The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) completed its ninety-third annual meeting in Victoria, BC, Canada on 27 January, with the recommendation to the governments of Canada and the United States that catch limits for 2017 could be set at 31.4 million pounds (14,243 metric tons – MT), up by more than 5 percent from just under 29.9 million pounds (13,562 MT) last year.
It is the third year in a row that IPHC has raised the quota recommendation, with its scientists reporting a slow but steady increase in the coast’s halibut stock.
IPHC’s recommendations include both the commercial and sport limits, with most parts of the Pacific coastline seeing increases in their fishing catch limits for the high-value fish this year.
The Commission approved a season of 11 March–7 November for the U.S. and Canadian individual quota fisheries. The treaty tribal commercial fisheries and the incidental halibut fisheries in Area 2A will occur within these dates. In Area 2A, seven 10-hour fishing periods for the non-treaty directed commercial fishery are recommended: 28 June, 12 July, 26 July, 9 August, 23 August, 6 September, and 20 September.
Halibut catch limits are determined by summer surveys at more than 1,200 stations from Oregon to the Aleutians.
