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Released: 01 December, 1999

Dhaliwal Announces Appointment To The International Pacific Halibut Commission

December 1, 1999

OTTAWA -- Herb Dhaliwal, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, today announced the appointment of Kathleen Pearson, of Skidegate, Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, as a Commissioner to the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC).

"I am pleased that Ms. Pearson has accepted to represent Canada on the Commission," said Mr. Dhaliwal. "Ms. Pearson has an impressive history in the fishing industry, community involvement and in representing First Nations. This vast experience will benefit all those involved in the halibut fishing industry."

Ms. Pearson joins Mr. John Secord and Dr. Richard Beamish as Canadian Commissioners to the IPHC. Mr. Secord is a commercial fisherman, a Halibut Advisory Board participant and also serves as President of the Pacific Halibut Management Association. Dr. Beamish is a senior scientist at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, at the Pacific Biological Station, in Nanaimo, B.C.

Appointees to the IPHC hold office for terms of two or three years.

The IPHC was established in 1923 by a Convention between Canada and the United States for the preservation of the halibut fishery of the North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. The Convention was the first international agreement signed by Canada and the US for the joint management of a marine fishery.

Through the IPHC, Canada and the US jointly manage the Pacific halibut resource for the long-term benefit of both Canadian and US fishermen. The IPHC meets annually to recommend catch limits and fishing periods for the commercial fishery within Canadian and US waters. The Commission's next annual meeting will be held January 10-13, in Seattle.

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Related Backgrounder:  BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: KATHLEEN PEARSON

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