Big week coming up, friends, with the International Pacific Halibut Commission convening its 87th annual meeting on Tuesday in Victoria, British Columbia.
The six-member commission will recommend 2011 catch limits to the governments of Canada and the United States. It also will take care of such chores as setting the season opening and closing dates.
This promises to be a fairly intense meeting.
Deckboss already has noted the discontent among commercial fishermen in Southeast Alaska (Area 2C), which is expected to take a severe reduction to its catch limit.
Halibut charter boat operators also are feeling anxious. Check out this action alert from SEAGO, the Southeast Alaska Guides Organization.
As usual, the IPHC staff has posted its Bluebook of key reports for the meeting. My favorite chapter is the "Assessment of the Pacific halibut stock at the end of 2010," which begins on page 60.
Regrettably, I can't make it to Victoria. But I'll try to cover the action from afar.