(SitNews) Seattle, Washington - The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) is seeking to charter longline vessels to conduct its fisheries-independent setline survey (FISS) in 2020. The purpose of the FISS is to collect standardized data for use in the Pacific halibut stock assessment. This information is used to study aspects of the Pacific halibut resource such as growth, distribution, biomass, age composition, sexual maturity, and relative abundance of other species. Legal-sized Pacific halibut from all skates and some bycatch will be retained, sampled for biological data, and sold by the IPHC to offset FISS expenses.

The 2020 FISS will cover 28 charter regions within the IPHC Convention Area with a standard grid of stations from Oregon to the northern Bering Sea, including the Aleutian Islands. The FISS must be completed between 23 May and 31 August 2020. All regions are open for single-year bids.

The IPHC will consider only those vessels with captains and crews that have recent (within five years) Pacific halibut fishing experience. The IPHC may require an inspection of the vessel prior to awarding the charter.

Vessels need not be licensed for Pacific halibut fishing in Canada or the USA to be eligible. The IPHC is not restricted as to nationality of the vessels it charters for operation in any region as long as customs and immigration regulations are followed.

Interested vessel owners are invited to submit tenders based upon the 2020 IPHC Fishery-Independent Setline Surveys (FISS) Vessel Tender Specifications. The Tender Specifications and Vessel Tender Forms for this project may be downloaded directly from the IPHC website: https://www.iphc.int/the-commission/opportunities.

Tenders will be evaluated based on (1) the Pacific halibut fishing experience of captain and crew, (2) the characteristics and safety features of the vessel, (3) the vessel's availability, and (4) the IPHC operating costs. The lowest or any bid will not necessarily be accepted, and the IPHC will contract according to its own interests. 

Bids must be emailed (pdf) to the IPHC Secretariat at secretariat@iphc.int no later than 23:59 (Pacific time) on 15 February 2020.

Edited By Mary Kauffman, SitNews

Source of News:

International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC)
www.iphc.int

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