific halibut fishery catches mostly female, but we’ve had indications over time that perhaps the fishery is able to capture even more females than we see on a set line survey relative to males,” said Ian Stewart, a quantitative scientist for IPHC.

Stewart works to develop the stock assessment for Pacific halibut, which IPHC commissioners use to set catch limits for the U.S. and Canada. Knowing what percentage of the catch is female is an important factor that could influence how the stock is managed and thus, what restrictions and limitations are put on fishermen. New data from the IPHC shows that the sex ratio of the commercial catch ranged from 81 percent female in some regions of the Gulf of Alaska to 97 percent female in some regions in the Bering Sea.

“For conservation purposes we track female spawning biomass. And in order to understand that we need to know not only how many females are out there, but how many we’re catching in a given year,” Stewart said.

Biologists with IPHC use setline surveys fishing the same gear in the same places with the same bait year after year to estimate trends in the population and collection biological information including size, age and sex.

Read the full story at KTUU

PFMC: March 3-9, 2020 PFMC Meeting Notice and Agenda Now Available

January 31, 2020 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC or Council) and its advisory bodies will meet March 3-9, 2020 in Rohnert Park, California, to address issues related to groundfish, salmon, Pacific halibut, highly migratory species, ecosystem, habitat, and administrative matters. The meeting of the Council and its advisory entities will be held at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Sonoma Wine Country, One Doubletree Drive, Rohnert Park, CA 94928: telephone, 707-584-5466.

Please see the March 3-9, 2020 Council meeting notice on the Council’s website for meeting detail, schedule of advisory body meetings, our new E-Portal for submitting public comments, and public comment deadlines.

Key agenda items for the meeting include Council considerations to:

  • Adopt Public Review Alternatives for 2020 Ocean Salmon Fisheries
  • Adopt Final Forecasting Methods for Willapa Bay Coho Salmon
  • Consider Range of Alternatives for Transitioning Management of Non-Indian Directed Commercial Halibut Fishery from
  • International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) to PFMC/National Marine Fisheries Service
  • Adopt Public Review Options for Pacific Halibut Retention in 2020Salmon Troll Fishery
  • Adopt Final Pacific Halibut Retention Limits for 2020 Fixed Gear Sablefish Fishery
  • Annual Report on California Current Ecosystem
  • Adopt Final Updates to Fishery Ecosystem Plan Chapters 1 and 2, Including a Vision Statement, and a Revised Set of Goals and Objectives; Review Proposed Changes to Remaining Chapters
  • Update on 2021-2022 Groundfish Harvest Specifications and Management Measures
  • Consider Exempted Fishing Permits for 2021-2022 Groundfish Fisheries, Including Electronic Monitoring
  • Adopt Final Groundfish Inseason Adjustments for 2020, Including Shorebased Carryover
  • Review the Final Rule, Revisit Previous Council Recommendations, and Provide Guidance on Future Council Considerations for Drift Gillnet Swordfish Fishery Hardcaps

For further information:
Please contact Pacific Fishery Management Council staff at 503-820-2280; toll-free 1-866-806-7204.

North Pacific Council to Hear From Alaska Charter Operators on Halibut Catch Limits

January 30, 2020 — This week the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council (NPFMC) will hear from eminent scientists about prioritized research in Alaska that is underfunded, ways to change data reporting that maintains “best science available” standards, how to best fund the all-important observer program in areas not yet 100% covered, how to balance bycatch with directed halibut fishing, and what will done about the sablefish overage from last year, among other agenda items.

The solidly-packed agenda is not unusual, but among those weighty issues, the one that has illicited the most comments from industry — 62 compared to 5 for the next most commented-on topic — was the halibut catch limit for Gulf of Alaska (Area 3A) charter operators.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Russian cod and halibut get MSC certification

January 9, 2020 — Members of the Russia-based Longline Fishery Association (LFA) have earned Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification for their Pacific halibut and Pacific cod fisheries in three zones of the Bering Sea.

Six fisheries got certificates: Interrybflot, YAMSy, Polaris, Sigma Marine Technology, Tymlatsky rybokombinat, and Dalrybprom. The certification covers the Chukchi, West Bering Sea, and East Kamchatka fishery zones of the Bering Sea.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

PFMC: Reminder: Area 2A Pacific Halibut Manager’s Webinar Meeting to be held on January 7, 2020

December 31, 2019 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) will host a webinar meeting of the Area 2A Pacific halibut governmental management entities on Tuesday, January 7, 2020 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, or until business for the day is completed. No management actions will be decided by the attendees.  The webinar will be open to the public, and the agenda, which will be posted on the Pacific Council website prior to the meeting, will provide for a public comment period.

Please see the Area 2A Pacific Halibut Manager’s webinar notice on the Council’s website for participation details.

For further information:

  • Please contact Pacific Fishery Management Council staff officer Ms. Robin Ehlke  at 503-820-2410; toll-free 1-866-806-7204.

Atlantic Halibut Subject of NOAA Research

December 9, 2019 — NOAA Fisheries is working with fishermen across Cape Cod to see if the Atlantic halibut is showing signs of recovery in the Gulf of Maine as well as the New England region.

A three-part study is currently underway to see if the halibut population is rebuilding after the size of the fish shrunk over centuries.

The Northeast Fisheries Science Center is working with local fishermen to understand the life history, stock structure, and movement patterns of the Atlantic halibut.

Read the full story at CapeCod.com

Halibut in steady decline throughout Pacific, says commission

December 6, 2019 — Lower catches for Pacific halibut are in the forecast for the foreseeable future.

That was the message from the International Pacific Halibut Commission at its November meeting in Seattle. The commission oversees halibut stock research and sets catch limits for nine fishing regions ranging from northern California to British Columbia to the Bering Sea.

There are fewer of the prized flatfish (down 4 percent), they weigh less (down 5 percent) and no big pulses appear to be coming into the stock, according to the grim summary of the 2019 halibut fishery. The assessment included the results of summer-long surveys at nearly 1,370 fishing stations, including 89 added to the Central Gulf of Alaska, the biggest halibut fishing hole.
The numbers of spawning halibut also appeared to continue their decline over the past year, said the commission’s lead scientist Ian Stewart.

The commission calculates the amount of removals of halibut over 26 inches for commercial, recreational, sports charter, subsistence and bycatch in other fisheries, called a total constant exploitation yield. For 2019, the coastwide TCEY was 38.61 million pounds. The decline was projected, Stewart said.

“This has been predicted for several years. This is projected to continue for all 2020 [Total Constant Exploitation Yields] greater than approximately 18.4 million pounds,” Stewart said. “It’s essentially the breakeven point over the next three years. So, we’re looking at a period of relatively low productivity for the Pacific halibut stock over the next three years.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman