Commercial halibut season dates have fluctuated somewhat in recent years.
This year, the season opened March 24 and will close Nov. 7.
Last year, the season ran from March 11 to Nov. 7.
Now, the staff of the International Pacific Halibut Commission is proposing to fix the season dates from March 15 to Oct. 31.
"Fixing the season will allow stakeholders to more effectively develop business plans and will allow the IPHC Secretariat to more effectively monitor and manage the fishery," the IPHC says.
This change appears to have only limited support within the industry.
Earlier this year, the IPHC's Processor Advisory Board said it was OK with fixing the closing date to Nov. 1.
But the advisory board said the opening date should "remain flexible and be determined ... based on advice from stakeholders and depending on the amount of frozen product in inventory, the timing of the Boston Seafood Show, regional tides, and potential weather concerns."
The IPHC is set to hold its interim meeting Nov. 27-28 in Seattle.
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3 comments:
This proposal is long overdue. The micro-management of the stop & start dates for the halibut fishery is fishery management at its worst. It’s about time we standardized these dates. Now if only we could leave the quotas the same for 3-5 years before raising or lowering them, we might actually be able to operate like rational businesses & have a business plan! Might even renew faith in the iphc
March 1st to November 15th is closer to the historical halibut season.
Of course we should have set season dates! All the reasons not to are ridiculous. As an ifq holder, boat owner & businessman I want to know when I can go fishing months in advance not days. The next thing the iphc should do to “rationalize” the fishery is only change the tac once every 5 years instead of annually. It’s pretty hard to have a rational business plan when you never know when your going fishing or how much you have to catch year to year. Stop micromanaging.
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