The commercial Pacific halibut fisheries have been managed under the Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) program since 1995. In 2014 the Catch Sharing Plan (CSP) replaced the Guideline Harvest Level program to allocate halibut between charter and commercial fisheries in IPHC Areas 2C and 3A. The CSP, among other things, establishes an annual process for allocating halibut between the charter and commercial halibut fisheries in Area 2C and Area 3A that varies according to halibut abundance and considers the needs of charter and commercial halibut fisheries.
Each year in October, the Charter Halibut Management Committee meets to develop potential management alternatives for the charter halibut fishery in Area 2C and Area 3A. Potential management measures are evaluated by the Alaska Department of Fish &Game to estimate their impact on charter halibut catch. The Charter Halibut Management Committee then recommends management measures to the Council, based on the ADF&G analysis, in December of each year. The Council reviews and identifies their preferred management measures at the December meeting and proposes those measures to the International Pacific Halibut Commission at their annual meeting in January. Once approved by the IPHC, the management regulations are published by NOAA Fisheries.
Annual charter halibut regulations are posted here.
Staff contact is Jim Armstrong, 907-271-2809
Newsletter Articles
- Charter Halibut (12/15/2020)
- Charter Halibut Management Emergency Action (5/19/2020)
- Charter Halibut Management Measures for Area 3A (2/5/2020)
- 2020 Charter Halibut Management Measures for Areas 2C and 3A (12/13/2019)
- Unguided Halibut Rental Vessels (12/13/2019)
- 2019 Charter Halibut Management Measures (12/14/2018)
- Unguided Halibut Rental Boats (10/11/2018)
- Charter Halibut Permit (CHP) Renewal (4/12/2018)
- Mixing of Guided and Unguided Halibut (4/12/2018)
- Charter Halibut Economic Data (4/12/2018)
Charter Halibut Actions
Charter Halibut Annual Permit Registration
CHP renewal Final Rule 12/20/19
CHP renewal Final Review Draft Analysis; Council motion 4/18
Council Motion 10/17
Mixing Guided and Unguided Halibut
Mixing guided and unguided halibut Final Rule 11/04/19
Mixing guided and unguided halibut Final Review Draft analysis 8/18
Mixing guided and unguided halibut Initial Review; Council Motion 10/17
Charter Halibut Recreational Quota Entity (RQE) Program
RQE funding discussion paper; Council motion 4/21
RQE Final Rule 10/22/18
RQE Proposed Rule 10/3/17
RQE Final Review Draft analysis 5/17
Council Motion at public review 12/16
Council Motion on 2nd initial review 4/16
Council Motion on initial review 12/15
Recreational Quota Entity (RQE) Committee, created February 2015
CATCH (Catch Accountability Through Compensated Halibut) Proposal
CATCH Discussion Paper, Motion, October 2014
CATCH Alaska Report, Economic Study, and Presentation, February 2014
Definition of a Fishing Guide
February 2014 Analysis, Motion
February 2013 Motion and Discussion Paper
Catch Sharing Plan
- Halibut Catch Sharing Plan 12/13 Action, Federal Register Final Rule
- Halibut Catch Sharing Plan Summary 8/13
- Halibut CSP motion 10/12
- Halibut CSP Proposed Allocation Options (8/20/12)
- Halibut CSP motion 4/12
- Halibut CSP (C4b): Parts 1-6, one PDF 4/12
- Part 1 – Roadmap
- Part 2 – NMFS Report
- Part 3 – Supplemental Analysis
- Part 4 – CSP Discussion Paper
- Part 5 – (To be distributed at the meeting)
- Part 6 –Feb 22, 2012 Charter Implementation Committee Minutes
- Area 2C/3A Charter Halibut Management Options for 2013 Analysis; Powerpoint 12/12
- Halibut CSP Proposed Allocation Options, Final action analysis, New CSP Alternatives in 2012 Mlbs (10/12)
- Halibut CSP motion; Powerpoints: Area 2C Charter Mgmt; Halibut Sport Harvest 12/11
- NMFS Report of the Catch Sharing Plan; Management options for 2C Halibut Charter fishery 12/11
- A Review of Charter Halibut Management Measures, October 2011
- Regulatory Amendment for a Catch Sharing Plan 2C and 3A; June 2011
- ADF&G Hybrid Method report, presentation, June 2011
- Issues in Selecting a Maximum Length Limit to Manage Charter Halibut Harvest in Times of Low Abundance 7/09
- Projecting Sport Charter Halibut Harvests Under
- the NPFMC Catch Sharing Plan 7/09
- Area 2C/3A Halibut Catch Sharing Plan Motion (updated 10/08) CSP Matrix (4/10)
- Area 2C 3A Catch Sharing Plan; implementation plan (9/08)
- Charter Halibut Catch Sharing Plan Motion 4/08
- 2C3A Halibut Catch Sharing Plan Analysis
- Charter Halibut interim measures motion (revised);12/07
- Halibut Motion 10/07
- Halibut Re-Allocation Analysis 9/07
- Compensated Reallocation (6/07)
- Allocation motion (4/07)
- Permanent Solution (12/06)
Moratorium/Limited Entry
- Permit Leasing Prohibition Discussion Paper (12/10), Interagency Comments (4/10)
- Limited Permit Endorsement EA: Halibut Charter Permit Endorsements 8/10
- Charter Halibut Moratorium Leasing Limitations Motion 4/10
- http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/frules/75fr554.pdf Final rule effective 2/4/10
- http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/prules/74fr18178.pdf Proposed rule
- Charter Vessel Moratorium analysis 11/09
- Moratorium motion (3/07)
ADF&G Guided Sport Data
- 2017 Sport Halibut Harvests Area 2C and 3A 10/18
- 2016 Sport Halibut Harvests Area 2C and 3A 10/17
- 2015 Sport Halibut Harvests Area 2C and 3A 11/16
- 2014 Sport Halibut Harvests Area 2C and 3A 10/15
- 2013 Sport Halibut Harvests Area 2C and 3A 10/14
- Redefine Sportfish Guide Services motion 6/13
- ADF&G Reports to the IPHC
- 2012 Sport Halibut Harvests Area 2C and 3A from 10/13 meeting; Preliminary 2012 Sport Halibut Harvests (12/12)
- Charter Halibut: Review Methodology for 2013 (10/12)
- 2011 Sport Halibut Harvests Area 2C and 3A Powerpoint presentation from 10/12 mtg
- November 2011 Letter to IPHC from ADF&G regarding halibut sport fishery data
- Final 2010 Area 2C and 3A Charter Halibut Harvest Estimates and Comparison of 2006-2010 SWHS and Logbook-based Etimates 10/11
- Area 2C and 3A Charter Halibut Harvest Estimates for 2009 Final 9/10
- REVISED: Evaluation of Charter Halibut Logbook Data; 2008 REVISED: Sport Halibut Harvest Estimates (9/09)
- Final 2007 sport halibut harvest estimates (9/08)
- Area 2C and 3A Charter Halibut Harvests Relative to Guideline Harvest Levels
- Halibut discard mortality in rec. fisheries discussion paper 9/07
- ADF&G report on 1998 and 1999 halibut logbook data
- Preliminary 2001 comparison of logbook and statewide harvest survey data, 9/2001
