Saving Seafood

Commercial catches of Pacific halibut increase for most Alaska regions

February 11, 2019 — Contrary to all expectations, commercial catches of Pacific halibut were increased for 2019 in all but one Alaska region.

The numbers were revealed Friday at the International Pacific Halibut Commission annual meeting in Victoria, British Columbia.

The reason was due to increased estimates of the overall halibut biomass based on expanded surveys last summer from Northern California to the Bering Sea, said Doug Bowen who operates Alaska Boats and Permits in Homer.

“There’s a couple of strong year classes from 2011 and 2012 that are just starting to show up in the commercial catches and I think the scientists are cautiously optimistic that we could see some better harvests as a result of those halibut entering the fishery,” he said in a phone call as he was leaving the meetings.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

IPHC agrees on halibut catch limit after 2018 impasse

February 4, 2019 — The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) has set 2019 catch limits slightly higher than last year’s levels, it announced.

The body, which sets halibut catch limits in the US and Canada, set the 2019 limit at 38.61 million pounds (17,513 metric tons) for the 2019 season, which should March 15 and must cease on Nov. 14.

In 2018, the IPHC was not able to agree on a catch limit. In a move called both “inevitable” and “disastrous”, the IPHC could not come to an agreement on the catch limits for the seasons in the US, off the coast of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and California, and British Columbia, Canada. So, the US and Canada set limits independently, which totaled 37.2m lbs, a 9% decrease overall.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Halibut Commission to Address a Request for Minimum Area Allocation Next Week

January 24, 2019 — SEAFOOD NEWS — The agenda for the week-long annual meeting of the International Pacific Halibut Commission is brimming with new ways to look at catch limits, new tools to assess risk, and new ideas for research, but the issue grabbing the most attention is allocation of this year’s fishery.

Which regional area gets how much of the coastwide catch is a perennial topic, but it’s sharper this year by a stock that remains low compared to a decade ago, little sign of recruitment, and the yet unresolved issue that created an impasse between Canada and the U.S. at last year’s meeting.

Indeed, progress at the 2018 meeting to reach an agreement on catch limits ran aground on the issue of Canada’s catch limit allocation. British Columbia longliners fish waters off the Canadian west coast that make up 12-13% of the total coastwide area fished by both countries. Yet their catch limit has persistently been higher than that based on the argument that much of B.C.’s halibut are resident and the Canadian authorities long ago implemented a robust accounting program for all mortalities, compared to what is being used in Alaska.

The two sides have met throughout the year since and are now considering a handful of options to use this year. Those options, and perhaps more, will be discussed at the meeting that begins Monday, January 28.  The meeting is complicated by the US government shutdown.  Two US commissoner terms expired at midnight on Thursday, and they will not be available to vote on final motions Friday.  As a result, the Commission may skew its agenda so that all votes take place before the US Commissioners go poof.

This year’s meeting has only two stakeholder proposals, both from the Pacific Norwest, or Area 2A. The first, a request for a minimum fixed amount of 1.5 million pounds for commercial and sports fleets. That fishery amount would mean a total mortality of 1.67 mlbs, including subsistence, bycatch, and other incidental mortalities.

The proposal was initially made by the Makah Tribe but now has the support of most stakeholders in Washington, Oregon, and California.

Because it is the first official regional request for a catch limit floor — a minimum that fleets and processors can expect for years to come — it has garnered attention and prompted comments that if they are allowed a guaranteed miminum, what about other areas?

Supporters of Proposal 2A say conditions in that region support establishing a floor and add that 1.67 mlbs. is only a small percentage of any coastwide total. They say — and the IPHC agrees — that the proposal presents no conservation problems because of that.

“The Tribe’s proposal is based on, but less than, the average total removals from Area 2A during the seven-year period before the current coastwide stock assessment and distribution methodology was implemented in Area 2A in 2009. During that period, total removals from Area 2A averaged 1.79Mlb,” Patrick Depoe said in his proposal.

That is precisely the issue for Canada as well. When the IPHC moved from a regional to a coastwide assessment in 2009, there were winners and there were losers. Canada lost 5-7% of their average share of their apportionment. They have compensated for it ever since by setting higher than recommended catch limits for their area, 2B, than IPHC staff suggests.

The second stakeholder proposal was submitted by Michael Pettis, a Newport, OR longliner, and is in response to the IPHC’s request for a change from the current 10 hour derby fishery to a more extended fishery for safety and business planning reasons. The change would not affect that group’s allocation.

The Pacific Council’s Groundfish Advisory Panel discussed the issue and supported an analysis of longer periods. Fishermen on the GAP also proposed assigning the entire commercial halibut quota to incidental catch in the sablefish fishery.

In November 2018, the GAP supported the option again, “if the IPHC does not move forward with a 5-, 10- or 20-day season as discussed in or inferred from its report.”

The five Newport fishermen who submitted the proposal to the IPHC have not supplied public comment to the PFMC or the GAP.

However, since Area 2A is entirely within the U.S. EEZ, management of any system would fall primarily to the federal government. Some industry members have suggested the NMFS cost of establishing a quota system for Area 2A would be far more than the fishery is worth.

On Friday February 1, catch limits for the 2019 season, as well as opening and closing dates, and any proposals that make it through the meeting, will be announced.

This story was originally published on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

State Dept. Appoints NOAA’s Chris Oliver Alternate Commissioner to IPHC

October 1, 2018 — SEAFOOD NEWS — Earlier this month, the State Department announced two new appointments to the three-member U.S. delegation of the Seattle-based International Pacific Halibut Commission. Yesterday, the third new commissioner was announced.

As with the previous announcement, yesterday’s appointment of Chris Oliver, Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries, to replace Dr. Jim Balsiger, regional administrator for NOAA Fisheries in Alaska is being done on a temporary basis until the President’s “duly designated” commissioner is appointed.

In all three cases, it is expected President Trump’s designation will be the same names appointed under ‘alternate’ status. They are: Bob Alverson, executive director of the Fishing Vessel Owners Association; Richard Yamada, president of the Alaska Charter Association and owner of Shelter Lodge; and Chris Oliver. Only Alverson is a reappointment.

“While NOAA awaits the Presidential appointments for the International Pacific Halibut Commission commissioners, Chris Oliver, the Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries, has been appointed by the Department of State as an Alternate Commissioner to the IPHC serving in the Federal Commissioner role,” the announcement read.

Alverson and Yamada were appointed to terms ending January 31, 2019. That is one day before the end of the annual IPHC meeting; presumably the President’s designation will be done for a longer term so the Commissioners can complete the annual meeting. Oliver’s term is through the end of March 2019.

“As Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries, Chris oversees the management and conservation of recreational and commercial fisheries across the United States. He previously served as the Executive Director of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council where he had direct experience working with the Pacific halibut fishery,” read yesterday’s release.

The statement referred to the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982 as the defining legislation in the U.S. that put the Canadian-U.S. Treaty into law.

Below is the section of the law relevant to appointments of Commissioners.

“16 U.S. Code § 773a – International Pacific Halibut Commission

The United States shall be represented on the Commission by three United States Commissioners to be appointed by the President and to serve at his pleasure. The Commissioners shall receive no compensation for their services as Commissioners. Each United States Commissioner shall be appointed for a term of office not to exceed 2 years, but is eligible for reappointment. Any United States Commissioner may be appointed for a term of less than 2 years if such appointment is necessary to ensure that the terms of office of not more than two Commissioners will expire in any 1 year. A vacancy among the United States Commissioners shall be filled by the President in the manner in which the original appointment was made, but any Commissioner appointed to fill a vacancy occurring before the expiration of the term for which the Commissioner’s predecessor was appointed shall be appointed only for the remainder of such term. Of the Commissioners—

(1) one shall be an official of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and

(2) two shall be knowledgeable or experienced concerning the Northern Pacific halibut fishery; of these, one shall be a resident of Alaska and the other shall be a nonresident of Alaska. Of the three commissioners described in paragraphs (1) and (2), one shall be a voting member of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

(3) Commissioners shall not be considered Federal employees except for the purposes of injury compensation or tort claims liability as provided in section 8101 et seq. of title 5 and section 2671 et seq. of title 28. This subsection shall take effect on the 90th day after May 17, 1982.

(b) Alternate United States Commissioners

The Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary, may designate from time to time alternate United States Commissioners to the commission. An Alternate United States Commissioner may exercise, at any meeting of the Commission, all powers and duties of a United States Commissioner in the absence of a duly designated Commissioner for whatever reason. The number of such alternate United States Commissioners that may be designated for any such meeting shall be limited to the number of authorized United States Commissioners that will not be present.”

This story originally appeared on Seafood News, it is republished here with permission.

 

Alaska: One month into the season, Bristol Bay halibut fishermen harvest a quarter of the quota

May 30, 2018 — Bristol Bay fishermen have landed 8,700 pounds of halibut so far. This year’s quota for area 4-E is 33,900 pounds, significantly less than last year’s quota of 58,800 pounds.

“It is a reduction,” said Gary Cline, the regional fisheries director at BBEDC. “It’s basically because there appears to be less halibut abundance in the Pacific, not just in area 4-E, but stretching down to southeast and throughout the Bering Sea. And, because of this concern, the regulatory agencies have adopted a more restrictive catch limits for 2018.”

Those regulatory agencies include the National Marine Fisheries Service, the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council, and the International Pacific Halibut Commission.

The decrease in halibut could stem from a variety of factors, including fishing efforts, competition for the same prey by other species such as the Arrowtooth flounder, and water temperature.

Read the full story at KDLG

 

Alaska: NOAA vet named head of crab group

May 8, 2018 — Jamie Goen, a veteran of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service as well as the International Pacific Halibut Commission, is the new executive director of Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers.

Goen most recently worked as branch manager with the International Pacific Halibut Commission, overseeing its fisheries data collection programs.

Before that, she worked as the congressional affairs liaison to the head of NOAA. While at NOAA for 15 years, she worked on fishing quota programs, including serving as the lead on implementation of the Trawl Rationalization Program. In addition, she also worked in New England on the Atlantic Sea Scallop Quota Program.

“Goen comes with a wealth of experience in fisheries management, starting in her career traveling the world on oceanographic vessels running scientific equipment, having sailed every ocean except the Arctic,” Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers said in a press release.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

 

Terms Extended for U.S. IPHC Commissioners While Commerce, State, and White House Weigh Appointments

March 30, 2018 — SEAFOOD NEWS — Yesterday Linda Behnken and Bob Alverson, current U.S. Commissioners on the International Pacific Halibut Commission, both received emails from the Department of State extending their current terms to August 31, 2018.

“This appointment is effective immediately and expires on August 31, 2018, or whenever another Alternate or presidentially-appointed Commissioner is appointed to fulfill the relevant duties, whichever occurs first,” wrote Judith Garber, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs at the State Department.

Although the appointment is a presidential decision, it’s not unusual for reappointments, or extensions of terms as in this case, to be made by the State Department, the agency that oversees international commissions.

Both Behnken and Alverson’s terms ended March 31, 2018. Both are preparing for a meeting with the Canadian commissioners in mid-April to work on issues within the Commission’s harvest policy that resulted in not reaching an agreement on catch limits at the group’s annual meeting in January.

The federal agencies are currently considering six names for the two seats. Besides Behnken’s and Alverson’s nominations, Andy Mezirow, Richard Yamada, and Duane Edelman were nominated for Behnken’s Alaska seat and Steve Joner was nominated for Alverson’s seat. Mezirow and Yamada are recreational charter operators, Edelman is a fisherman, and Joner is a fisheries manager for the Makah Tribe.

This story originally appeared on Seafoodnews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

 

Alaska: Halibut faces headwinds as catches drop 10%

March 29, 2018 — Pacific halibut catches for 2018 won’t decline as severely as initially feared, but the fishery faces headwinds from several directions.

Federal fishery managers announced just a few days before the March 24 start of the halibut opener that commercial catches for Alaska will be down 10 percent for a total of 17.5 million pounds.

The industry was on tenterhooks awaiting the catch information, which typically is announced by the International Pacific Halibut Commission in late January. However, representatives from the U.S. and Canada could not agree on how to apportion the halibut catches in fishing regions that stretch from the west coast and British Columbia to the Bering Sea.

“The Canadians felt there was justification in the survey and commercial fishery data that, in concert with a long-held position that the IPHC’s apportionment scheme was not accurate, supported a higher catch limit. They were also opposed to the slow pace the U.S. has taken in reducing its bycatch of halibut in the Bering Sea,” said Peggy Parker of Seafoodnews.com.

The impasse put the decision in the laps of federal managers at NOAA Fisheries in Washington, D.C., who were pushed to the wire to get the halibut catch limits and regulations on the rule books in time for the fishery start.

Read the full story at the Alaska Journal of Commerce

 

Alaska: Decline in Pacific halibut fishery not as severe as feared

March 26, 2018 — Pacific halibut catches for 2018 won’t decline as severely as initially feared, but the fishery faces headwinds from several directions.

Federal fishery managers announced just a few days before the March 24 start of the halibut opener that commercial catches for Alaska will be down 10 percent for a total of 17.5 million pounds.

The industry was on tenterhooks awaiting the catch information, which typically is announced by the International Pacific Halibut Commission in late January. However, representatives from the U.S. and Canada could not agree on how to apportion the halibut catches in fishing regions that stretch from the West Coast and British Columbia to the Bering Sea.

“The Canadians felt there was justification in the survey and commercial fishery data that, in concert with a long-held position that the IPHC’s apportionment scheme was not accurate, supported a higher catch limit. They were also opposed to the slow pace the U.S. has taken in reducing its bycatch of halibut in the Bering Sea,” said Peggy Parker of Seafoodnews.com.

The impasse put the decision in the laps of federal managers at NOAA Fisheries in Washington, D.C., who were pushed to the wire to get the halibut catch limits and regulations on the rule books in time for the fishery start.

Adding to the halibut drama are reports of hefty holdovers of fish in freezers, and competition again from Atlantic halibut from eastern Canada.

Prices for Alaska halibut are typically very high for the season’s first deliveries and then decrease after a few weeks. Last year they started out topping $7 per pound to fishermen at major ports. Prices remained in the $5-$6 range for the duration of the eight-month fishery, prompting a push-back from buyers who complained of “price fatigue” and switched their sourcing to less-expensive Atlantic fish.

How that scenario plays out this year remains to be seen, but the combination of fish inventories and availability from elsewhere will likely provide a downward push on Alaska halibut prices.

Read the full story at the Anchorage Daily News

 

Alaska: Halibut fishery poised to open as NMFS works on 2018 catch limits

March 15, 2018 — Alaska’s halibut fishery is set to open this month, but the final quota was still not completely set as of March 14, even as fishermen began to receive permits in the mail.

Indications, however, are that the quota will decrease this year compared to last.

Under regulations published by the National Marine Fisheries Service this month, the fishery will open March 24 and run through Nov. 7. But the total catch limits remain unknown.

That’s because this year, for just the second time in the commission’s history that dates to its creation by a 1923 treaty, the International Pacific Halibut Commission could not come to an agreement about the 2018 catch limits at its annual meeting. That leaves it up to regulatory bodies in each country to determine the limits instead.

Halibut Coalition Executive Director Tom Gemmell said he expects the quota to decrease by about 15 percent overall compared to 2017, when Alaskan fishermen had their total statewide quota set at about 22.62 million pounds. In 2017, and for a few years prior, the quota had increased slightly after nearly a decade of annual cuts totaling more than 70 percent from mid-2000 highs.

The halibut commission is the six-member body (three each from the U.S. and Canada) charged with regulating the halibut fishery from Northern California to the Bering Sea under the international Pacific halibut treaty, including setting the catch limit each year. The IPHC meets each January and decides on the coastwide halibut catch limits, based on input from staff scientists. But this past January, at its annual meeting in Portland, the commission was not able to come to an agreement on the 2018 limits.

Read the full story at the Alaska Journal of Commerce