ODFW News Release: Season dates proposed for Pacific halibut sport anglers
Season dates proposed for Pacific halibut sport anglers
Date: February 23, 2005
Contact: Brandon Ford 541-867-0300, Ext. 277
NEWPORT – Sport fishing for Pacific halibut off the Oregon central coast could open May 1 in near-shore waters (waters less than 40 fathoms), and the all-depth halibut fishery for Oregon’s central coast between Cape Falcon and Humbug Mountain could open May 12 under regulations proposed by the ODFW Pacific Fishery Management Council and Oregon Fish & Wildlife Commission.
The dates for the central coast all-depth fishery are subject to adoption by the National Marine Fisheries Service, which is expected to occur in early April.
“This year’s sport halibut quota is 1.33 million pounds for Oregon, California and Washington,” said said Don Bodenmiller, sport halibut project leader for ODFW. “That’s down about 10 percent from last year, but is about the same as the quota for the 2002 and 2003 fishery.”
The central coast spring all-depth season proposed dates are May 12-14, 19-21 and June 2-4, 9-11 from Cape Falcon (30 miles south of the Columbia River) south to Humbug Mountain (south of Port Orford). The gap in late May during the Thursday through Saturday pattern is to avoid days with extreme low tides when bar crossings out of Oregon ports can be dangerous.
Additional fishing days could be added if anglers don’t reach the spring quota of 173,372 pounds. There are 12 fixed days with a potential of 21 total for May, June and July. Those additional dates are June 30, July 1, 2, 14, 15, 16, 28, 29 and 30. The open days 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:
http://hmsc.oregonstate.edu/odfw.
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 overfished. The closed area is defined by latitude and longitude waypoints, which are available on the Marine Resources Program Web site at:
http://hmsc.oregonstate.edu/odfw.
One change to this year’s season is that there is no minimum length. In previous years, halibut less than 32 inches long had to be released off Oregon and California. Another change for 2005, sport anglers do not have to keep the first fish they catch.
For the summer all-depth sport halibut season the quota for the Oregon central coast is 57,791 pounds. The fishery will be open on the following dates until the quota is taken: Aug. 5, 6, 7, 19, 20, 21 and Sept. 2, 3, 4, 16, 17, 18, 30 and Oct. 1, 2, 14, 15, 16, 28, 29 and 30. More days and possibly a second fish to the bag limit will be added if the catch is low, Bodenmiller said.
The fishery north of Cape Falcon (north coast) and south of Humbug Mountain (south coast) also opens May in all-depth
waters seven days a week until those areas take their quota.
Sport anglers are reminded not to retain groundfish north of Humbug Mountain when a Pacific halibut is aboard their vessel during all-depth Pacific halibut dates. The one exception is sablefish, which may be retained with halibut in May and October.
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