[ODFW-News] Season dates proposed for Pacific halibut sport anglers

Odfw News Odfw.News at state.or.us
Wed Feb 23 18:15:41 PST 2005


News Release

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife


For more information call Brandon Ford 541-867-0300, Ext. 277


Internet: www.dfw.state.or.us
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For immediate release
Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2005


 

Season dates proposed for Pacific halibut sport anglers 

 

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
<BLOCKED::BLOCKED::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
<BLOCKED::BLOCKED::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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