Saving Seafood

Slow start, higher prices for Alaska halibut season

March 24, 2021 — Halibut prices for Alaska fishermen for 2021 started out significantly higher than last year, despite sluggish demand and transportation logjams in some regions.

The Pacific halibut fishery opened on March 6 and two weeks later only 80 deliveries were made, 46 at Southeast ports and 34 from the Central Gulf totaling 355,524 pounds. Most landings appeared to be small lots that were purchased on consignment.

The first fish typically fetches higher prices and then drops off as the season progresses. No Alaska ports reported paying under $5 per pound, whereas the 2020 price to Alaska fishermen averaged $4.

Early prices at Sitka and Juneau, where there is daily air service, were reported at $5.50-$5.75 a pound, up by $1 from last year, and deliveries at Petersburg paid out at $5.75 straight. No ferry service and high costs for airfreight bit into buying at nearly all Southeast ports, where major processors said they aren’t purchasing halibut until April or May.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Alaska fishermen optimistic as Pacific halibut fishery opens

March 3, 2021 — The Pacific halibut fishery opens March 6, and increased catch limits combined with a cautiously optimistic outlook for the near future have fanned interest in buying shares of the popular fish.

In January, the International Pacific Halibut Commission boosted total halibut removals for 2021 by 6.5% to 39 million pounds for taken by all users and as bycatch in fisheries of the West Coast, British Columbia and Alaska. That is higher than the total take for the past three years.

For commercial fishermen, the halibut catch limit of 25.7 million pounds is an increase of 2.6 million pounds over 2020. Alaska gets the largest chunk at 19.6 million pounds, and all regions except for the Bering Sea will see increased catches.

“People are thrilled to see that, hopefully, the tide has turned after catch limits for most areas have been declining for about the past 15 years. And they are happy to know they’re going to see some more pounds on their permits this year,” said Doug Bowen of Alaska Boats and Permits in Homer.

“By all accounts the market looks like it is warming up,” agreed Lisa Gulliford at Permit Master in Tacoma, Washington. “Interest and flexibility from both buyers and sellers is always good news and I am hopeful this trend will continue through the year.”

Read the full story at the Anchorage Daily News

IPHC Media Release 2021-008 IPHC Seeks Stakeholder Input that Characterizes the Economic Contribution of the Pacific Halibut Resource

February 19, 2021 — The following was released by the International Pacific Halibut Commission:

 In order to capture the economic impacts of Pacific halibut, the IPHC has designed a series of surveys to gather information from the sectors relying on this resource. Developing an accurate and representative Pacific halibut multiregional economic impact assessment (PHMEIA) model requires active participation of our stakeholders, who we ask for necessary data for analysis.

Active participants to the Pacific halibut fisheries (commercial, processing, and charter sector) can complete the following surveys for 2020, but also retrospectively submit information for 2019. The benefits of providing both year’s information are:

  • Data for 2019, covers pre-covid-19 operations, can be considered a baseline suitable for drawing conclusions under normal circumstances and used for predictions.
  • Data for 2020, covers an abnormal year of operations, can be used to assess losses incurred by the Pacific halibut sectors, but also sectors’ resilience to unfavorable circumstances.

Please fill in the IPHC economic survey by clicking the following links:

For further information on the IPHC’s Economic Research visit https://www.iphc.int/management/economic-research or contact the IPHC Secretariat at secretariat@iphc.int or 206.634.1838.

Read the full release here

Halibut Area 2A License Applications Open for Submission for 2021

January 27, 2021 — The International Pacific Halibut Commission has opened the license application period for fishermen in Area 2A, Washington, Oregon and California.

While the IPHC sets the overall total fishery removals (mortality limit) for the area, the Pacific Fishery Management Council and National Marine Fisheries Service adopts a catch-sharing plan for all three states to further allocate the amount of fishery removals between sectors.

Read the full story at Seafood News

PFMC: Area 2A Pacific Halibut Managers online meeting will be held January 4, 2021

December 4, 2020 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Council will host an online meeting of the Area 2A Pacific halibut governmental management entities that is open to the public.  The meeting will be held Monday, January 4, 2021 from 10:30 a.m., Pacific Standard Time, until 2 p.m., or until business for the day has been completed.

Please see the Area 2A Pacific Halibut Manager’s online meeting 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.

NPFMC Narrows Focus on Abundance-Based Management for Pacific Halibut Bycatch in Bering Sea

October 20, 2020 — The North Pacific Fisheries Management Council clarified their focus to tie the management of halibut bycatch in the Bering Sea to abundance in a new motion that, after one amendment, was passed unanimously.

The final Council motion revised the purpose and need statement and the alternatives for an initial review analysis that will likely come at the April council meeting, scheduled for April 5-6, 2021.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Scientists complete Pacific halibut survey despite COVID restrictions

October 20, 2020 — A “resounding success” is how scientists summed up this summer’s Pacific halibut survey, despite it being shortened and scaled down due to constraints related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The so-called fishery-independent setline survey uses standardized methods to track population trends in the Pacific halibut stock, which ranges from the U.S. West Coast to British Columbia, Canada, and the far reaches of the Bering Sea.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Halibut survey success: Pacific scientists make goals despite covid restrictions

October 14, 2020 — A “resounding success” is how scientists summed up this summer’s Pacific halibut survey, despite it being shortened and scaled down a bit because of covid constraints.

The so-called fishery-independent setline survey uses standardized methods to track population trends in the Pacific halibut stock, which ranges from the U.S. West Coast to British Columbia and the far reaches of the Bering Sea.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Alaska halibut surveys reduced 30% due to COVID

June 11, 2020 — The annual three month survey of Pacific halibut will be about 30% lighter this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, Alaska Fish Radio’s Laine Welch reports.

A total of 898 stations will be surveyed by longline gear, roughly 30% fewer than the usual 1,283 stations.

“We’re going to maintain sampling in the core regions where the vast majority of the stock resides,” David Wilson, director of the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC), told Welch. “So while it’s important to still sample those peripheries, we still are going to be sampling about 74% of the known distribution and biomass of the stock so it’s going to be a particularly robust survey.”

Read the full story at Undercurrent News