Halibut Dates
As written in the Newport Times:
2004 sport, commercial halibut seasons announced
By Joel Gallob
Of the News-Times
The 2004 Oregon sport Pacific halibut season will open May 1 across the Oregon coast and the southernmost stretch of Washington state, according to Don Bodenmiller, spokesman for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife,.
For the main run of the Oregon coast, between Cape Falcon on the north and Humbug Mountain on the south, several seasons are in place.
The inside 40-fathom curve season will run from May 1 through Oct. 31 or 22,574 pounds of halibut are caught, whichever comes first. It will be open seven days per week. Bodenmiller said the 40-fathom line is defined by latitude and longitude, and can be obtained from ODFW at 867-4741.
A smaller spring all-depth season will open May 13. The all-depth season in the area from Cape Falcon to Humbug Mountain is managed under a 194,703-pound quota this year, he said.
A summer all-depth season will open Aug. 6 under a 64,901 pound quota.
South of Humbug Mountain and through California, the fishery will open May 1 and extend through Oct. 31, seven days per week, in all-depth waters.
North of Cape Falcon and up to Leadbetter Point in Washington, the fishery will open May 1 and extend through Sept. 30, or a catch of 14,241 pounds, whichever comes first. It will be open seven days a week in all-depth waters.
The statewide bag limit is the first halibut 32 inches or longer in length.
A meeting at 7 p.m. today (Wednesday) at the Oregon State University Hatfield Marine Science Center, Room 30, in South Beach will focus on the number and dates for the opener of the all-depth fishery and possible additional dates if poundage remains available.
The directed commercial halibut fishery is set for 10-hour fishing periods June 23, July 14, July 28, Aug. 11, Aug. 25, Sept. 15 and Sept. 29. The commercial fishery is expected to reach the catch limit of 252,475 pounds in two or three fishing periods. The International Pacific Halibut Commission will announced catch limits by vessel length in May or early June. Fishermen must obtain a license from the commission and must apply before May 1.
The incidental halibut catch (halibut caught in other fisheries) for the commercial troll salmon fishery is 44,554 pounds. The halibut incidental landing limits and opening dates will be set by the Pacific Fishery Management Council at its April meeting. Fishermen must get a license from the International Pacific Halibut Commission, and must apply for it before April 1.
The international commission set a total combined catch for Oregon, Washington and California of 1,480,000 pounds last week. That figure represents a 13 percent increase over the total 2003 catch limit.
Several agencies together shape the Pacific halibut fishery. The International Pacific Halibut Commission, which performs scientific tests and stock assessments on the species, sets the harvest levels. The Pacific Fishery Management Council determines the allocations, and the PFMC's parent, the National Marine Fisheries Service, sets the number of fixed days for all-depth fisheries.
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