Halibut/Sablefish IFQ Program

The Pacific halibut and sablefish fixed gear fisheries have been managed under the individual fishing quota (IFQ) program since 1995. The program assigns the privilege of harvesting a percentage of the annual halibut and sablefish quota to specific individuals with a history of harvest in the fisheries. At the time of implementation, the access privilege granted to each participant was proportional to their fixed gear halibut and sablefish landings during the qualifying period, and are represented as quota shares (QS). Quota shares are transferable. Under this program, only persons holding quota shares are allowed to make fixed gear landings of halibut and sablefish in the regulatory areas identified. There are several key provisions of the program: the process for initial allocation of QS; assignment of shares to vessel categories; share transfer provisions; quota share use and ownership limits; QS ‘blocks’ to mitigate excessive consolidation; a process for allocating annual IFQ based on participants’ QS; and the establishment of Community Quota Entities (CQE). Staff contact is Sam Cunningham: 907-271-2809.

• NOAA Fisheries: IFQ Program
• NOAA Fisheries: IFQ Halibut/Sablefish Reports
• International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC)

IFQ  Committee

The IFQ Committee provides recommendations to the Council regarding potential future revisions to the IFQ program. Membership is intended to represent a broad range of stakeholders in the IFQ fisheries, including representatives from both the halibut and sablefish fisheries, representation covering multiple areas, and IFQ processors. The current membership includes: Cora Campbell (chair), Jerry Dahl, Craig Evens, Jeff Farvour, Dave Fraser, Natasha Hayden, Jeff Kauffman, Linda Kozak, Buck Laukitis, Bob Linville, Shawn McManus, Michael Offerman, Peggy Parker, Jeff Peterson, Matt Robinson, and Erik Velsko. Staff contact is Sam Cunningham, 907-271-2809.

The Council maintains a list of ongoing and yet-to-be-scheduled analytical tasks related to the IFQ Program, available here.

No committee meetings are currently scheduled. Continue to visit NPFMC.org for updates and future meeting schedules.

Recent Events

On May 15, 2020 the Council held a special session to address stakeholder requests for emergency action relating to challenges brought on by the public health emergency. The Council recommended two actions that affect the IFQ fisheries:

• Allow temporary transfer of IFQ for all quota share holders for the remainder of the 2020 fishing season – Analysis; MOTION
• Temporarily remove vessel use caps for IFQ halibut harvested in Areas 4B, 4C, and 4D for the remainder of the 2020 fishing season – Memo; MOTION

On February 20, 2020 the Alaska Fisheries Science Center hosted interested stakeholders and the public for presentations and discussion on analyses of sablefish ABC apportionment across the six Alaska management areas (SE, WY, CG, WG, BS, AI). The SSC will address this topic at its online meeting (June 1-3) and provide feedback to inform the harvest specifications process for the 2021 fishing year.

• Presentation slides
• Summary table of results (A)
• Summary table of results (B)

Newsletter Articles

• IFQ Rollover Increase & Season Extension (5/19/2020)
• IFQ Vessel Caps (5/19/2020)
• IFQ Transfer Provisions (5/19/2020)
• Call for Nominations (6/13/2019)
• CQE Fish Up in Area 3A (6/13/2019)
• IFQ Access Opportunities- Global Examples (6/13/2019)
• IFQ Committee Report and Whale Depredation Workshop (4/12/2019)
• IFQ Medical & Beneficiary Transfer Provisions (2/15/2019)
• Halibut in Pots (10/11/2018)
• IFQ CQE Fish Up in Area 3A (10/11/2018)

Recent Council Motions:

2020 May Motion on Temporary IFQ Transfer
2020 May Motion on Temporary Suspension of Vessel Use Caps in Areas 4BCD
2019 December Motion on Small Sablefish Release
2019 October Motion on Halibut Abundance-Based Management PSC Limits
2019 June Motion on IFQ Access Opportunities (Global Examples)
2019 June Motion on Area 3A CQE Fish-up Public Review (Final Action)
2019 April Motion on Area 3A CQE Fish-up Initial Review
2019 April Motion on Small Sablefish Release Discussion Paper
2019 April Motion on IFQ Eligibility Requirements Discussion Paper
2019 April Motion on Medical Transfer and Beneficiary Designation Public Review
2018 October Motion on Halibut Abundance-Based Management PSC Limits
2018 October Motion on Small Sablefish Release Discussion Paper
2018 October Motion on Area 3A CQE Fish-Up Discussion Paper
2018 October Motion on Medical Transfer Provisions
2018 October Motion on Halibut Retention in Pots
2018 June Motion on Global Examples of IFQ Access Program
2018 June Motion on Regulatory and Non-Regulatory Options to Promote QS Transfer to Skippers and Crew

Previous Council actions are accessible under Council Documents and Motions at the bottom of this page.

Minutes and other Items of Interest:

2019 April Committee Meeting Minutes
2019 April Whale Depredation Workshop Description and Summary Report
2018 June IFQ Outreach Meeting (Kodiak) Summary
2018 February: Committee Proposals; Meeting Minutes
2017 October Committee Meeting Minutes
2017 January Meeting Minutes, Briefing Materials, Presentation on rural participation (Carothers-UAF)
2015 December Committee Meeting Minutes
2013 December: PVOA and KVOA Proposals 10/13, Discussion Papers: GOA Sablefish Pots, Sablefish Freezer Longliner Use Cap
2012 March: Agenda; Minutes; Status Report on discussion papers for IFQ Proposals, Hubbard Proposal
2009 September Committee Meeting Agenda; Minutes; Motions

Internal Links

• Community Quota Entity Program
• Community Development Quota Program
• Halibut Charter Management
• Recreational Quota Entity Committee
• Halibut Charter Stakeholder Committee
• Charter Management Implementation Committee

Council Documents and Motions