Stock Assessment Update

As of September, data continue to be received from the field and this year's stock assessment has not yet taken place. However, ensuring the models are providing the most reliable and accurate information is in the best interest of all involved. The Pacific halibut stock assessment scientific review process is on a three year cycle. The in-between years include minor updates to the models and data, but every third year, there is a full examination of the input data, model structure, and methods for providing management information. This year (2022) is a full examination year. The proposed improvements were discussed during the June Scientific Review Board meeting (SRB020), and include such things as reconsidering the treatment of marine mammal depredation, and how to best represent natural mortality (the rate at which fish die from natural causes) in the models. A response to recommendations from June and final refinements for the 2022 assessment were presented at SRB021, and can be accessed at the button below.

Fishery Independent Setline Survey (FISS) is a wrap

Final hooks were pulled out of the water on 15 September to complete fishing for the 2022 FISS. A total of 911 stations were fished off the coasts of Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon out of a planned 1,188 stations.

Both biological and oceanographic data were collected that will help to inform the Pacific halibut stock assessment, the Management Strategy Evaluation, and other projects.

The vessels that performed the work included: F/V Devotion, F/V Bold Pursuit, F/V Kema Sue, F/V Pacific Surveyor, F/V Pender Isle, F/V St Nicholas, F/V Star Wars II, and F/V Vanisle. 

Click the button below for the FISS interactive tool that includes FISS data from past years and is expected to be updated with 2022 data by early November.

Chickens are delicious - Andrea in Juneau in the summer of 2022 following a recreational fishing trip and right before starting at the IPHC.

Secretariat Spotlight

Andrea Keikkala - Assistant Director

Andrea joined the staff of the IPHC on 5 July 2022. She is a member of the senior management team and provides direct management oversight and leadership for the internal operations of the organization. We sat down with Andrea to get to know her a little better and here is what she had to say. 

Q. Can you tell us a little about your background? 

A. I was raised in Juneau, Alaska and went to school at Gonzaga University (Go Bulldogs). I have a couple of graduate degrees; my most recent master’s is in Organizational Leadership, and I hold a HR Management certificate from Cornell. I have lived in Washington for almost 15 years.  I started my career right out of college in the office of Alaska State Senator Stedman who continues to represent communities in SE Alaska today. I built my career leading Chambers of Commerce in Sitka, AK and Kent, WA. Most recently I led an educational not-for-profit with an international reach. I am incredibly proud of the impact this organization was able to accomplish throughout the pandemic and the hundreds of youth we served. 

Q. Why did you choose the IPHC?

A. It is an honor to work for IPHC and contribute to the work the organization is doing. Having grown up sport fishing for Pacific halibut, along with many friends in the commercial and charter industry I have a deep respect for the mission of the organization and the work we do. My first introduction to the IPHC was almost two decades ago while I was the Executive Director of the Sitka Chamber of Commerce.  When the opportunity to be part of this organization presented itself, I jumped at the chance to make a sustainable impact and join the already robust and well led team. 

Q. What do you hope to accomplish at the IPHC?

A. I hope to be a contributing member of the team bringing my expertise in organizational leadership, financial management, efficiencies, and HR. Having been trained in lean management I hope to provide continuous improvement for the organization to support the work IPHC is doing for years to come. 

Q. What kinds of things do you like to do in your free time away from work?

A. I enjoy lots of outdoor activity from skiing every weekend in the winter to hiking, camping, hunting, and fishing in the summer and fall. I own a beautiful log house and large yard that takes copious amounts of work, so I also enjoy gardening and home projects.

Click the button below for information about others working at IPHC.

Biological and Ecosystem Research

Research activities at IPHC are organized into five areas outlined in the 5-year Plan. Following are some highlights.

Understanding movement by tagging (Area: Migration and Population Dynamics) - In 2015, the IPHC began tagging and releasing small Pacific halibut (< 32 inches or 82 cm) encountered on the FISS and NMFS trawl surveys. As of 28 July 2022, a total of 13,862 fish have been tagged and 213 of those tags have been recovered.

Defining the genetic structure of the Pacific halibut population (Area: Migration and Population Dynamics) – Low coverage whole genome resequencing of genetic samples from spawning groups in the Gulf of Alaska, eastern Bering Sea, and the Aleutian Islands has been completed and population genomic analyses leveraging the recently sequenced Pacific halibut genome are in progress. Project funded by NPRB. 

Commercial fishery sex ratio (Area: Reproduction) - With the help of two undergraduate interns, we processed genetic samples (fin clips) from the commercial fishery for 2021 bringing the total to five years of available commercial sex-ratio data.

Update of maturity schedules (Area: Reproduction) - This summer on the FISS, we collected ovarian samples throughout the survey area. These will be analyzed histologically this Fall. 

Estimation of discard mortality rates (DMRs) in charter recreational sector (Area: Mortality and Survival Assessment) - With the use of electronic accelerometer-based survivorship pop-up archival transmitting (sPAT) tags on recreationally caught and released fish, a DMR was estimated at 2.04% with a 95% confidence level of 0.0-5.92%. Currently, physiological stress indicators in captured and discarded fish are being investigated to link stress level to survival outcomes. 

Whale depredation avoidance strategies (Area: Fishing Technology) - The IPHC Secretariat, with funding from BREP, is designing two different longline catch protection devices that will be tested in the field in Spring 2023.

Read more about these projects and others in The 5-YearPlan linked below.