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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02052020 PACAB Packet Port & Commerce Advisory Board Agenda Packet � F Photo Credit:Dylan Stallard Regular Meeting Wednesday, February S, 2020 Council Chambers, City Hall 12:00 p.m. SEWARD PORT AND COMMERCE ADVISORY BOARD REGULAR MEETING AGENDA February 5,2020 12:00 p.m. Council Chambers Laura Schneider 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Term Expires 2020 2, PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Bruce Jaffa 3. ROLL CALL Vice Chair Term Expires 2021 4. CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT Carl Hughes THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING Board Member [Those who have signed in will be given the first opportunity to speak. Term Expires 2020 Time is limited to 3 minutes per speaker and 36 minutes total time for this agenda item.] Colby Lawrence 5. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Board Member Term Expires 2022 [Approval*of Consent Agenda passes all routine items indicated by asterisk O. Consent Agenda items are not considered separately unless a council member so requests. In the event of such a request, the item is Lynda Paquette returned to the Regular Agenda] Board Member Term Expires 2021 6. SPECIAL ORDERS,PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS Erin Lemas A. Alaska Railroad Report by Christy Terry..........................Pg. 3 Board Member B. Chamber of Commerce Report by Jason Bickling............Pg. 4 Term Expires 2021 C. Harbormaster Report by Norm Regis.................................Pg. 6 D. Administration Report Benjamin Smith E. Other Reports & Presentations [Presentations are limited to ten Board Member minutes each, excluding Q&A.] -None Term Expires 2022 Scott Meszaros City Manager Norm Regis Harbor Master Jessica Stallard Deputy City Clerk City of Seward, Alaska PA CAB Agenda February 5, 2020 Page I 1 7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS—None 8. NEW BUSINESS A. Other New Business Items *1. Approve the January 8, 2020 PACAB Regular Meeting Minutes.....................Pg. 7 2. Discuss the halibut fishery..................................................................................Pg. 11 3. Change the topic for the February 19, 2020 work session from "Review the January 20, 2020 council work session on electric rates and utilities". 4. Reschedule the March 4, 2020 PACAB meeting................................................Pg. 40 9. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS (No Action Required)—None 10. BOARD COMMENTS It. CITIZEN COMMENTS 12. BOARD AND ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS 13. ADJOURNMENT City of Seward, Alaska PACAB Agenda February 5, 2020 Page 2 2 ALASKA RAILROAD February 5, 2020 Port and Commerce Advisory Board Port of Seward City of Seward TEL 907.265.2209 Report to the Port and Commerce Advisory Board 2019 Vessel Traffic- • 182 large vessels including USCG; Navy; Fuel and Freight Barges; Research and Fishing Vessels; Landing Crafts and Tugs; Foreign Vessels; long term dockings for maintenance and repairs • 86 Cruise Ships with a total of 229,509 passengers. Ongoing and Upcoming Events at the Cruise Ship Terminal- • City of Seward started Archery Sessions Tuesday nights from 6-9PM. • Corn Hole started Monday nights 7-9PM. • Marathon Wrestling will utilize the Cruise Ship Terminal for their practices M,W and TH. • Marathon Wrestling Tournament March 6 and 7, 2020. Other Items- • American Marine will start piling repairs on the Cruise Ship Dock January 30th. This is our annual Cruise Ship Dock maintenance and will continue through the winter. • Cruise Ship dock project is currently in the Request for Proposal stage with two proposers: 1) Global Ports Holding, Plc. and 2) Conrac Solutions Holistica Destinations, Ltd., Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. One recent presentation on the project can be found at: https:Hkpedd.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/10.-Alaska-Railroad-Presentation.Pdf • Freight Dock repairs should be completed prior to this meeting- fender and piling repairs completed by Harris Sand and Gravel. ChristyTerry, CPE Seward Port Manager terrycaakrr.com 907.265.2209 office 1907.422.7071 mobile mailing: PO Box 95, Seward, AK 99664-0095 physical: 913 Port Avenue, Seward,Alaska web: www.AlaskaRailroad.com ALAEE3KA RAILROAD 3 Report to PACAB February 5, 2020 Seward Chamber of Commerce, Jason Bickling Recent Happenings: The KPEDD Industry Outlook Forum held on January 8t" was a success. About 120 people attended —which Tim Dillon said was their best attendance thus far. The presentations were very interesting and informative. It was great to have a number of extra people in town over those two nights. The Chamber Board had a meeting and work session on January 16t". It was a combination board training and strategic discussion on our roles as a chamber. We are in the process of going through our membership survey. We had about 100 respondents (26% of membership), which is a really good participation rate for the first time around. It is really interesting information and am looking forward using it to guide our decision-making process. When we get it compiled into a report, I will get that out to you. We held our Seward Marine Industry Discussion to on Tuesday, January 21St. bring in new business as well as build a more robust capacity. It will be on Tuesday January 21St, 6-8pm at the Seward Community Library Museum — Lower Conference Room. We had 36 people that signed in, there were a few that declined to sign in, and there were a number of people that said that they couldn't make it but want to be involved. Mayor Terry and Scott Mezaros were both in attendance. My email list for this group is up to about 70 now I believe. I have received a lot of great feedback from respected members of the marine community on how it went. I did my best to communicate the shared vision of a united marine industry / front and the benefits that it could bring to individual businesses as well as the community at large. We had a great discussion about some of the bigger issues that the industry is facing right now and some action items that the group can get moving on. I did get 6 people that were interested in being on the committee, which is great. I would like to eventually get a few more to have 8 or 9. 1 will be following up with the larger group as well as the committee regarding next steps. We had Dr. Alyssa Rodrigues from the Alaska Manufacturing Extension Partnership (AMEP) come back and speak at our chamber lunch on January 23rd. I had an interesting discussion with her afterwards. Because ship building AND repair are both considered "manufacturing" under federal guidelines, we may be able to get some resources around our marine industry through them. 4 Marketing: We have received some preliminary copies of the 2020 visitor guide. It looks great and is an expansion from last year. I will get copies to you as soon as they are available. Other organizations (travel Alaska) are admittedly copying what we are doing with the quality of our publication. Upcoming Events: In late February / early March, we will be hosting another Forum / Conversation to create a Tourism Best Practices Group to address sustainable Tourism issues. Date and Time TBA. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me at any time. 5 PACAB HARBOR 1. With the 50 ton lifts slowed down additional maintenance is being accomplished. 2. The 330 ton lifts have slowed down but we are still pulling vessels out and into the water. 3. All the water has been turned off for the winter, there are 4 year round water locations in the harbor located at the F float trestle, at the end of F-float, the T-dock, on Z-float and fisherman's float located at SMIC. 4. We are still working with ADF&G to replace the North East Boat Launch Ramp, funding is currently available through the same grant, looks like the Governor approved the funding at this point. 5. The harbor is currently fully staffed. 6. The harbor crew is continuing maintenance throughout the harbor. 7. The Harbor had another successful Polar Bear jump on January 18th, everything went well thanks to all who worked and volunteered their time. 8. The Contractor has finished the install of the heat pump in the wash-down pad building located at SMIC. 9. The Contractor MacSwain and Associates is working on the 2020 appraisal process to reappraise 43 lots leased out by the City of Seward. 10. The Harbor will be upgrading and installing new software in 2020 to improve customer relations with transient/guest vessels. The harbor will be bringing a resolution to council with a Tariff change in early 2020. 6 City of Seward,Alaska Port and Commerce Advisory Board Regular Meeting Minutes January 8, 2020 Volume 3,Page CALL TO ORDER The January 8, 2020 regular meeting of the Port and Commerce Advisory Board was called to order at 12:00 p.m. by Chair Laura Schneider. OPENING CEREMONY Harbormaster Norm Regis led the pledge of allegiance to the flag. ROLL CALL There were present: Laura Schneider presiding, and Carl Hughes Colby Lawrence Lynda Nd n,,,,ue4e Benjamin Smith comprising a quorum of the board; and Norm Regis, Harbormaster Brenda Ballou, City Clerk Jessica Stallard, Deputy City Clerk Excused—Paquette, Lemas Absent—Jaffa CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING Denny Hamilton wanted Regis to ask the Federal Aviation Administration (F.A.A) why the state would not let Seward land and monitor the airport runway. Phil Kaluza wanted to look at alternatives to the City of Seward Seawater District Heating Proposal. He requested the board request a report from the city manager on any active solar systems. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Motion (Hughes/Lawrence) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda Motion Passed Unanimous The city clerk read the following approved consent agenda items: Approval of the December 4, 2019 PACAB Regular Meeting Minutes. City of Seward,Alaska Port and Commerce Advisory Board Regular Meeting Minutes January 8, 2020 Volume 3,Page SPECIAL ORDERS,PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS Alaska Railroad Report—None Chamber of Commerce Report—None Harbormaster Report. Harbormaster Norm Regis said he attended the Kenai Peninsula Economic Development District (KPEDD) Industry Outlook Forum in Seward on January 8, 2020 and the presentations from it would be available on the city website next week. In response to Lawrence, Regis said the weather should warm up for the Polar Bear Jump but if not, then the harbor staff would make sure the harbor is cleared of ice for the Polar Bear Jump. Administration Report—None Other Reports, Announcements, and Presentations —None NEW BUSINESS Resolution 2020-001,Recommending Council Approval of PACAB Priorities from February 2020 to February 2021. Motion (Lawrence/Smith) Approve Resolution 2020-001 Motion to Amend(Lawrence/Smith) Amend Resolution 2020-001 by changing the fifth priority to read "Support actions and legislation that promote the viability of all businesses". Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous Motion to Amend (Schneider/Hughes) Amend Resolution 2020-001 by changing the twelfth short-term goal to read "Evaluate city utility infrastructure for future growth". Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous Motion to Amend (Schneider/Lawrence) Amend Resolution 2020-001 by striking "Target Completion 2021" from the last short term goal. Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous Main Motion Passed Unanimous Other New Business Items 8 City of Seward,Alaska Port and Commerce Advisory Board Regular Meeting Minutes January 8, 2020 Volume 3,Page Establish ad hoc committees for Seward Climate Action Plan, SMIC Development, and Energy. Motion (Lawrence/Hughes) Re-establish ad hoc committee for Seward Climate Action Plan. In response to Smith, Schneider said the Seward Climate Action Plan consisted of board members Schneider, Jaffa, and Paquette, and Mayor Terry when she was a member of the board. Ballou said the Climate Action Plan committee held a public meeting at the library in September, 2019 but had not met since. Motion Passed Unanimous Motion (Hughes/Lawrence) Send all three members of the Climate Action Plan committee to the all-day workshop in Anchorage on February 7, 2020. Motion Passed Unanimous Motion (Schneider/Smith) Establish a Seward Harbor and SMIC Development ad hoc committee consisting of Hughes,Lawrence, and Schneider. Motion Passed Unanimous Motion (Schneider/Smith) Establish an energy ad hoc committee with Smith,Hughes, and Paquette. In response to Hughes, Ballou said the committee could engage any member of the public on a regular basis for their meetings but the board members would run the committee. She suggested the committee members publicly notice all of their meetings. Motion Passed Unanimous Discuss the Harbor Capital Improvement Plan for 2020-2021. In response to Hughes, Regis said he wanted to use the Harbor Reserve Funds to purchase six new dumpsters within the next year. In response to Schneider, Regis said he wanted to use the Facility Grant Program to finish the harbor. Regis said EBOS would fund the harbor wash down pad with a grant. Discuss city ownership of the Seward Airport. In response to Schneider, Regis said F.A.A. called the airport meeting in Anchorage on January 8, 2020 and Senator Sullivan was going to attend the meeting by phone. This meeting 9 City of Seward,Alaska Port and Commerce Advisory Board Regular Meeting Minutes January 8, 2020 Volume 3,Page was not a public meeting. Regis did not believe the City General Fund could absorb the airport. Ballou said there was a discussion and update on this meeting on the January 13, 2020 council agenda. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS—None BOARD COMMENTS Hughes wished everyone a Happy New Year. He wished Regis well at the airport meeting with F.A.A. Lawrence was in support of the ad hoc committees established and re-established at this meeting. He wished Regis well at the airport meeting with F.A.A. Schneider thanked the citizens who attended the meeting. She will be out of town for the January 15, 2020 PACAB work session and the January 20, 2020 council work session. The first Seward Marine Front meeting was scheduled for January 21, 2020 at the Seward Library and Museum. CITIZEN COMMENTS Phil Kaluza said he was available to answer questions. BOARD AND ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS Schneider asked Kaluza to attend the January 15, 2020 PACAB work session. ADJOURNMENT This meeting was adjourned at 1:04 p.m. Jessica Stallard Laura Schneider Deputy City Clerk Chair (City Seal) 10 HALIBUT BYCATCH 1. The Halibut Biomass of the North Pacific Ocean has experienced a substantial decline from historically high levels in the 1990's. 2. There are multiple factors that have contributed to this decline. Harvest by both the commercial sector and the Fishing Charter Fleet and recreational fisherman. 3. But there is an Elephant in the room that has been talked about by the NPMFC but no action has been taken. I am referring to the Halibut and King Salmon bycatch of the Pollock Fishing fleets, specifically factory trawlers. Estimated by some to be as high as 14,000,000 lbs. 4. While the poundage of Halibut available for harvest by both commercial and charter fisherman has been greatly reduced and is determined by abundance. 5. The Halibut bycatch by the "Factory Trawler Fleets" has not been curtailed or restricted by law and is in fact approaching the poundage level of the allowable harvest. 6. It is the contention of many in the industry that this accidental harvest, bycatch, can be greatly reduced, by the implementation legal restrictions tied to abundance. It is also believed by many that this is critical to the recovery of the Halibut Biomass 7. This belief is substantiated by efforts of the Canadian government to reduce their fleets bycatch in the Areas bordering Canada. This effort was deemed a total success because Canada was able to reduce their bycatch amounts from a level of 2,000,000 lbs. to 200,000 lbs. annually 8. How this situation can be addressed by the City of Seward and its government is why this information is being presented for discussion. 11 1 r INTERNATIONAL PACIFIC }� HALIBUT COMMISSION IPHC-2019-IM095-05 Rev—1 Fishery statistics (2019) PREPARED BY: IPHC SECRETARIAT(L. ERIKSON, H.TRAN AND T. KONG; 26 OCTOBER&20 NOVEMBER 2019) PURPOSE To provide an overview of the key fishery statistics from fisheries catching Pacific halibut during 2019, including the status of landings compared to fishery limits implemented by the Contracting Parties of the Commission. BACKGROUND The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) estimates all Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) removals taken in the IPHC Convention Area and uses this information in its yearly stock assessment (see IPHC-2019-IM095-09) and other analyses. The data are compiled by the IPHC Secretariat and include data from Federal and State agencies of each Contracting Party. All 2019 data are in net weight (head-off, dressed, ice and slime deducted) and are considered preliminary at this time. This paper includes Pacific halibut removals for: • Directed commercial fisheries, including landings and discard mortality • Recreational fisheries, including landings and discard mortality • Subsistence fisheries • Non-directed commercial discard mortality (e.g. trawl, pot, Iongline, previously bycatch) • IPHC Fishery-Independent Setline Survey (FISS) and other research Figure 1 shows the distribution of Pacific halibut removals (mortality) by these fishery sources in 2019. Table 1 provides estimates of total removals by IPHC Regulatory Area (Figure 2). FISS and other research Non-directed commercial 2% 16% Subsistence Directed commercial 3% 61% Recreational 17% Figure 1. Distribution of Pacific halibut mortality by source in 2019. Pagel' of 23 IPHC-2019-IM095-05 Rev 1 Table 1. 2019 estimates of total removals (net weight), including fishery limits and landings of Pacific halibut by IPHC Regulatory Area. Preliminary as of 19 November 2019. Totals have been rounded. IPHC Regulatory Area Fishery limits(net weight) Landings(net weight) Percent Tonnes(t) Pounds(lb) Tonnes(t) Pounds(lb) % Area 2A(California,Oregon,and Washington) 750.24 1,654,000 693.63 1,526,992 92 Non-treaty directed commercial 115.41 254,426 114.65 252,761 99 (south of Pt. Chehalis ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Non-treaty incidental catch in salmon troll fishery 20.37 44,899 19.69 43,417 97 Non-treaty incidental catch in sablefish fishery 31.75 70,000 36.00 79,360 113 (north of Pt.Chehalis --------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Treaty Indian commercial 225.44 497,000 224.33 494,568 100 Discard mortality(directed commercial)' 9.07 20,000 13.15 29,000 145 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recreational-Washington 125.69 277,100 122.48 270,024 97 Recreational-Oregon 131.35 289,575 72.71 160,306 55 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recreational-Califomia 17.69 39,000 8.15 17,968 46 Recreational discard mortality 1.81 4,000 2.59 5,706 143 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Treaty Indian ceremonial and subsistence 12.70 28,000 12.70 28,000 100 Discard mortality(non-directed commercial)' 58.97 130,000 57.15 126,000 97 IPHC fishery-independent setline survey none none 9.02 19,882 n/a and research Area 2B(British Columbia) 3,095.77 6,825,000 3,072.05 6,772,713 99 Commercialfishery 2,313.32 521002000 2,285.39 5,038,414 99 Discard mortality(directed commercial)' 58.97 130,000 63.50 140,000 108 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recreational fishery 381.02 840,000 364.40 803,367 96 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recreational discard mortality' 36.29 80,000 18.97 41,816 52 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recreational fishery(XRQ) n/a n/a 8.16 18,000 n/a Subsistence' 183.70 405,000 183.70 405,000 100 Discard mortality(non-directed commercial)' 122.47 270,000 108.41 239,000 89 IPHC fishery-independent setline survey none none 39.52 87,116 n/a and research Area 2C(southeastern Alaska) 2,874.19 6,336,500 2,781.44 6,132,024 97 Commercial fishery 1,637.47 3,610,000 1,523.21 3,358,103 95 Discard mortality(directed commercial)' 27.22 60,000 36.29 80,000 133 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Metlakatla(Annette Island Reserve) n/a n/a 12.90 28,435 n/a Guided recreational fishery 371.95 820,000 287.58 634,000 813 Guided recreational discard mortalityz n/a n/a 14.97 33,000 n/a ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Guided recreational fishery(GAF)' n/a n/a 34.04 75,039 n/a ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unguided recreational fishery' 625.96 1,380,000 515.28 1,136,000 833 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unguided recreational discard mortalityz n/a n/a 6.80 15,000 n/a Subsistence' 197.99 436,500 166.11 366,214 84 Discard mortality(non-directed commercial)' 13.61 30,000 40.37 89,000 297 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IPHC fishery-independent setline survey none none 143.89 317,233 n/a and research Area 3A(central Gulf of Alaska) 6,124.63 13,502,500 6,299.21 13,887,386 103 Commercial fishery 3,655.95 8,060,000 3,579.36 7,891,137 98 Discard mortality(directed commercial)' 140.61 310,000 160.12 353,000 114 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Guided recreational fishery 857.29 1,890,000 907.18 2,000,000 1073 Guided recreational discard mortalityz n/a n/a 8.62 19,000 n/a ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Guided recreational fishery(GAF) n/a n/a 4.83 10,652 n/a ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unguided recreational fishery' 789.25 1,740,000 742.08 1,636,000 963 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unguided recreational discard mortalityz n/a n/a 12.70 28,000 n/a Subsistence' 100.92 222,500 85.14 187,698 84 Discard mortality(non-directed commercial)' 580.60 1,280,000 661.34 1,458,000 114 IPHC fishery-independent setline survey none none 137.85 303,899 n/a and research Pagel2 of 23 IPHC-2019-IM095-05 Rev 1 Table 1 continued. 2019 estimates of total removals (net weight), including fishery limits and landings of Pacific halibut by IPHC Regulatory Area. Preliminary as of 19 November 2019. Totals have been rounded. IPHC Regulatory Area Fishery limits(net weight) Landings(net weight) Percent Tonnes(t) Pounds(lb) Tonnes(t) Pounds(lb) % Area 3B(western Gulf of Alaska) 1,317.32 2,904,200 1,325.50 2,922,222 101 Commercial fishery 1,056.87 2,330,000 977.58 2,155,192 92 Discard mortality(directed commercial)' 86.18 190,000 73.94 163,000 86 Recreational fishery' 4.54 10,000 1.81 4,000 40 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Recreational discard mortality 0.00 0 0 0 0 Subsistence' 6.44 14,200 7.55 16,644 117 Discard mortality(non-directed commercial)' 163.29 360,000 208.20 459,000 128 IPHC fishery-independent setline survey none none 56.42 124,386 n/a and research Area 4A(eastern Aleutians) 879.11 1,938,100 846.13 1,865,390 96 Commercial fishery 748.43 1,650,000 621.03 1,369,148 83 Discard mortality(directed commercial)' 40.82 90,000 47.17 104,000 116 Recreational fishery' 4.54 10,000 6.35 14,000 140 Recreational discard mortality 0.00 0 0 0 0 Subsistence' 3.67 8,100 6.00 13,237 163 Discard mortality(non-directed commercial)' 81.65 180,000 149.23 329,000 183 IPHC fishery-independent setline survey none none 16.33 36,005 n/a and research Area 4B(central/western Aleutians) 657.84 1,450,300 551.89 1,216,718 84 Commercial fishery 548.85 1,210,000 443.50 977,742 81 Discard mortality(directed commercial)' 9.07 20,000 17.24 38,000 190 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recreational fishery' 0.00 0 0 0 0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recreational discard mortality 0.00 0 0 0 0 Subsistence' 0.14 300 0.76 1,684 561 Discard mortality(non-directed commercial)' 99.79 220,000 76.66 169,000 77 IPHC fishery-independent setline survey none none 13.74 30,292 n/a and research Area 4CDE(Bering Seaf 1,815.77 4,003,080 2,419.77 5,334,682 133 Commercial fishery 925.33 2,040,000 741.02 1,633,659 80 Discard mortality(directed commercial)' 18.14 40,000 34.02 75,000 188 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recreational fishery' 0.00 0 0.00 0 0 Recreational discard mortality 0.00 0 0.00 0 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Subsistence' 24.08 53,080 17.04 37,564 71 Discard mortality(non-directed commercial)' 848.22 1,870,000 1,617.96 3,567,000 191 IPHC fishery-independent setline survey none none 9.73 21,459 n/a and research Totals 17,514.87 38,613,680 17,988.62 39,658,127 103 Commercial fishery 11,279.17 24,866,325 10,578.65 23,321,936 94 Discard mortality(directed commercial)' 390.09 860,000 445.43 982,000 114 Recreational fishery 3,309.26 7,295,675 3,118.15 6,874,356 94 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recreational discard mortality5 20.76 45,760 21.56 47,522 104 Subsistence' 529.65 1,167,680 479.01 1,056,041 90 Discard mortality(non-directed commercial)' 1,968.59 4,340,000 2,919.32 6,436,000 148 IPHC fishery-independent setline survey none none 426.50 940,272 n/a and research ' `Limit' is value from 2018 estimates which were used in setting the TCEY for each IPHC Regulatory Area. 2 Limit included in limit listed above. 3 Includes recreational discard mortality. 4 Landings in IPHC Regulatory Area 4CDE are combined to meet confidentiality requirements. 5 Limit for IPHC Regulatory Areas 2A and 2B only. Recreational discard mortality limits included with recreational fishery limits for all other IPHC Regulatory Areas. n/a=not available and XRQ=Experimental Quota and GAF=Guided Angler Fish(XRQ and GAF leased from commercial quota). Page I of 23 IPHC-2019-IM095-05 Rev 1 170°E 180° 170°W 1601W 1501W 140°W 130°W 120°W 65°N 65°N c� �5 60'N ** 60°N Bering Sea 4D 4E ,4C 3A Closed Area 55°N +� 2C 55°N 3B r.,� Gulf of Alaska 4A 50°N 413 IPHC Convention Area 2B 50°N 45°N 45°N AK-Alaska 2A BC-British Columbia 40°N IPHC Regulatory Area Pacific Ocean WA-Washington 40°N OR-Oregon Mercator prejection CA-California 170°F 180° 170°W 1601W 1501W 1401W 130`W 120°W Figure 2. Map of the IPHC Convention Area (insert) and IPHC Regulatory Areas. DEFINITIONS Commercial fisheries: include commercial landings and directed commercial discard mortality. Commercial discard mortality continues to include estimates of sub-legal Pacific halibut (under 81 .3 cm (32 inches), also called U32), fish that die on lost or abandoned fishing gear, and fish discarded for regulatory compliance reasons. Recreational fisheries: include recreational landings (including landings from commercial leasing) and discard mortality. Subsistence fisheries (formerly called personal use/subsistence): are non-commercial, customary, and traditional use of Pacific halibut for direct personal, family, or community consumption or sharing as food, or customary trade. Subsistence fisheries include: i) ceremonial and subsistence (C&S) removals in the IPHC Regulatory Area 2A treaty Indian fishery, ii) the sanctioned First Nations Food, Social, and Ceremonial (FSC) fishery conducted in British Columbia, iii) federal subsistence fishery in Alaska, USA that uses Alaska Subsistence Halibut Registration Certificate (SHARC), and iv) U32 Pacific halibut retained in IPHC Regulatory Areas 4D and 4E by the CDQ fishery for personal use. Page of 23 IPHC-2019-IM095-05 Rev 1 Discard mortality (non-directed commercial): incidentally caught Pacific halibut by fisheries targeting other species and that cannot legally be retained, e.g. by the trawl fleet. Refers only to those Pacific halibut that subsequently die due to capture. IPHC FISS and Research: includes Pacific halibut landings and removals as a result of the IPHC fishery-independent setline survey and other research. DIRECTED COMMERCIAL FISHERIES The IPHC's commercial fisheries span from northern California through to northern and western Alaska in USA and Canada waters of the northeastern Pacific Ocean. The IPHC sets annual limits for the catch of Pacific halibut in each IPHC Regulatory Area. Participants in these commercial fisheries use Iongline and pot gear to catch Pacific halibut for sale. The commercial Pacific halibut fisheries in IPHC Regulatory Area 2A consisted of the directed commercial fishery with fishing period limits, the incidental Pacific halibut catch during the salmon troll and limited- entry sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) fisheries, and the treaty Indian fisheries. Farther north, the commercial fisheries consisted of the Individual Vessel Quota (IVQ) fishery in IPHC Regulatory Area 2B in British Columbia, Canada; the Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) system in Alaska, USA, the Community Development Quota (CDQ) fisheries in IPHC Regulatory Areas 4B and 4CDE, and the Metlakatla fishery in IPHC Regulatory Area 2C. All 2018 landing and discard mortality data presented in this document are preliminary. Commercial Fishing Periods The Canadian IVQ fishery in IPHC Regulatory Area 2B and the USA IFQ and CDQ fisheries in IPHC Regulatory Areas 2C, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E commenced at 12 noon local time on 15 March and closed at 12 noon local time on 14 November 2019 Table 2). The IPHC Regulatory Area 2A commercial fisheries, including the treaty Indian commercial fisheries, occurred during the same calendar period (15 March to 14 November 2018). For IPHC Regulatory Area 2A, eight potential 10-hour fishing periods for the non-treaty directed commercial fishery were adopted: 26 June, 27 June, 10 July, 24 July, 7 August, 21 August, 4 September, and 18 September 2019. All fishing periods began at 0800 and ended at 1800 local time, were further restricted by fishing period limits, and closed for the remainder of the year after the third opening on 24 July (no opening was observed on 27 June) when the IPHC Regulatory Area 2A directed commercial fishery allocation was estimated to have been reached. 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N� I >N >N 0 NN2O MMM 3 �' E > �v a� m OL° m O,° 0 N`-'N C . �L �L 2 M 0E z 2 Z N �ZN 0 N N N N cc)N U)z O `� 70 CD N Q o �m N Lo Lo O O o O l c -t >�n >Ln E� � ZN Z c0 o U n z c0 c0M V/ L VJ W Q U U M U N = (B .� Q a) U Q a) N m Q " � 70 N E � N E -6 N YM � �QQ 0Q 0 V) h N Q N IPHC-2019-IM095-05 Rev 1 Directed Commercial Landings Commercial landings and fishery limits by IPHC Regulatory Area for the 2019 fishing season are shown in Table 3. Commercial fishery limit, as referred to here, is the IPHC commercial fishery limit set by the Contracting Parties following the Annual Meeting. The fishery limits with adjustments from the underage and overage programs from the previous year's quota share programs, and in IPHC Regulatory Area 213, it also includes relinquishment of quota and quota leasing programs among sectors and the Use of Fish allocation are not presented. Historical landings and fishery limits from 2010 through 2019 are shown in Table 3. The 2019 commercial fishery landings were spread over nine months of the year (Table 4). On a month-to-month comparison, July took the lead as the busiest month for total poundage (18%) landed from IPHC Regulatory Area 2B. On a month-to-month comparison, May was the busiest month for total poundage (17%) from Alaska, USA. Pager of 23 IPHC-2019-IM095-05 Rev 1 Table 3. Pacific halibut directed commercial landings, discard mortality, fishery limits and percent of fishery limit attained (tonnes, net weight) by IPHC Regulatory Area, 2010-19. IPHC Regulatory Area Directed Commercial Landings 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2A 185 238 252 239 231 250 291 337 298 400 2B 2,997 2,999 2,664 2,700 2,620 2,669 2,742 2,781 2,380 2,285 2C1 1,991 1,072 1,168 1,321 1,486 1,634 1,759 1,859 1,557 1,536 3A 9,156 6,522 5,323 4,922 3,349 3,503 3,315 3,478 3,259 3,579 3B 4,517 3,274 2,237 1,818 1,277 1,168 1,183 1,359 1,098 978 4A 1,027 1,051 700 547 378 606 611 572 554 621 4B 810 917 778 555 495 490 492 476 471 444 4CDE 1,491 1,549 1,056 797 564 532 664 735 641 741 Total 22,174 1 7,620 1 14,178 1 12,900 1 10,400 1 10,851 1 11,056 1 11,598 1 9,595 1 10,606 IPHC Regulatory Area Directed Commercial Discard Mortality 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2A 12 11 12 12 10 14 17 9 10 13 2B 139 133 104 97 114 114 108 81 64 64 2C1 124 43 55 59 62 61 65 49 35 36 3A 692 438 292 265 224 254 194 171 145 160 3B 411 352 239 179 148 100 109 109 98 74 4A 65 77 43 37 17 38 24 29 33 47 4B 23 26 20 15 26 17 26 15 11 17 4CDE 43 83 36 26 24 24 32 13 14 34 Total 1,507 1,163 801 690 625 622 575 475 410 445 IPHC Regulatory Area Directed Commercial Total Removals 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2A 197 249 264 251 241 264 308 346 308 413 2B 3,136 3,132 2,768 2,797 2,734 2,783 2,850 2,862 2,444 2,349 2C1 2,115 1,115 1,223 1,380 1,548 1,695 1,824 1,908 1,592 1,572 3A 9,848 6,960 5,615 5,187 3,573 3,757 3,509 3,649 3,404 3,739 3B 4,928 3,626 2,476 1,997 1,425 1,268 1,292 1,468 1,196 1,052 4A 1,092 1,128 743 584 395 644 635 601 587 668 4B 833 943 798 570 521 507 518 491 482 461 4CDE 1,534 1,632 1,092 823 588 556 696 748 655 775 Total 23,681 18,785 14,979 13,589 11,025 11,474 11,632 12,072 10,668 11,051 IPHC Regulatory Area Directed Commercial Fishery Limits 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2A 191 218 248 245 236 232 291 350 307 393 2B 2,993 3,040 2,700 2,703 2,628 2,710 2,812 2,845 2,402 2,313 2C 1,996 1,057 1,190 1,347 1,505 1,669 1,780 1,911 1,619 1,637 3A 9,067 6,514 5,406 5,003 3,319 3,533 3,328 3,510 3,334 3,656 3B 4,491 3,406 2,300 1,946 1,288 1,202 1,229 1,424 1,188 1,057 4A 1,057 1,093 711 603 386 630 630 630 621 748 4B 980 989 848 658 517 517 517 517 476 549 4CDE 1,624 1,687 1,118 1 875 1 583 1 583 1 753 771 717 925 Total 22,398 18,004 14,520 1 13,380 1 10,462 1 11,077 1 11,340 11,959 10,665 11,279 IPHC Regulatory Area Directed Commercial Limits-Percent Attained 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2A 97 109 102 98 98 108 100 96 97 102 2B 100 99 99 100 100 98 98 98 99 100 2C1 100 101 98 98 99 98 99 97 96 94 3A 101 100 98 98 101 99 100 99 98 98 3B 101 96 97 93 99 97 96 95 92 93 4A 97 96 98 91 98 96 97 91 89 83 4B 83 93 92 84 96 95 95 92 99 81 4CDE 92 92 94 91 97 91 88 95 89 80 Total 99 42 98 96 99 98 97 97 90 94 ' In Area 2C, includes the Metlakatla fishery landed catch. Page 14 of 23 IPHC-2019-IM095-05 Rev 1 Table 4. 2019 commercial landings (tonnes, net weight, preliminary) of Pacific halibut for Alaska, USA and British Columbia, Canada by IPHC Regulatory Area and month. Preliminary as of 25 October 2019. IPHC Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Total Regulatory Area 213' 283 309 265 258 393 285 207 140 n/a 2,140 2C2 189 312 332 143 102 171 139 92 n/a 1,480 3A2 232 616 694 475 268 468 397 231 n/a 3,380 3132 30 125 101 169 92 150 159 78 n/a 904 4A2 - 383 56 68 76 114 174 63 n/a 589 4132 - 613 108 53 79 67 37 21 n/a 425 4CDE2 - - 153 112 159 279 103 54 n/a 721 Alaska, 451 1,151 1,305 1,020 776 1,249 1,009 538 n/a 7,499 USA Total Grand 734 1,460 1,570 1,278 1,169 1,534 1,216 678 n/a 9,639 Total Based on landings from DFO Fishery Operations System (FOS). 2 Based on landings from NOAA Fisheries Restricted Access Management(RAM) Division. 3 Weight combined with the previous months for confidentiality purposes. n/a= not available IPHC Regulatory Area 2A (USA: Washington, Oregon, California) The 2019 IPHC Regulatory Area 2A fisheries and respective fishery limits are listed in Table 1 . The total directed commercial landings of 114.65 t (253,000 pounds) were 1% under the fishery limit of 115.41 t (254,426 pounds)after three 10-hour openers. The fishing period limits by vessel size class for each opening in 2019 are listed in Table 5. At the start of the salmon troll fishery season on 20 April, the allowable incidental landing ratio was one Pacific halibut per three Chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), plus an "extra" Pacific halibut per landing, and a vessel trip limit of 10 fish. The allowable incidental landing ratio was changed to one Pacific halibut per two Chinook, plus an "extra" Pacific halibut per landing, and a vessel trip limit of 15 fish on 1 May. The allowable incidental landing ratio was changed to one Pacific halibut per two Chinook, plus an "extra" Pacific halibut per landing, and a vessel trip limit of 15 fish on 1 July. The allowable incidental landing ratio was changed to one Pacific halibut per two Chinook, plus an "extra" Pacific halibut per landing, and a vessel trip limit of 4 fish on 19 July. The allowable incidental landing ratio was changed to one Pacific halibut per two Chinook, plus an "extra" Pacific halibut per landing, and a vessel trip limit of 2 fish on 29 July. The incidental Pacific halibut retention in Washington and California was open through 30 September with Oregon remaining open through the month of October. Total landings of 19.69 tonnes (43,417 pounds) was 3% under the fishery limit (20.37 tonnes (44,899 pounds)). Incidental Pacific halibut retention during the limited-entry sablefish fishery remained open from 1 April to noon on 31 October. Beginning 1 April, the allowable landing ratio was 0.09 tonnes (200 pounds) (net weight) of Pacific halibut to 0.45 tonnes (1 ,000 pounds) (net weight) of sablefish, and up to two additional Pacific halibut in excess of the ratio limit. Effective 2 August, the landing ratio was modified to 0.11 tonnes (250 pounds) (net weight) of Pacific halibut to 0.45 tonnes (1 ,000 pounds) (net weight) of sablefish, and up to two additional Pacific halibut in excess of the ratio limit. The total landings of 36.00 tonnes (79,360 pounds) were 13% over the fishery limit (31 .75 t (70,000 pounds)). PageA of 23 IPHC-2019-IM095-05 Rev 1 In IPHC Regulatory Area 2A, north of Point Chehalis, the treaty Indian tribes manage the commercial landings by allocating 75% to an open access fishery and 25% to a restricted fishery with daily and vessel limits. There were one unrestricted, open access fishery 15 March to 15 May and two restricted fisheries, including a vessel per day limit of 0.23 tonnes (500 pounds) for 15 March to 15 May and 20 May to 5 June openings. The 2019 tribal commercial season closed to all parties following a late fishery 11 June to 24 July with each tribe fishing a share of approximately 0.15 tonnes (327 pounds) with total landings of 224 tonnes (494,568 pounds), 0.5% under the fishery limit (225 t (497,000 pounds)). Table 5. The fishing periods and limits (tonnes, dressed, head-on with ice/slime) by vessel class used in the 2019 directed commercial fishery in IPHC Regulatory Area 2A. Vessel Class Fishing Period (dates) & Limits (t) Letter Feet 26 June and 10 July 24 July A :525 2.05 1 .04 B 26-30 2.05 1 .04 C 31-35 2.05 1 .04 D 36-40 3.09 1 .04 E 41-45 3.09 1 .04 F 46-50 4.12 1 .04 G 51-55 4.12 1 .04 H 56+ 4.64 1 .04 IPHC Regulatory Area 2B (British Columbia, Canada) Under the IVQ fishery in British Columbia, Canada, the number of active Pacific halibut licences (L licences), and First Nations communal commercial licences (FL licences) was 152 in 2019. In addition, Pacific halibut can be landed as incidental catch in other licensed groundfish fisheries. Therefore, Pacific halibut was landed from a total of 223 active licences in 2019, with 71 of these licences from other fisheries. The 2019 directed commercial landings of 2,285 tonnes (5,038,000 pounds) were 1% under the fishery limit (2,313 tonnes (5,100,000 pounds)) (Table 3). Directed commercial trips from IPHC Regulatory Area 2B were delivered into 14 different ports in 2019. The ports of Port Hardy (including Coal Harbour and Port McNeill) and Prince Rupert/Port Edward were the major landing locations, receiving 90% of the commercial landings. Port Hardy received 40% while Prince Rupert received 50% (848 and 1 ,072 tonnes (1 ,870,000 and 2,363,000 pounds), respectively) of the commercial landings. All of the IVQ landings were landed in IPHC Regulatory Area 2B. Page JP of 23 IPHC-2019-IM095-05 Rev 1 IPHC Regulatory Areas 2C, 3, and 4 (USA: Alaska) In Alaska, USA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries (NOAA Fisheries) Restricted Access Management (RAM) allocated Pacific halibut quota share (QS) to recipients by IPHC Regulatory Area. Quota share transfers were permitted with restrictions on the amount of QS a person could hold and the amount that could be fished per vessel. In 2018, RAM reported that 2,257 persons held QS. The total 2019 landings from the IFQ/CDQ Pacific halibut fishery for the waters off Alaska, USA were 7,886 tonnes (17,385,000 pounds), less than 8% under the fishery limit (Table 3). By IPHC Regulatory Area, the landings were under the fishery limit by 5% for Area 2C, 2% for Area 3A, 8% for Area 3B, 17% for Area 4A, and 19% for Area 4B. The total combined IPHC Regulatory Area 4CDE commercial landings of 741 tonnes (1 ,634,000 pounds) were 20% under the combined Area 4CDE fishery limit (925 tonnes (2,040,000 pounds)). The North Pacific Fishery Management Council's Catch Sharing Plan allowed IPHC Regulatory Area 4D CDQ to be harvested in IPHC Regulatory Areas 4D or 4E and Area 4C IFQ and CDQ to be fished in Areas 4C or 4D. Homer received approximately 15% (1 ,103 tonnes (2,432,000 pounds)) of the commercial landings of Alaskan catch making it the port that received the greatest number of pounds in 2019. Seward received the second and Kodiak the third largest landing volume at 11% (864 tonnes (1 ,880,000 pounds)) and 11% (838 tonnes (1 ,847,000 pounds)) of the Alaskan commercial landings, respectively. In Southeast Alaska, the two largest landing volumes were received in Juneau (529 tonnes (1 ,166,000 pounds))and Sitka (523 tonnes (1 ,154,000 pounds)), and their combined landings represented 14% of the commercial Alaskan landings. The Alaskan QS catch that was landed outside of Alaska, USA was 2%. The Metlakatla Indian Community (within IPHC Regulatory Area 2C) was authorized by the United States government to conduct a commercial Pacific halibut fishery within the Annette Islands Reserve. There were 13 two-day openings between 29 March and 15 September for total landings of 12.90 tonnes (28,435 pounds) (Table 6). Page 1) of 23 IPHC-2019-IM095-05 Rev 1 Table 6. Metlakatla community fishing periods, number of vessels, and preliminary Pacific halibut landings (net weight) in IPHC Regulatory Area 2C, 2019. Fishing Period Dates Landings Number of Vessels Tonnes Pounds 29 — 31 March 0.8 1,661 7 12 — 14 April 0.8 1,767 8 26 — 28 April 0.9 1,992 6 10 — 12 May 1.2 2,568 9 24 — 26 May 0.8 1,649 8 07 — 9 June 0.9 1,992 5 21 — 23 June 0.7 1,513 7 05 — 07 July 1.7 3,684 7 19 — 21 July 1.2 2,694 6 02 — 04 August 0.7 1,599 5 16 — 18 August 1.2 2,716 7 30 August— 01 September 0.9 1,904 5 13 — 15 September 0.9 1,901 8 27 — 29 September 0.4 795 3 Total 12.9 28,435 14 Openings Directed Commercial Discard Mortality Incidental mortality of Pacific halibut in the directed commercial Pacific halibut fishery is the mortality of all Pacific halibut that do not become part of the landed catch. The three main sources of discard mortality estimate include: 1) fish that are captured and discarded because they are below the legal size limit of 81 .3 cm (32 inches), 2) fish that are estimated to die on lost or abandoned fishing gear, and 3)fish that are discarded for regulatory reasons (e.g. the vessels trip limit has been exceeded). The methods that are applied to produce each of these estimates differ due to the amount and quality of information available. Information on lost gear and regulatory discards is collected through logbook interviews and fishing logs received by mail. The ratio of U32 to 032 Pacific halibut (>81 .3 cm or 32 inches in length) is determined from the IPHC fisheries-independent setline survey in most areas and by direct observation in the IPHC Regulatory Area 2B fishery. Different mortality rates are applied to each category: released Pacific halibut have a 16% mortality rate and Pacific halibut mortality from lost gear is 100%. Pacific halibut discard mortality estimates from the commercial Pacific halibut fishery are summarized by IPHC Regulatory Area in Table 1 and over a series of years in Table 3. RECREATIONAL FISHERIES The 2019 recreational removals of Pacific halibut, including discard mortality, was estimated at 3,140 tonnes (6,922,000 pounds), a decrease of the recreational harvest in 2018 by 57 tonnes. Changes in harvests varied across areas; in some cases, in response to changes in size restrictions. Recreational fishery limits and landings are detailed by IPHC Regulatory Area in Table 7, and summarized in Table 1 . Page Ig of 23 IPHC-2019-IM095-05 Rev 1 Table 7. Recreational removals and limits of Pacific halibut (tonnes, net weight) by IPHC Regulatory Area, 2013-19. IPHC Regulatory Recreational Retained Area 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2A 227 216 202 229 234 211 203 2B-XRQ Leased 2 3 8 8 2B 30a 414 445 463 516 364 364 2B 373 416 447 466 520 371 373 2C-GAF Leased - 24 13 18 29 34 2C-Charter 346 355 348 358 40:, 298 288 2C-Noncharter 617 531 602 565 55� 552 515 2C 963 911 963 941 962 878 837 3A-GAF Leased 5 2 4 3 4 5 3A-Charter 114_ 923 )38 909 942 850 907 3A-Noncharter 65� 695 '33 698 69,' 705 742 3A 1,799 1,622 1,673 1,611 1,636 1,555 1,654 3B 7 3 2 4 0 2 2 4A 4 4 3 7 3 6 6 4B and 4CDE - - - - - - - Total 3,369 3,142 1 3,273 1 3,232 3,587 2,995 3,075 IPHC Regulatory Recreational Discard Mortality Area 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2A 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 2B 20 15 28 30 24 34 19 2C-Charter 15 2C-Noncharter 7 2C 32 28 29 32 25 34 22 3A-Charter 22 8 9 3A-Noncharter ." a 13 3A 36 31 33 25 20 18 21 3B and 4 - - - - - - - Total 90 76 1 92 1 89 1 71 88 64 IPHC Regulatory Recreational Total Removals Area 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2A 229 218 204 230 235 213 206 2B 393 431 475 496 543 397 392 2C 995 939 992 973 1005 913 859 3A 1,835 1,654 1,706 1,636 1,659 1,573 1,675 3B 7 3 2 4 0 2 2 4A 4 4 3 7 3 6 6 4B and 4CDE - - - - - - - Total 3,462 3,259 3,382 1 3,346 1 3,686 3,083 3,140 IPHC Regulatory Recreational Limits Area 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2A 190 187 194 210 240 220 277 2B 490 479 483 499 507 421 381 2C 357 345 386 411 415 367 372 3A 1240 808 857 823 857 812 857 3B and 4 - - - - - - - Total 2,277 1,820 1 1,920 1 1,944 2,019 1,821 1,887 IPHC Regulatory Recreational Limit Percent Attained Area 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2A 121 117 105 109 98 94 74 2B 75 86 92 93 102 94 96 2C 102 109 96 93 103 90 81 3A 94 117 111 112 111 104 107 3B and 4 - - - - - - - Total - - - - - - - Page J� of 23 IPHC-2019-IM095-05 Rev 1 Recreational Landings IPHC Regulatory Area 2A (USA: Washington, Oregon, California) The 2019 IPHC Regulatory Area 2A recreational allocation was 274.7 tonnes (605,674 pounds) net weight and based on the Pacific Fishery Management Council's Catch Sharing Plan formula, which divides the overall fishery fishery limit among all sectors. The recreational allocation was further subdivided to seven subareas, after 31 .8 tonnes (70,000 pounds) were allocated to the incidental Pacific halibut catch in the commercial sablefish fishery in Washington. This subdivision resulted in 121 .8 tonnes (268,633 pounds) being allocated to Washington subareas, 128.3 tonnes (282,914 pounds) to Oregon subareas. In addition, California received an allocation of 17.7 tonnes (39,000 pounds). The IPHC Regulatory Area 2A recreational harvest totaled 203 tonnes (448,298 pounds), 26% under the recreational allocation (Table 7). Recreational fishery harvest seasons by subareas varied and were managed inseason with fisheries opening on 1 May. IPHC Regulatory Area 2B (Canada: British Columbia) IPHC Regulatory Area 2B operated under a 115 cm (45.3 inch) maximum size limit, and one Pacific halibut had to be less than 83 cm (32.7 inch) when attaining the two fish possession limit with an annual limit of six per licence holder. The IPHC Regulatory Area 2B fishery remains open. British Columbia, Canada and Alaska, USA both have programs that allow recreational harvesters to land fish that is leased from commercial fishery quota share holders for the current season. In Canada, an estimated 8.16 tonnes (18,000 pounds)were leased from the commercial quota fishery and landed as recreational harvest. IPHC Regulatory Areas 2C, 3, and 4 (USA: Alaska) A reverse slot limit allowing for the retention of Pacific halibut, if <_ 97 cm (38 inches) or >_ 203 cm (80 inches) in total length, was continued by the IPHC for the charter fishery in IPHC Regulatory Area 2C. In IPHC Regulatory Area 3A, charter anglers were allowed to retain two fish, but only one could exceed 71 .1 cm (28 inches) in length, a four fish annual limit with a recording requirement, one trip per calendar day per charter permit, with no charter retention of Pacific halibut on Wednesdays throughout the season and 9 July, 16 July, 23 July, 30 July, 6 August and 13 August. Similar to British Columbia (Canada), Alaska (USA) has programs that allow recreational harvesters to land fish that is leased from commercial fishery quota share holders for the current season. In IPHC Regulatory Areas 2C and 3A, 34.0 tonnes (75,039 pounds) and 4.8 tonnes (10,652 pounds), respectively, were leased from the commercial quota fisheries in those areas and landed as recreational harvest. Recreational Discard Mortality Pacific halibut discarded for any reason suffer some degree of discard mortality, and impacts more of the stock with the increasing use of size restrictions, such as reverse slot limits. Current year estimates from Contracting Parties' agencies of recreational discard mortality have been received from Alaska and Oregon in the USA, and British Columbia, Canada and are provided in Table 7. Page 14 of 23 IPHC-2019-IM095-05 Rev 1 SUBSISTENCE FISHERIES Pacific halibut is taken throughout its range as subsistence harvest by several fisheries. Subsistence fisheries are non-commercial, customary, and traditional use of Pacific halibut for direct personal, family, or community consumption or sharing as food, or customary trade. The primary subsistence fisheries are the treaty Indian Ceremonial and Subsistence fishery in IPHC Regulatory Area 2A off northwest Washington State (USA), the First Nations Food, Social, and Ceremonial (FSC) fishery in British Columbia (Canada), and the subsistence fishery by rural residents and federally-recognized native tribes in Alaska (USA) documented via Subsistence Halibut Registration Certificates (SHARC). The coastwide subsistence estimate for 2019 is 479.0 tonnes (1 ,056,041 pounds). Subsistence harvest by IPHC Regulatory Areas from 2010 through 2019 is available in Table 8. Table 8. Subsistence Pacific halibut fisheries removals (tonnes, net weight) by IPHC Regulatory Area, 2010-19. IPHC Subsistence Fishery Regulatory 2010 2011 2012 2013' 2014 2015' 2016 2017' 2018' 2019' Area 2A 11 11 15 13 14 15 13 13 13 13 2B 184 184 184 184 184 184 184 184 184 184 2C 193 176 180 180 192 192 198 198 166 166 3A 142 121 115 115 109 109 101 101 85 85 3B 10 10 7 7 6 6 6 6 7 8 4A 7 6 4 4 3 3 4 4 6 6 4B 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 4C 5 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 4D 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4E 5 3 4 4 32 32 19 19 11 11 4D/4E 4 8 9 5 2 2 2 3 5 3 (CDQ U32) Total 1 561 1 519 1 519 513 1 546 1 546 1 530 1 530 1 480 479 Alaska, USA estimates were carried over for the 2013 estimates from 2012, for the 2015 estimates from 2014, for the 2017 estimates from 2016, and for the 2019 estimates from 2018, with the exception that 4D/4E subsistence harvest in the CDQ fishery were updated. Estimated subsistence harvests by area In the commercial Pacific halibut fisheries coastwide, the state and federal regulations require that take-home Pacific halibut caught during commercial fishing be recorded as part of the commercial fishery on the landing records (i.e. State fish tickets or Canadian validation records). This is consistent across areas, including the quota share fisheries in Canada and USA, and as part of fishing period limits and Pacific halibut ratios in the incidental fisheries in IPHC Regulatory Area 2A. Therefore, personal use fish or take-home fish within the commercial fisheries are accounted for as commercial catch and are not included here. IPHC Regulatory Area 2A (USA: Washington, Oregon, California) The Pacific Fishery Management Council's Catch Sharing Plan allocates the Pacific halibut fishery limit to commercial, recreational, and treaty Indian users in IPHC Regulatory Area 2A. The treaty tribal fishery limit is further sub-divided into commercial and ceremonial and subsistence (C&S) fisheries. The 2018 final estimate of C&S was 12.7 tonnes (28,000 pounds) Page J� of 23 IPHC-2019-IM095-05 Rev 1 and this catch estimate became the 2019 C&S allocation. The estimate of the 2019 removals is not available so it is assumed the treaty tribal C&S allocation was fully harvested. IPHC Regulatory Area 2B (Canada: British Columbia) The source of Pacific halibut subsistence harvest in British Columbia is the First Nations FSC fishery. The IPHC receives some logbook and landing data for this harvest from the DFO but those data have not been adequate for the IPHC to make an independent estimate of the FSC fishery harvest. DFO estimated the First Nations FSC harvest to be 136.1 tonnes (300,000 pounds) annually until 2006, and since 2007, the yearly estimate has been provided as 183.7 tonnes (405,000 pounds). IPHC Regulatory Areas 2C, 3, and 4 (USA: Alaska) In 2003, the subsistence Pacific halibut fishery off Alaska was formally recognized by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, and implemented by IPHC and NOAA Fisheries regulations. The fishery allows the customary and traditional use of Pacific halibut by rural residents and members of federally-recognized Alaska, USA native tribes who can retain Pacific halibut for non-commercial use, food, or customary trade. The NOAA Fisheries regulations define legal gear, number of hooks, and daily bag limits, and IPHC regulations set the fishing season. Prior to subsistence fishing, eligible persons registered with NOAA Fisheries Restricted Access Management to obtain a SHARC. The Division of Subsistence at ADF&G was contracted by NOAA Fisheries to estimate the subsistence harvest in Alaska, USA through a data collection program. Yearly reports are available at http-//www.fakr.noaa.gov/ram/ subsistence/halibut.htm. Each year, the data collection program included an annual voluntary survey of fishers conducted by mail or phone, with some onsite visits. The 2012 estimate has been carried forward for the 2013 estimate and the 2014 estimate has been used for 2014 through 2015; a 2016 estimate was used for 2016 through 2017 and a new 2018 estimate is used for 2018 through 2019. The 2014 estimates are about 10% higherthan in 2012, and are noticeably higher in IPHC Regulatory Area 4E. To collect the 2014 harvest estimates, the ADF&G staff conducted face to face interviews in two of the major subsistence harvesting communities within IPHC Regulatory Area 4E rather than relying on mailed returns. Face to face interviews likely resulted in more realistic harvest estimates than the mail survey alone, so it is likely that the IPHC Regulatory Area 4E harvest estimates between 2009 through 2013 were low. In addition to the SHARC harvest, IPHC regulations allow Pacific halibut less than 81 .3 cm or 32 inches in fork length (also called U32) to be retained in the IPHC Regulatory Area 4D and 4E commercial Pacific halibut CDQ fishery, under an exemption requested by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, as long as the fish are not sold or bartered. The exemption originally applied only to CDQ fisheries in IPHC Regulatory Area 4E in 1998 but was expanded in 2002 to also include IPHC Regulatory Area 4D. The CDQ organizations are required to report to the IPHC the amounts retained during their commercial fishing operations. This harvest is not included in the SHARC program estimate and is reported separately. Reports for 2019 were received from three organizations: Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation (BBEDC), Coastal Villages Regional Fund (CVRF), and Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation (NSEDC). The reports are summarized below, and the reported amounts of retained U32 Pacific halibut are shown in Table 9. A total of 3.3 tonnes (7,252 pounds) of retained U32 Pacific halibut was reported by CDQ organizations. Generally, annual changes are a reflection of the amount of effort by the local small boat fleets and the availability of fish in their nearshore fisheries. Page if of 23 IPHC-2019-IM095-05 Rev 1 Table 9. Reported annual amount (tonnes, net weight) of U32 (<32 inches in fork length) Pacific halibut retained by Community Development Quota harvesters fishing in IPHC Regulatory Areas 4D and 4E. Organization U32 CDQ Landings 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 BBEDC 1.0 1.2 2.3 1.6 1.6 1.1 1.6 2.4 3.9 1.5 CVRF 1.8 4.5 4.7 2.4 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 NSEDC 1.6 1.9 2.1 0.6 0.5 1.0 0.9 1.0 0.7 1.8 Total 4.3 7.7 9.2 4.6 2.5 2.1 2.5 3.3 4.5 3.3 CDQ - Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation (BBEDC) BBEDC requires their fishers to record the lengths of retained U32 Pacific halibut in a separate log, which are tabulated by BBEDC at the conclusion of the season. The lengths were converted to weights using the IPHC length/weight relationship and summed to estimate the total retained U32 weight. Pacific halibut were landed by BBEDC vessels equally at Togiak and Dillingham, with a small amount landed in Naknek and a minor amount landed in Egegik. BBEDC reported 25 harvesters landed 317 U32 Pacific halibut (1 .5 tonnes; 3,349 pounds). CDQ - Coastal Villages Regional Fund (CVRF) CVRF reported that no Pacific halibut were landed by their fishers or received by their facilities. CDQ - Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation (NSEDC) NSEDC required their fishers to offload the U32 Pacific halibut for weighing. Ice was removed but the fish were not washed nor the heads removed. The U32 Pacific halibut were then returned to the harvester. NSEDC reported 390 U32 Pacific halibut weighing 1 .8 tonnes (3,903 pounds) were caught in the local CDQ fishery and landed at the Nome plant. NON-DIRECTED COMMERCIAL DISCARD MORTALITY The IPHC accounts for non-directed commercial discard mortality by IPHC Regulatory Area and sector. Table 10 provides these estimates from 2010 through 2019. Page 17 of 23 IPHC-2019-IM095-05 Rev—1 Table 10. Non-directed commercial discard mortality estimates of Pacific halibut (tonnes, net weight) by year, IPHC Regulatory Area, and fishery, for 2010-19. Estimates for 2019 are preliminary.' IPHC Regulatory Area 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 and Gear AREA 2A Groundfish Trawl 136 IFQ Bottom Trawl 23 27 24 20 25 25 26 23 32 Other Groundfish Trawl 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 0 Groundfish Pot 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Hook & Line 97 16 24 4 24 10 18 33 24 24 Shrimp Trawl 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 157 41 53 30 45 36 44 61 49 57 AREA 2B Groundfish Bottom Trawl 82 105 86 102 111 148 123 114 136 108 Total 82 105 86 102 111 148 123 114 136 108 AREA 2C Crab Pot 8 5 10 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 Groundfish Trawl 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hook & Line (non-IFQ) 2 1 3 4 3 5 7 2 2 2 Hook & Line (IFQ) 1 1 5 6 4 3 6 6 18 23 Chatham Str. Sablefish 4 4 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a Clarence Str. Sablefish 11 11 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a Total 26 22 19 16 8 8 13 8 21 25 AREA 3A Scallop Dredge 6 5 4 6 11 11 11 11 11 11 Groundfish Trawl 921 1,012 645 606 762 813 677 558 679 615 Hook & Line (non-IFQ) 50 42 108 98 70 101 95 58 28 20 Hook & Line (IFQ) 54 54 11 14 7 15 12 16 32 10 Groundfish Pot 5 10 13 15 5 11 18 4 1 0 Pr Wm Sd Sablefish 5 5 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a Total 1,042 1,128 782 739 856 951 813 647 751 657 AREA 3B Crab Pot 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 Scallop Dredge 0 2 2 4 6 6 6 6 6 6 Groundfish Trawl 307 365 449 332 367 244 321 348 188 131 Hook & Line (non-IFQ) 122 78 48 40 52 43 56 42 6 5 Hook & Line (IFQ) 53 53 11 6 8 7 4 7 7 42 Groundfish Pot 16 10 9 20 8 5 14 6 1 1 Total 520 531 541 425 464 328 424 433 231 208 continued... Page Ip of 23 IPHC-2019-IM095-05 Rev 1 Table 10 continued. Non-directed commercial discard mortality estimates of Pacific halibut (tonnes, net weight) by year, IPHC Regulatory Area, and fishery, for 2010-19. Estimates for 2019 are preliminary.' IPHC Regulatory 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Area and Gear AREA 4A Scallop Dredge 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Crab Pot 10 7 6 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 Groundfish Trawl 363 358 596 275 279 219 211 138 123 118 Hook & Line (non-IFQ) 97 66 59 93 73 67 45 40 13 15 Hook & Line (IFQ) 7 7 2 2 1 2 1 1 1 3 Groundfish Pot 3 4 5 15 12 3 2 2 1 1 Total 480 441 668 396 377 303 272 194 150 149 AREA 4B Crab Pot 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Groundfish Trawl 168 182 98 53 46 91 62 88 57 69 Hook & Line (non-IFQ) 29 15 12 3 11 9 2 6 5 5 Hook & Line (IFQ) 18 18 5 5 2 1 1 0 0 0 Groundfish Pot 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 1 1 Total 217 216 116 63 61 103 67 95 65 77 AREA4CDE+CA Scallop Dredge 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Crab Pot 28 22 13 13 13 17 17 17 17 17 Groundfish Trawl 1,555 1,132 1,569 1,864 1,907 1,362 1,313 1,107 1,282 1,545 Hook & Line (non-IFQ) 310 214 348 303 244 174 141 121 51 55 Hook & Line (IFQ) 2 2 0 68 5 0 0 0 0 0 Groundfish Pot 0 1 2 8 6 1 1 1 0 1 Total 1,897 1,372 1,932 2,257 2,176 1,554 1,472 1,246 1,350 1,618 AREA 4 Subtotal Scallop Dredge 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Crab Pot 39 29 19 27 27 30 30 30 30 30 Groundfish Trawl 2,087 1,672 2,262 2,192 2,232 1,672 1,587 1,333 1,462 1,732 Hook & Line (non-IFQ) 436 294 420 398 327 250 188 168 69 76 Hook & Line (IFQ) 27 27 8 75 9 2 1 1 1 3 Groundfish Pot 4 5 7 25 19 4 3 3 2 3 Total 2,593 2,028 2,716 2,717 2,614 1,959 1,810 1,535 1,564 1,844 GRAND TOTAL 4,420 3,856 4,215 4,048 4,119 3,450 3,427 2,818 2,771 2,919 'Note that some totals may not sum precisely due to rounding. Page 19 of 23 IPHC-2019-IM095-05 Rev 1 Estimating Non-Directed Commercial Discard Mortality Non-directed commercial discard mortality of Pacific halibut is estimated because not all fisheries have 100% monitoring and not all Pacific halibut that are discarded are assumed to die. Agencies estimate the amount of non-directed commercial discard that will not survive, called non-directed commercial discard mortality. The IPHC relies upon information supplied by observer programs run by domestic agencies for non-directed commercial discard mortality estimates in most fisheries. Non-IPHC research survey information is used to generate estimates of non-directed commercial discard mortality in the few cases where fishery observations are unavailable. The NOAA-Fisheries operates observer programs off the USA West Coast and Alaska, which monitor the major groundfish fisheries. Data collected by those programs are used to estimate non-directed commercial discard mortality. Trawl fisheries off British Columbia (BC: Canada) are comprehensively monitored and non-directed commercial discard mortality information is provided to IPHC by DFO. Off the USA West Coast, an individual quota (IQ) program was implemented in 2011 for the domestic groundfish trawl fisheries. The program is quite similar to the program for the BC trawl fishery, in that it contains an individual non-directed commercial discard mortality quota component for managing and reducing Pacific halibut non-directed commercial discard mortality. Fishery monitoring is required at 100% coverage levels, so all vessels carry an observer to record the vessel's catch. Non-directed commercial discard mortality is reported to IPHC by NOAA Fisheries (Jannot et al. 2018). Non-directed commercial discard mortality estimates for the shrimp trawl fishery have been provided by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) staff from examinations of Pacific halibut non-directed commercial catch during gear experiments. Updated estimates were provided by ODFW in 2011 . The amount of information varies for fisheries conducted off BC, Canada. For the trawl fishery, non-directed commercial discard mortality is managed with an individual non-directed commercial discard mortality quota program implemented by DFO in 1996. Fishery observers sample the catch on each bottom trawler, collecting data to estimate catch and non-directed commercial discard mortality. Non-directed commercial discard mortality in other fisheries, such as the shrimp trawl, sablefish pot, and rockfish hook-and-line fisheries, was largely unknown until the inception of the Integrated Fisheries Management Program in 2006. The program has requirements for full accounting and accountability of all non-directed commercial discard mortality, and includes 100% at-sea monitoring, either by human observers or electronic monitoring. Estimates of trawl non-directed commercial discard mortality were provided by DFO staff at the Pacific Biological Station, based on data collected by observers. Reporting of non- directed commercial discard mortality from the non-trawl programs is being developed with DFO staff and will be provided in future reports. Estimates of non-directed commercial discard mortality off Alaska, USA in federally managed fisheries were provided by the NOAA Fisheries Alaska Region. Several fishery programs have a mandatory 100% monitoring requirement, including the CGOARP, the BSAI CDQ fisheries, the AFA pollock cooperatives, and the BSAI A80 fishery cooperatives. NOAA Fisheries Alaska Fisheries Science Center's Annual Deployment Plan (ADP) provides the scientific guidelines which determine how vessels not involved in these full coverage programs are chosen for monitoring, including vessels in the directed Pacific halibut IFQ fishery. Additional details about the ADP can be found in NOAA Fisheries (2017). The NOAA Fisheries projections were provided in metric tons, round weight, and were converted to net weight using net weight = round weight x 0.75. Page aQ of 23 IPHC-2019-IM095-05 Rev 1 Estimates of Pacific halibut non-directed commercial discard mortality in scallop dredge and crab fisheries are obtained from the ADF&G, but not on an annual basis. The catch estimates are based on fishery data collected by on-board observers. The most recent estimates of 2016 were rolled forward for 2017 and 2018. Work is underway to develop an annual approach to updating these data. Non-directed Commercial Discard Mortality by Area IPHC Regulatory Area 2A (USA: Washington, Oregon, California) Groundfish fisheries off Washington, Oregon, and California are managed by the NOAA Fisheries, following advice and recommendations developed by the Pacific Fishery Management Council. IPHC Regulatory Area 2B (Canada: British Columbia) In Canada, Pacific halibut non-directed commercial discard mortality in trawl fisheries are capped at 453.6 tonnes round weight by DFO. Non-trawl non-directed commercial discard mortality is handled under an IFQ system within the directed Pacific halibut fishery cap. IPHC Regulatory Areas 2C, 3, and 4 (USA: Alaska) Groundfish fisheries in Alaska, USA are managed by the NOAA Fisheries, following advice and recommendations developed by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council sets limits on the amount of Pacific halibut non-directed commercial discard mortality which is allowed to occur annually in the groundfish fisheries, known as the Prohibited Species Catch (PSC) limits. These PSC limits are published in metric tons (t) (round weight) and are shown in Table 11 , with their equivalent net weight. If a fishery's PSC limit is reached, the fishery is closed. Certain gear types, e.g., pots or jigs, are exempted from closures due to their low non-directed commercial discard mortality properties and to encourage their use. Non-directed commercial discard mortality projected estimates for Alaskan areas in the USA in Table 10 were provided by NOAA Fisheries. Table 11. Pacific halibut non-directed commercial discard mortality limits in the Alaska, USA groundfish fishery 2010-19. Geographical Sector Non-directed Commercial Discard Mortality Limits Area (tonnes, round weight) 2010 1 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Gulf of Alaska Trawl 2,000 2,000 2,000 1,973 1,848 1,759 1,706 1,706 1,706 1,766 Fixed Gears 300 300 300 300 279 270 266 266 266 266 Bering Sea/ Trawl 3,625 3,575 3,525 3,525 3,525 3,525 2,805 2,805 2,805 2,805 Aleutian Islands Fixed Gears 900 900 900 900 900 900 710 710 710 710 Geographical Sector Non-directed Commercial Discard Mortality Limits Area (tonnes, net weight) 2010 1 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Gulf of Alaska Trawl 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,480 1,386 1,319 1,280 1,280 1,280 1,280 Fixed Gears 225 225 225 225 209 203 200 200 200 200 Bering Sea/ Trawl 2,719 2,681 2,644 2,644 2,644 2644 2104 2104 2104 2104 Aleutian Islands Fixed Gears 675 675 675 675 675 675 533 533 533 533 Page 4) of 23 IPHC-2019-IM095-05 Rev 1 IPHC Regulatory Area 2C (USA: Southeast Alaska) For the federal waters of IPHC Regulatory Area 2C, only non-directed commercial discard mortality by hook-and-line vessels fishing in the outside waters were reported by NOAA Fisheries. These vessels are primarily targeting Pacific cod and rockfish (Sebastes spp.) in open access fisheries, and sablefish in the IFQ fishery. Fisheries occurring within state waters and resulting in Pacific halibut non-directed commercial discard mortality include pot fisheries for red and golden king crab, and tanner crab. Information is provided periodically by ADF&G, and the estimate was again rolled forward. IPHC Regulatory Area 3 (USA: Eastern, Central and Western Gulf of Alaska) IPHC Regulatory Area 3 is comprised of Areas 3A and 3B. IPHC tracks non-directed commercial discard mortality for each IPHC Regulatory Area due to assessment and stock management needs, while groundfish fisheries operate throughout both areas. Trawl fisheries are responsible forthe majority of the non-directed commercial discard mortality in these IPHC Regulatory Areas, with hook-and-line fisheries a distant second (Table 10). State-managed crab and scallop fisheries are also known to take Pacific halibut as non-directed commercial discard mortality, but at low levels. IPHC Regulatory Area 3 remains the area where non-directed commercial discard mortality mortality is estimated most poorly. Observer coverage for most fisheries is relatively low. Tendering, loopholes in trip cancelling, and safety considerations likely result in observed trips not being representative of all trips (observed and unobserved) in many regards (e.g. duration, species composition, etc.. This, plus low coverage, lead to increased uncertainty in these non- directed commercial discard mortality estimates and to potential for bias. IPHC Regulatory Area 4 (USA: Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands) Pacific cod is the major fishery in this IPHC Regulatory Area with Pacific halibut non-directed commercial discard mortality, which is conducted in the late winter/early spring and late summer. Almost all of the vessels are required to have 100% observer coverage because of the vessel's size and requirements of their fishery cooperative; very few small vessels fish Pacific cod in this IPHC Regulatory Area. Because of this high level of observer coverage, non-directed commercial discard mortality estimates for this and other IPHC Regulatory Area 4 fisheries are considered reliable. Pots are used to fish for Pacific cod and sablefish and fish very selectively. Non-directed commercial discard mortality rates are quite low and survival is relatively high. Annual non- directed commercial discard mortality mortality estimates are typically low, usually less than 7 tonnes. Within the Bering Sea, non-directed commercial discard mortality mortality estimates have typically been the highest in IPHC Regulatory Area 4CDE (Table 10). This is due to the groundfish fisheries which operate in the area, i.e., those for flatfish. IPHC FISHERY-INDEPENDENT SETLINE SURVEY AND OTHER RESEARCH The IPHC's FISS provides catch information and biological data on Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) that are independently collected from the commercial fishery. Approximately 393 tonnes (866,000 pounds) of Pacific halibut were landed from the FISS in 2019 with the amount landed from each IPHC Regulatory Area documented IPHC-2019-IM095-06. Page ag of 23 IPHC-2019-IM095-05 Rev 1 RECOMMENDATION/S That the Commission: 1) NOTE paper IPHC-2019-IM095-05 Rev_1 which provides preliminary fishery statistics from fisheries catching Pacific halibut during 2019, including the status of removals compared to fishery limits implemented by the Contracting Parties. REFERENCES Jannot, J.E., Somers, K., Riley, N.B., Tuttle, V., and McVeigh, J. 2018. Pacific Halibut Bycatch in the US West Coast Fisheries (2002-2017). NOAA Fisheries, NWFSC Observer Program, 2725 Montlake Blvd E., Seattle, WA 98112. 134 p. Available online at: https://www.pcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/llb NMFS NWFSC Rpt2 E- Only Pacific Halibut Bycatch 2002 2017 SEPT2018BB.pdf NOAA Fisheries. 2016. 2017 Annual Deployment Plan for Observers in the Groundfish and Halibut Fisheries off Alaska. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 709 West 9th Street. Juneau, Alaska 99802. Published December 2016. 30 p. Available online at: https://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2017finaladp.pdf APPENDICES Nil Page P of 23 iA 1 i Y i jo urnalo.fCommerce V) Bering Sea halibut bycatch increases as council considers cod options By: Elizabeth Earl(/authors/elizabeth-earl), For the Journal Post date:Wed, 11/06/2019 9:06am ,a ,t dle' f " r Halibut bycatch, the taking of the fish by vessels targeting other species, increased in 2019 as the North Pacific Fishery Management Council considers options for the Pacific cod sector. Among the options are allocating harvest quotas that would slow down the race for fish and in theory allow fishermen to avoid bycatch. (Photo/File/AJOC) 35 Editor's note: This article has been edited to correct the coastwide bycatch numbers. The bycatch numbers across Alaska exceeded the fishery limits, but in individual areas the bycatch was lower in 2019 than in 2018. Bycatch increase in areas 4 CDE+CA, in the Bering Sea. In the Bering Sea, commercial fishermen caught more halibut as bycatch this year, though overall bycatch in Alaska fell. Data released preceding the International Pacific Halibut Commission's upcoming interim meeting shows that almost all the regulatory areas of Alaska from Southeast to the Bering Sea — areas 2C through 4E, respectively— caught less halibut as bycatch in 2019 than they did in 2018 (https://iphc.int/uploads/pdf/im/im095/iphc-2019-im095-05.pdf), though the areas all still exceeded their fishery limits, with the exception of Area 4B. Coastwide, from California and British Columbia through the Bering Sea, bycatch decreased from a little more than 6 million pounds to about 5.89 million pounds, though bycatch in areas 4 CDE+CA increased from about 2.98 million pounds to about 3.22 million pounds. Overall, commercial fishermen have landed about 16.5 million pounds of halibut in Alaska in the 2019 season, 13 percent less than the fishery limit. Alaska made up most of the non-directed commercial discard mortality, with about 5.56 million pounds. The IPHC will hold its interim meeting Nov. 25 in Advertisement Seattle to review the stock assessment and season information, among other information, prior to its full annual meeting scheduled for Feb. 3-7, 2020, in Anchorage, where the commission adopts its season limits and regulations. Most of the non-directed commercial discard mortality—the technical IPHC term for bycatch — went to the trawl fleet, as it has in the past. There was also a small increase in Southeast Alaska's bycatch numbers, though the area doesn't have a trawl fleet and overall catch was down from the 2018 season. Halibut bycatch is a sticky problem throughout Alaska's commercial fisheries. The high-volume trawl fleet targets a variety of species, including flatfish, that share habitat with halibut. While longliners can use larger hooks to avoid catching immature halibut, trawlers use large nets that don't necessarily predict what will come up. To control the bycatch, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council sets prohibited species catch, or PSC, limits; when the limit on bycatch is reached, the fishery is restricted or closed. In the case of the Pacific cod fishery in the Bering Sea, this has been happening more and more often. Declining total allowable catch, or TAC, limits for Pacific cod increasingly shorten the season and pressure boats to work quickly, hoping to catch enough cod before the cap is reached. Because they work quickly, they increasingly may not take precautions to avoid bycatch, adding the pressure of the fishery closing more quickly as the PSC limit is reached. Combined with pressure on the stock from directed fishing and changing ocean conditions, researchers and stakeholders have raised concerns about the long-term sustainability of the stock. 36 The North Pacific Fishery Management Council is working on a major program aimed partially to control halibut bycatch in the Bering Sea: rationalizing the Pacific cod fishery in the Bering Sea, aiming to alleviate the pressure on the halibut there by eliminating what stakeholders call "the race for fish." During the council's meeting in October, the members approved a list of options and elements for preliminary analysis for the Pacific cod fishery, including a number of particulars for a cooperative- based limited access privilege program in the fishery. Within the purpose and need statement, reducing bycatch is identified as one of the goals. The North Pacific Fisheries Association's members want to see permanent measures to reduce bycatch included in the program, including mechanisms to change the plan if bycatch isn't reduced, and encouragement to transition to more selective gear types. "We are encouraged that bycatch reduction is a top priority for the Council, and an integral part of the Purpose and Needs Statement for this topic,"wrote NPFA President Malcolm Milne in a letter to the council. "However, we have increasing concerns about the council's ability to achieve that intent through a program that, despite strategic design, still codifies use of and permanent access rights to gear with high bycatch rates." Pacific cod is a high-volume fishery, while halibut, on the other hand, is a high-value fishery. To sustain the communities that depend on cod, the high volume needs to come in, wrote Pacific Seafood Processors Association President Chris Barrows in a letter to the council. The processors recognize that something needs to be done to address the race for fish but encouraged the council to consider the investment and dependence on cod of all sectors before moving forward with a cooperative based model for rationalizing the Pacific cod fishery. "All sectors are reliant on a healthy resource, improving bycatch, robust monitoring, and a safely prosecuted fishery," he wrote. "As we make changes to better accomplish those objectives, we want to encourage inclusion and consideration of all dependent sectors, including shoreside processors and the communities in which we operate." Both Pacific cod rationalization program and an abundance-based management program —which would allow PSC limits to flex with the biomass assessments in the Bering Sea rather than being fixed — have potential to address the issue, but the particulars are still unclear, said Peggy Parker, the executive director of the Halibut Association of North America. The abundance-based management program is meant to help alleviate the problem of a non- directed fishery still taking Pacific halibut when a directed fishery is shut down or curtailed because of a lack of sufficient fish. "We could have a situation where the directed fishery is shut down, but bycatch is still allowed,"she said. "I really recognize the strong feelings they have not to shut down the flatfish fishery, the pollock fishery, any of that ... We don't want to shut down these really important-to-the-national-economy fisheries, but we also don't want to lend a hand to what could be severely damaging to the halibut stock." 37 The bycatch issue in the Bering Sea goes outside its geographic confines, too, she said — halibut migrate extensively from west to east. With heavy fishing pressure on all age groups in the Bering Sea, the question extends to the other regulatory areas whether the Pacific halibut stock can withstand that level of bycatch. In either case, both measures are far to implementation yet. "I don't know if it's going to be enough, because we don't really have a good clear picture yet of what either of those are going to look like," she said. Elizabeth Earl can be reached at elizabethearl@gmail.com (mailto:elizabethearl@gmail.com). Updated: 11/07/2019 - 3:58pm Comments 2 Comments Sort b Top Newest Oldest Add a comment... Deanna Humphreys They shouldn't be allowed to throw away any part of what they catch. If the catch bycatch species they aren't fishing for they should have to process, preserve, and donate to low income areas like villages or food pantries. You make them do that at their own expense and I almost guarantee they will find a way to limit their bycatch numbers Like Reply 8 . 11w Taylor Ashley 1 trawlers would love to be able to donate or find a use for by catch , its not trawlers that decide to discard by catch , its the rules that have been made. cod trawl in the bering sea is very clean. Its more the flat fishing that is dirty , when your catching sole and other flats you cant run haliubut excluders because you wouldnt catch any flats either , but cod fishing you have to run excluders for halibut and most tows are clean. Like - Reply - 11w Frank D Casey Any Halibut caught should go against the commercial quota and be required to process and deliver while being paid a minimum amount to cover costs. The profits would go to pay for observers and enforcement. Like - Reply - 1 - 11w Taylor Ashley you dont get paid for prohib by catch Like - Reply - 1 - 11w 38 Frank D Casey Taylor Ashley That's why I wrote that, dumping dead fish over the side Is a waste of money, the resources and needs to stop. Like - Reply - 11w C a r`re tt I'......... w o o d Frank D Casey essentially the trawl bycatch discards do come off of the directed fishery commercial harvest because NMFS just gives the IPHC a total number from the years bycatch and they deduct it from our quotas. Fortunately for the folks taking the bycatch, they dont have to pay for the halibut like I did for my quota. Like - Reply 1 - 11w Facebook Comments Plugin Alaska journal of Commerce 300 W. 31 st Avenue Anchorage,AK 99503 Phone: 907-257-4200 Outside Anchorage, toll-free: 800-478-4200 Copyright © Binkley Co.All rights reserved. Contact Us (/contact) 39 �.1 L .-I CO Ll1 'n N � N M � C �Lm a (A -4 rl N 3 .i CO ,--4 N N � V) � N C Q L M O r, t U. 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I CO O N t N �"� H N • i N roH . i N N a M N M 3 O , I N N rl ON N OM Q W � Q Hr, , 00-I N NN H Ln .NI N I CO .�i N N Q aM N N �E Port& Commerce Advisory Board 2020 GOALS CALENDAR DATE SUGGESTED AGENDA ITEMS January 8 Meeting • Set 2020 priorities. • Establish committees for Seward Climate Action Plan, SMIC Development, and Energy. • Provide input on Capital Improvement Plan for 2020-2021. January 15 Work Session . Discuss and review the January 20, 2020 Council work session on electric rates and utilities. February 5 Meeting . Discuss the halibut fishery. February 19 Work Session . Review the January 20, 2020 Council work session on electric rates and utilities. March 4 Meeting . Determine and provide recommendation to Council on electric department matters. March 9 Joint Work w/ Council • Joint Work Session w/ Council on PACAB Priorities March 18 Work Session . Review high vessel property tax. April I Meeting . Provide recommendation to Council on high vessel property tax. April 15 Work Session . Evaluate the Blue Pipeline Initiative. May 6 Meeting • Give summary of evaluation on Blue Pipeline Initiative. • Set goals calendar for the second half of year 2020. • Update from energy committee. May 20 Work Session . Discuss Public Works utilties June to end of August . HIATUS —MEET AS NEEDED September 2 Meeting September 16 Work Session October 7 Meeting October 21 Work Session November 4 Meeting November 18 Work Session December 2 Meeting December 16 Work Session 41 February 2020 February TuWe 2020 March 2020 SuMo uWe Th Fr Sa SuMo TuWe Th Fr Sa 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 29 30 31 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY Jan 26 27 28 29 30 31 Feb 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 7:00pm P&Z Mtg 12.00pm PACAB (Council Mtg Chambers) 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 7:00pm CC Mtg 6:00pm CC Work 6:00pm HPC (Council Session(KM Work Session Chambers) Rae Buildin (Council Cham bers 7:30pm HPC Meeting (Council Chambers) 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 President's Day 6:00pm P&Z 12:00pm PACAB Holiday Work Session Work Session (Council Chambers Cham bers) 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 7:00pm CC Mtg Cham bers Council Calendar 2 1/22/2020 12:07 PM 42 March 2020 March 2020 April SuMo TuWe Th Fr Sa SuMo TuWe Th Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 29 30 31 26 27 28 29 30 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY Mar 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7:00pm P&Z Mtg 12:OOpm PACAB (Council Mta Cham bers) 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 7:00pm CC Mtg [7:30pm pm HPC (Council ork Session Chamber ouncil ham bers) HPC egular Mtg ouncil hambers) 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 r 12:00pm PACAB ion Work Session Chambers) 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 7:00pm CC Mtg (Cham bers) 29 30 31 Apr 1 2 3 4 Seward's Day Holiday Council Calendar 3 1/22/2020 12:07 PM 43 20 April 2020 Aprile Th Maye Th SuMo TuW Fr Sa SuMo TuW Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 1 2 5 6 7 8 91011 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 26 27 28 29 30 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY Mar 29 30 31 Apr 1 2 3 4 12:OOpm PACAB Mta 5 6 7 8 [Chamber) 10 11 7:OOpm P&Z Mtg pm HPC (Council ork Session Chambers) ouncil hambers) pm HPC egular Mtg ouncil 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 7:OOpm CC Mtg 12:OOpm PACAB (Council Work Session Chambers) Chambers 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 10:OOam Seward Permitting& A enc 12:OOpm KPB Assembly Meetin 6:OOpm P&Z F Work Session 26 27 28 29 30 May 1 2 7:OOpm CC Mtg F Cham bers Council Calendar 4 1/22/2020 12:07 PM 44