This data set represents the spatial distribution of the commercial halibut fishery within the International Pacific Halibut Commission's statistical areas for British Columbia and was provided by the IPHC. The statistical areas were digitized by the IPHC and most vertices coincide with the historical IPHC areas. For accurate digitization, additional vertices were inserted by referring to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and CHS (Canadian Hydrographic Survey) Mercator projected charts. The BCMCA used the statistical areas to join the aggregated catch information from 1991-2006, also provided by the International Pacific Halibut Commission. Catch data is assigned to statistical areas using (in order of priority); commercial logbook data (collected by the IPHC), validation logs/fish tickets, or the landing port. Statistical areas are the highest level of resolution at which information is released to the public.For each statistical area, information is included for the years 1991 - 2006 on the sum of the landed weights and the average catch per unit effort (CPUE). Because a minimum of 3 vessels must report catch in each statistical area before catch information can be made public, average CPUE in some statistical areas is calculated based on a subset of the years 1991 - 2006 (i.e., only those years where 3 vessels or more reported catch). CPUE is in net pounds per standard 100-hook skate, with all conventional and snap gear effort pooled. (In the IPHC assessment a simple coastwide average of conventional and snap gear CPUE is used.) Where there are fewer than 15 sets in the data for a statistical area, no CPUE is calculated. Also, CPUE is calculated from commercial fishing logbooks, so where logbook information is missing, no CPUE is calculated.
