They are the same SFAB volunteers that travelled to Oregon for an entertaining week to represent Canada in the IPHC process...so, I expect "they" are intimately familiar with all the data. Those same volunteers will spend 3 days over this weekend to review the various options. I think if you sat in on a SFAB meeting, you would quickly see that the expertise in the room is pretty amazing. The rec community is pretty blessed to have those folks on our side.
These are very difficult decisions to reach. The goal is to hopefully find a regulations choice that helps spread the available TAC in a way that meets the widest possible interests of anglers across the entire coast. As always, the challenge is the seemingly impossible task of crafting a single choice that will keep everyone happy.
Next step is the SFAB will review and decide upon a recommendation to DFO this weekend. The Department will review that, and finalize their decision (usually within a week), and you will have your announcement as to season length and regulations because DFO has to be print it as a "condition" of your tidal license, which is in place for the entire season. Everyone involved is working to tight timelines - IPHC TAC announcement Jan 26, IFMP Feb 6, Tidal licenses have to be printed (yes, still some paper copies) and condition of license must be on them ahead of the season (April 1).
The IPHC posts up all the data - its an open process, so I agree OBD that it is pretty redundant to re-send the information. If you want to attend either the SFAB or IPHC process both are open to the public.
If anyone is unhappy with the halibut opportunities available to them, strongly suggest you focus effort on lobbying your Prime Minister, who will be holding an Open House at VIU in Nanaimo on Friday Feb 2! He needs to see a large turn out of recreational anglers making it known that 15% isn't enough TAC under any abundance level to ensure we can all enjoy the kind of fishery we once did.