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 directed halibut and sablefish fisheries, representation covering multiple areas, and IFQ processors. Members appointed at the December 2016 meeting include: Jared Bright, Jeff Farvour, Dave Fraser, Natasha Hayden, Jeff Kauffman, Nicole Kimball, Linda Kozak, Buck Laukitis (Chair), Bob Linville, Shawn McManus, Michael Offerman, Peggy Parker, Matt Robinson, and Erik Velsko. Staff contact is Sam Cunningham, 907-271-1283.

The Council maintains a list of ongoing and yet-to-be-scheduled analytical tasks related to the IFQ Program. The most recent draft was updated March 26, 2019 and can be found here. This list will be updated in preparation for the June 2019 Council meeting.

The IFQ Committee met on Monday, April 1. Minutes from the meeting are available here.

Also of interest to the Committee and IFQ stakeholders, the Council held an evening workshop session on the issue of whale depredation on longline sablefish gear on April 1 (description of purpose). A report on the content of that meeting is available here.

Newsletter Articles

• 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)
• IFQ Outreach (6/15/2018)
• IFQ Medical Transfer Provision (2/20/2018)
• IFQ Beneficiary Designation (2/20/2018)
• IFQ Committee (2/20/2018)
• IFQ Committee (10/17/2017)
• Halibut Retention in Pot Gear (10/17/2017)

Recent Council Motions:

2019 April Motion on Area 3A CQE Fish-up Initial Review
2019 April Motion on Small Sablefish Discards 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 Discards 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

Other past 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

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 essentially assigns the privilege of harvesting a percentage of the annual sablefish and halibut quota to specific individuals with a history of harvest in the fisheries. The ‘rights’ given to each person are proportional to their fixed gear halibut and sablefish landings during the qualifying period, and are represented as quota shares (QS). 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; use and ownership provisions; QS ‘blocks’ to further guard against excessive consolidation; the process for allocating annual IFQ based on participants’ QS; and the establishment of Community Development Quotas (CDQ). Staff contact is Sam Cunningham: 907-271-1283.

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

Council Documents and Motions