[ODFW-News] Halibut season, bag limit increases

[ODFW News]

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 	
For more information call 800-720-6339 	
Internet: www.dfw.state.or.us  


For immediate release	Wednesday, September 22, 2004

Halibut season, bag limit increases

NEWPORT - Beginning Friday, Sept. 24, fishing for Pacific halibut at
all depths opens every Friday through Sunday from Cape Falcon to Humbug
Mountain (Central Oregon subarea). It is scheduled to remain open
through Oct. 31 or until the quota is taken, whichever comes first. The
bag limit for this fishery also increases to two fish.

The change adds up to 12 more open days to the Central Oregon subarea
outside the 40 fathom line. 
Inside 40 fathoms, the fishery will continue to be open seven days a
week and the bag limit increases to two halibut beginning Sept. 24. This
inside fishery also is expected to continue through Oct. 31. The minimum
size for each halibut will remain at 32 inches. The annual limit is six
Pacific halibut for each angler.

"The harvest in the fishery has been lower than expected," said
Eric Schindler, fisheries biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife Marine Resources Program. "Weather conditions and poor
ocean conditions contributed to the low harvest in the fishery and we
wanted to provide more opportunity for anglers to harvest the remaining
quota."

Fishing for halibut north of Cape Falcon and south of Humbug Mountain
is closed for the year because fishers harvested the quotas for these
areas.

Anglers are reminded that fishing is closed for lingcod, cabezon,
greenling and all rockfish species except yellowtail rockfish caught
outside 40 fathoms beginning Oct. 1. For a list of waypoints for the
40-fathom line please see the listing in the ODFW's Marine Resources
Program Web page at www.hmsc.oregonstate.edu/odfw/regs/recregs.html.
###