Fishery managers added three days to the all-depth sport halibut fishery off the central Oregon coast. Fishing for Pacific halibut will be open June 17 through 19 at all depths.
“Weather kept many boats in port during several of the all-depth halibut days this spring, resulting in sufficient quota to allow the fishery to continue,” said Lynn Mattes, halibut project leader for the Oregon Division of Fish & Wildlife.
Oregon’s spring season for the central coast area – from Cape Falcon (30 miles south of the Columbia River) to Humbug Mountain (south of Port Orford) – opened May 13 on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays only. It could have closed as early as June 5 if the 105,948-pound quota had been taken.
At current, the DFW is indicating that the fishery will be open June 17-19 and may continue on one or more of the following days: July 1-3, 15-17 and 29-31 until the quota is met.
“These dates were set pre-season in case quota remained after the fixed dates,” Mattes said.
Open dates will be announced on the National Marine Fisheries Service hotline (1-800-662-9825) and posted on the ODFW Marine Resources Program Web site at: www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/.
Summer Season Starts August 6
The central coast all-depth fishery summer season opens Aug. 6 and is scheduled to be open every other Friday and Saturday until the combined spring and summer season all-depth quota of 141,265 pounds is taken or Oct. 31, whichever comes first.
The high-relief area of Stonewall Bank is closed to halibut fishing to reduce incidental catch of yelloweye rockfish and canary rockfish. Both species are considered over fished and must be released immediately. The closed area is defined by latitude and longitude waypoints, which are available on the Marine Resources Program Web site: http://www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/regulations/sport_fishing/stonewall.asp
The daily bag limit is one fish and there is no minimum length for Pacific halibut. The possession limit is one daily limit at sea and three daily limits on land. The annual limit per angler is six fish.
Remember when fishing for halibut that possession of groundfish is not allowed north of Humbug Mountain when a Pacific halibut is aboard their vessel during all-depth Pacific halibut dates. The exceptions are Pacific cod (true cod, not lingcod) and sablefish (black cod). These fish can be kept with halibut between Humbug Mountain and Cape Falcon.
Other non-groundfish species, such as tuna and salmon during authorized seasons, may be possessed with halibut on open all-depth Pacific halibut days.
These regulations can be tricky, so make sure that you’re up-to-speed with them. More details on regulations can be found at: http://www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/finfish/halibut/seasonmaps/Halibut%202010%20regs%2003152010.pdf or in the 2010 Oregon Sport Ocean Regulations for Salmon, Halibut and other Marine Species booklet. General regulations can be found in the 2010Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations booklet.
Most anglers understand why there are minimum limits on fish, particularly in freshwater. Without these limits, the fish would be more susceptible to overfishing, reducing the number of the species and threatening their demise. State conservation departments, such as the New Jersey Division of Fish and Game and Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, can control the numbers of freshwater fish. Controlling the numbers of saltwater fish, however, is not always as easy.