Newport News-Times: All-depth Pacific halibut sport fishery opens this week:


The all-depth Pacific halibut sport fishery will be open between Cape Falcon and Humbug Mountain Thursday through Saturday, June 22-24. More than 30,000 pounds of the spring all-depth quota remain available to the fishery.

If sufficient quota remains after June 24, the spring all-depth fishery may continue on one or more of the following days: July 6, 7, 8, 20, 21 and 22.

Open dates will be announced on the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) hotline, 800-662-9825, and posted on the ODFW website at www.dfw.state.or.us/mrp/ (click on the picture of the halibut).

The nearshore Pacific halibut fishery is open seven days a week shoreward of the 40-fathom curve (defined by waypoints) between Cape Falcon and Humbug Mountain is scheduled to begin August 5 under a separate quota.

Regulations from previous all-depth periods are still in effect. Specific regulations for Pacific halibut can be found in the '2006 Oregon Sport Ocean Regulations for Salmon, Halibut and Other Marine Species' booklet. General fishing regulations are found in the Oregon Sport Fishing 2006 Regulations booklet.

The daily bag limit for Pacific halibut is one fish, and the annual limit is six. There is no minimum length requirement.

When Pacific halibut are onboard the vessel, retention of groundfish species, except sablefish (black cod), is prohibited on all-depth halibut days between Cape Falcon and Humbug Mountain. The high-relief area of Stonewall Bank (located approximately 15 miles west of Newport and defined by waypoints) is closed to Pacific halibut fishing at all times.