News & Events: Pacific Halibut

The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) will hold an online meeting of the Area 2A Pacific halibut governmental management entities that is open to the public. It will be held Tuesday, January 3, 2023 beginning at 10:30 a.m. and continuing until 1 p.m. Pacific Time or until business for the day has been completed.

Purpose of the meeting

The primary purpose of the online meeting is to prepare and develop recommendations for the 2023 International Pacific Halibut Commission’s (IPHC) annual meeting held in Victoria, British Columbia from January 23 through January 27, 2023.  Recommendations generated from the 2A managers meeting will be communicated to the IPHC by the Pacific Council’s representatives.  Attendees may also address other topics relating to Pacific halibut management.

Meeting Materials

Agenda

The Gulf of Maine Research Institute is happy to announce a two-part Marine Resources Education Program West Coast Fisheries Science & Management workshop series October 4-6, 2022 (science) and January 17-19, 2023 (management). Applications are being accepted now. Interested fishermen should apply as soon as possible at https://mrep.gmri.org/apply (please note, the deadline has been extended as space is still […]

The Gulf of Maine Research Institute is happy to announce a two-part Marine Resources Education Program West Coast Fisheries Science & Management workshop series October 4-6, 2022 (science) and January 17-19, 2023 (management). Applications are being accepted now. Interested fishermen should apply by September 16 at https://mrep.gmri.org/apply (please note, the deadline has been extended).  The Marine Resource Education Program (MREP), […]

The 2022 Pacific Halibut Catch Sharing Plan for Area 2A is now available on the Council’s Pacific halibut webpage. The 2022 Area 2A Pacific Halibut Catch Sharing Plan guides tribal, non-tribal commercial, and recreational Pacific halibut fisheries off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California by prescribing an allocation formula for the allowable catch, and […]

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) will host an online meeting of the Area 2A Pacific halibut governmental management entities that is open to the public.

The fish Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) are large flatfish found on the continental shelf from California to the Bering Sea. Halibut have flat, diamond-shaped bodies, can weigh up to 500 pounds, and can grow to eight feet long. The oldest halibut on record, both male and female, is 55 years old.  The stock status of […]

The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) is now accepting applications for Area 2A Halibut licenses (2021). Please see the IPHC website for further information. You may contact the IPHC Secretariat at: secretariat@iphc.int, should you have any questions or require assistance.

Council adopts final changes to 2021 catch sharing plan, annual regulations In November, the Council adopted final changes to the 2021 Halibut Catch Sharing Plan and annual fishing regulations consistent with the recommendations provided by California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, including the […]

Washington State announced on December 8 that it has submitted a draft plan for how to distribute $50 million in Federal relief funding to members of Washington’s commercial seafood, shellfish and charter industries to NOAA Fisheries for review and approval. Under Section 12005 of the CARES Act, Congress provided $300 million to states to distribute […]