Pacific Halibut - California Department Of Fish And Wildlife

Pacific halibut management is a complex multi-tiered process that involves state, federal and international partners. Since Pacific halibut is an important economic component of fisheries in both the United States of America and Canada, Pacific halibut are managed at an international level under the authority of the North Pacific Halibut Act which is administered through the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC). Each agency is responsible for contributing different aspects of science, research, management, and policy.

The figure below illustrates a simplified version of the annual management process as it applies to California’s recreational Pacific halibut fishery.

January

Each year in late January or early February, the IPHC holds its Annual Meeting where the annual Fishery Catch Exploitable Yield (FCEY) is determined for each IPHC management area based results from the most recent stock assessment. The FCEY, colloquially known as “the quota,” is the amount of fish that each management area is allowed to catch for the year, and it is reported in net pounds of Pacific halibut.

February/March

Once the annual FCEY has been determined, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) takes over at the federal level. NMFS handles the federal rule-making process which distributes portions of the FCEY to each state and sets fishing season dates as federal law. NMFS collaborates with states agencies on both aspects of the rulemaking process. In late February or early March, CDFW submits the preferred California recreational season dates to NMFS and NMFS makes those season dates federal law.

For IPHC Area 2A, which includes Washington, Oregon, and California, distribution of the FCEY is based on the Area 2A Catch Sharing Plan (CSP). The CSP is an agreement between the three states which is determined through a federal process at the Pacific Fisheries Management Council (PFMC). The three West Coast states in Area 2A negotiate within the framework of the CSP to determine the distribution of the FCEY to tribal and non-tribal fisheries. CDFW takes their constituent’s concerns into consideration while negotiating the CSP.

April

To reduce regulatory complexity, the Fish and Game Commission (FGC) modifies the California Pacific halibut regulations to match, or conform to, the federal regulations published in March. This process is known as automatic conformance.

May

The recreational fishing season typically opens on May 1st. For up-to-date information on this year’s season dates, please see the “Pacific Halibut Regulations” tab.

At this point in the process, the international and federal agencies take a step back. Each state oversees management of their FCEY distribution, or as we like to call it, tracking the quota. CDFW tracks quota attainment to ensure that anglers do not exceed the state’s allotted quota. If the quota has been exceeded, CDFW will coordinate with NMFS and IPHC to close the California fisheries.

September/November

At the September PFMC meeting, proposals for modifications to the CSP are presented. At this time, the public can make suggestions to CDFW about changes to the CSP and CDFW may bring those proposals to the PFMC. Final adoption of changes to the CSP are determined at the November PFMC meeting, and these changes apply to the following year’s fisheries.

To learn more, contact one of these contributing agencies:

• International Pacific Halibut Commission
• Pacific Fishery Management Council
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries – West Coast Region
• California Fish and Game Commission