2014 Alaska Pacific Halibut Regulations

New Pacific halibut regulations are in effect in Alaska as a result of actions by the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC). The Alaska Pacific halibut commercial fishery season will run from March 8 through November 7, 2014.

At its annual meeting in January, the IPHC recommended to the governments of Canada and the United States catch limits for 2014 totaling 27,515,000 pounds. The IPHC adopted area-specific catch limits for 2014 that were lower than 2013 in all of its management areas except Area 2C (Southeast Alaska).

In 2014, advised by the Catch Sharing Plan recommended by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, the IPHC set combined charter and commercial catch limits for Areas 2C and 3A (Southcentral Alaska).

Voluntary annual transfers of commercial halibut individual fishing quota to charter halibut permit holders in Areas 2C and 3A will be available as “guided angler fish” for additional harvest opportunities in the charter fishery.

The charter fishery will fish under revised regulations which include:

Area 2C (Southeast Alaska)

The charter fishery will be subject to a one-fish daily bag limit with a “reverse slot limit.” Charter anglers may only keep a halibut that is less than 44 inches or greater than 76 inches in length.

If halibut are filleted at sea, the carcass must be retained onboard until landing.

Area 3A (Southcentral Alaska):

Charter fishery two-fish daily bag limit: one any size / one less than or equal to 29 inches total length

Trip limit for charter vessels: vessels are limited to one charter halibut fishing trip in which halibut are retained per calendar day (if no halibut retained, vessel may take an additional trip to catch and retain halibut that day). Applies to vessels only, not charter halibut permits.

If halibut are filleted at sea, the carcass of the halibut that is less than or equal to 29 inches must be retained onboard until landing.
Halibut operators must also observe other new regulations implemented this year under the CSP.

Unguided halibut fishers in Alaska will observe a daily bag limit of 2 fish any size per person per day.

For more information, visit NOAA Fisheries Alaska Regional website: http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/

source: NOAA Fisheries

Alaska Halibut Catch Sharing Plan

NOAA Fisheries is implementing a halibut catch sharing plan for the commercial and charter halibut fisheries in Southeast Alaska (Area 2C) and the Central Gulf of Alaska (Area 3A).

Prior to the catch sharing plan, the charter sector was managed under a guideline harvest level—a management program that was not optimal in preventing fishing overages when harvest of halibut by recreational anglers on charter vessels increased in areas 2C and 3A beginning in the late 1990s.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council recommended the catch sharing plan to replace the guideline harvest level with a clear allocation between the commercial and charter sectors in areas 2C and 3A. The Council urged NOAA Fisheries to implement the halibut catch sharing plan in time for the 2014 fishing season.

Under the catch sharing plan, commercial and charter halibut operations will have a combined catch limit determined by the International Pacific Halibut Commission each year prior to the fishing season. Allocations to the charter and commercial sectors will vary with changes in halibut abundance, according to NOAA Fisheries. 
 
One element of the plan that allows for flexibility is the “guided angler fish” program, which authorizes annual transfers of commercial halibut individual fishing quota to charter halibut permit holders to give charter anglers the opportunity to land halibut up to the limit in place for unguided anglers.

For example, if unguided anglers were allowed to retain two halibut of any size per person per day, and charter anglers were limited to one halibut of a specific size per person per day, charter halibut operators could use the guided angler fish program to permit a client to harvest up to two fish of any size per day.  

A copy of the final halibut catch sharing plan is available online at the NOAA Fisheries Alaska Region website: http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/

source: NOAA Fisheries

Pacific Northwest Saltwater Fishing

Pacific Salmon

Arguably one the best fishing destinations in the world, the Pacific Northwest is world renowned for its saltwater fishing. Anglers fish from ports in Alaska, B.C. Canada, Washington, and Oregon, and northern California.

Salmon, trout, and char are highly sought after in the Pacific Northwest. Anglers catch Chinook, silver, pink, sockeye and chum salmon as well as arctic charr, steelhead, and other species.

In Alaska and other northern areas, Pacific halibut are a top attraction for bottom anglers, with fish over 50 pounds commonly caught. Other bottom fish include lingcod and dozens of species of rockfish.

Although much of the fishing in the region occurs in cold, rainy weather the area is known for its comfortable, seaworthy charter boats and head boats. Onshore, anglers that visit the Pacific Northwest will find a wide range of fishing lodges and other accommodations.

2011 Alaska Commercial Salmon Harvest Forecast

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announces that the statewide commercial salmon harvest for 2011 is forecast to total 203 million salmon of all species. This would be the fifth largest total harvest, and fourth highest pink salmon harvest, since Alaska became a state and took over the management of its fisheries in 1960. All major pink salmon producing areas are expected to produce abundant harvests. Statewide sockeye and chum salmon are also expected to generate excellent harvests, with chum salmon predicted to provide the fifth largest harvest since 1960.

The statewide Chinook salmon forecast is not yet available, because the Southeast Alaska Chinook harvest quota is set under the terms of the Pacific Salmon Treaty. The Southeast Alaska quota will not be released by the Pacific Salmon Commission until late March or early April.

The 2011 harvest forecasts for the other four salmon species are 45.1 million sockeye salmon, 4.7 million coho salmon, 133.7 million pink salmon, and 19.2 million chum salmon.

These forecasts are based on quantitative projections of next year’s salmon run using information on previous spawning levels, smolt outmigrations, returns of sibling age classes, and recent survival rates observed for hatchery releases.

Look for inseason harvest information, postseason statistics, and other information about salmon in Alaska online here

Alaska Department of Fish and Game Releases Annual Estimates of Sport Halibut Harvest

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish recently released its final estimates of Pacific halibut harvest by sport anglers in 2009 and a projection of harvest in 2010 to the International Pacific Halibut Commission and the public.

These harvest numbers and weights are used to assess and manage the Pacific halibut fishery along the coasts of Alaska, Canada, and the Lower 48. Sport harvest in Alaska occurs primarily in two of eight large regulatory areas along the coast.

Sport harvest of Pacific halibut during 2009 in Area 2C, an area that encompasses all of southeast Alaska south of Cape Spencer, was 119,151 fish or 2.368 million pounds. In Area 3A, from Cape Spencer westward to just off the southern tip of Kodiak Island, harvest of Pacific halibut was 317,804 fish or 4.758 million pounds. Sport harvest in areas west of Area 3A were fairly small, totaling 3,300 fish.

ADF & G projections of sport harvest during 2010. The breakdowns by area are 120,448 fish or 2.548 million pounds in 2C, 354,098 fish or 5.068 million pounds in 3A, and 4,679 fish in areas west of 3A.

source: Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Sport Charter Halibut Permit Application Deadline Nears

NOAA Fisheries is reminding sport charter fishing operators in Southeast Alaska and the central Gulf of Alaska that the April 5, 2010 deadline to apply for a permit to operate in 2011 is approaching.

“If you don’t apply before April 5 this year, you won’t get a permit, even if you qualify otherwise,” said Jim Balsiger, Administrator of NOAA Fisheries’ Alaska Region.

Staff with the Alaska Region of NOAA Fisheries have sent application packets with blank forms to all operators they believe to be eligible, and that they have current addresses for. Application forms are also available on the web at: http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/ram/ or by calling 1-800-304-4846 (option 2).

NOAA Fisheries’ Alaska Region estimates that 527 businesses will apply for a total of 920 permits under the new limited license program. As of March 15, NOAA Fisheries had received applications from over 400 businesses.

The new limited access program will limit the number of operators in the sport charter halibut fisheries in International Pacific Halibut Commission regulatory areas 2C (Southeast Alaska) and 3A (Central Gulf of Alaska).

Permits will be issued to qualifying individuals or businesses that documented fishing trips—in state log books—during a qualifying year (2004 or 2005) and in the recent participation year, 2008.

Charter halibut operators will be required to carry their new permits on board starting February 1, 2011.

Details are available at http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/sustainablefisheries/halibut/sport.htm.