2025 halibut season nears its end

Here's the word today from the International Pacific Halibut Commission:

All commercial fishing for Pacific halibut in all IPHC Regulatory Areas shall cease for the year at 23:59 local time on 7 December.

So, how did your season go?

National marine sanctuary effort dropped

A Bering Sea tribal government is backing off its proposal for a national marine sanctuary in the area of St. Paul Island.

The Aleut Community of St. Paul Island in late 2021 nominated what it called Heart of the Ocean for consideration as a national marine sanctuary. The nomination has been pending with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

However, the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Tribal Government has "decided not to pursue" designation of Heart of the Ocean as a national marine sanctuary, according to a brief notice online.

The notice doesn't elaborate further.

But a recent International Pacific Halibut Commission report says the tribal government, in dropping the marine sanctuary effort, instead has "signed an agreement with the federal government focused on Indigenous-led conservation in waters surrounding the Bering Sea island."

Which boats will conduct halibut survey?

The vessels are named in this media release from the International Pacific Halibut Commission.

Halibut takes another hit

The International Pacific Halibut Commission today announced a coastwide catch limit of 29.7 million pounds for this year.

That's down 15.8 percent from 2024. It's the third consecutive year for a substantial cut in the coastwide limit.

Notably for the upcoming season, the catch limit in Area 3A (Southcentral Alaska) is 9.1 million pounds, down more than 20 percent, while Area 2B (British Columbia) is down 15.8 percent to just under 5.5 million pounds.

The commission recommended season dates of 6 a.m. local time March 20 to midnight Dec. 7.

'We are fishing on a depleted stock'

Homer commercial fisherman Michael "Buck" Laukitis is proposing a Pacific halibut rebuilding plan.

It's all over

Another long commercial halibut season closes at midnight tonight.

'It's a sad story'

Buck Laukitis, a Homer commercial fisherman and former member of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, has submitted a blistering commentary on the poor state of the halibut fishery.

"I have no confidence in the IPHC's approach," he writes, referring to the International Pacific Halibut Commission.

Personnel file

Andrea Keikkala will be the new executive director for United Catcher Boats, taking over for Brent Paine, who is retiring after many years leading the organization.

Keikkala currently is assistant director of the International Pacific Halibut Commission.

United Catcher Boats is a trade association representing trawlers delivering Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska pollock and other groundfish to shore plants.

The situation with the halibut survey

The International Pacific Halibut Commission will meet in special session on Oct. 31 to talk about the setline survey.

The annual summer survey is crucial for managing the halibut fishery. But it's facing serious financial challenges as the halibut stock struggles.

"The spawning biomass of Pacific halibut is near the lowest levels observed since the 1970s and catch rates in nearly all IPHC regulatory areas are at or near the lowest levels observed in 40 years," says this brochure posted on the IPHC website.

The commission historically has paid for the survey by selling catches, but low catch rates and low fish prices coupled with rising costs have created a funding crunch, the brochure says.

In the special session, commissioners plan to discuss survey design for 2025 and beyond.

Halibut all year in British Columbia?

A commercial fisherman is proposing a year-round halibut fishery in Area 2B (British Columbia).

"This proposal would allow the retention and sale of Pacific halibut year-round in Canadian waters," says this International Pacific Halibut Commission memo.

The commission is slated to hold its interim meeting electronically Nov. 25-26 and its annual meeting Jan. 27-31 in Vancouver, B.C.

Turning the page on paper logbooks

The International Pacific Halibut Commission has launched a trial of electronic logbooks in Alaska.

The commission distributed tablets to several vessel captains to record fishing activity normally put down in paper logbooks.

Here's a press release with further details.

A chicken halibut survey

The International Pacific Halibut Commission has released details about this year's setline stock survey.

"We intend on sampling 525 stations in 2024, with the first hooks expected to hit the water on May 25," the Seattle-based commission says.

It's a drastic reduction from last year's survey, which was planned for 958 stations with 864 ultimately sampled.

We presume the commission's financial troubles factor into the severe downsizing of this year's survey.

Halibut dips again

Halibut quotas will be down again this year.

The International Pacific Halibut Commission, meeting in Anchorage, today announced a coastwide catch limit of 35.3 million pounds, a 4.6 percent decline from last year.

The IPHC recommended a fishing season beginning at 6 a.m. local time March 15 to midnight Dec. 7 for all directed commercial Pacific halibut fisheries in Canada and the United States.

Here's a press release with catch limits by regulatory area. For comparison, here's last year's press release.

The international issue of bycatch

Bycatch certainly has been a hot topic of late in Alaska.

Alaska bycatch also is drawing attention from our neighbors in Canada.

In a report submitted ahead of the International Pacific Halibut Commission annual meeting in Anchorage, the province of British Columbia has this to say, in part:

The large trawl fisheries in Alaska experience high volumes of bycatch that impact many species that move between Canadian and U.S. waters. This includes over 157,500 salmon caught as bycatch in Alaskan fleets in 2023, of which over 35,500 were vulnerable Chinook salmon. Incomplete monitoring and Alaskan bycatch of halibut in trawl fisheries impact recruitment of juvenile halibut to the fishery as many halibut caught in industrial trawl nets do not survive release.

Hard times at the halibut commission?

The following is taken verbatim from the latest Alaska Charter Association newsletter:

Halibut Coalition Visits D.C. To Request IPHC Funds

On November 14 and November 15, 2023, representatives from the Halibut Coalition met with members of Congress to try to secure supplemental funding for the International Pacific Halibut Commission. The IPHC is currently facing an estimated shortfall of $2.43 million, which may necessitate curtailing or eliminating its survey, sampling, and stock assessment program. Lacking timely data on which to base its management decisions will probably result in the IPHC taking a more cautious, conservative approach to minimize the possibility of overfishing the resource. This could have significant adverse consequences for commercial, charter, recreational and subsistence anglers and their communities.

The Halibut Coalition contingent consisted of the following members representing their corresponding organizations:

• Linda Behnken, Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association

• Jeff Kaufmann, Central Bering Sea Fishermen's Association

• Heather McCarty, Central Bering Sea Fishermen's Association

• Brian Ritchie, Alaska Charter Association and Homer Charter Association

• Peggy Parker, Halibut Association of North America

• Bob Alverson, Fishing Vessel Owners' Association, IPHC Commissioner

They had appointments with members of Alaska's Congressional delegation including Senator Murkowski, Senator Sullivan, and Representative Peltola, as well as Senators Murray and Cantwell from Washington state, and Representatives Huffman (CA) and DelBene (WA). These members of Congress were presented with a letter, signed by representatives of an array of concerned organizations, requesting additional funding and urging State Department leadership involvement in asking for a similar contribution from Canada. The aim is to enable the IPHC to continue collecting much needed scientific data and to secure its long term ability to fulfill its mandate of managing halibut stocks in a sustainable manner.

Halibut retreats

The International Pacific Halibut Commission finally got around to issuing a press release with this year's catch limits and season dates.

The commission set a coastwide catch limit of 36.97 million pounds, a 10.3 percent decline from last year.

The season will run from March 10 to Dec. 7.

Holding for halibut

It's been 10 days since the International Pacific Halibut Commission concluded its annual meeting, and we're still waiting for the press release specifying catch limits and season dates.

Is there a problem?

Thwarting whales

The International Pacific Halibut Commission is planning experimental fishing with devices "intended to reduce marine mammal depredation of catch from longline gear."

Here's a media release with more details.

IPHC update

Jon Kurland is the new U.S. government commissioner on the International Pacific Halibut Commission.

Kurland heads the National Marine Fisheries Service in Alaska.

He fills the IPHC seat previously occupied by Glenn Merrill, who was a high-ranking official in the NMFS Alaska office before leaving for the private sector.

Personnel file

The governor today announced the nomination of Rachel Baker, of Juneau, to the International Pacific Halibut Commission.

Baker is deputy commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. She presumably would replace sportfishing lodge owner Richard Yamada on the IPHC.

The governor also announced the reappointment of Jack Schultheis to the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute board of directors. Schultheis is general manager of Kwik'pak Fisheries.