Kiera Morgan

May 9, 20222 min

Pacific Halibut Sport Seasons Announced

The 2022 Pacific halibut sport seasons and regulations were recently adopted by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission:

  • Columbia River Subareas (Leadbetter Pt., WA to Cape Falcon, OR):

    • Nearshore season: Open Mondays through Wednesdays beginning May 9 inside the 40-fathom line until the 500-pound quota is met or through Sept. 30.

    • All-depth season: Open every Thursday and Sunday, May 5-26. If the 18,537-pound quota is not met, the fishery will open every Thursday and Sunday, June 2-30. If quota remains, ODFW will coordinate with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to determine additional openings.

  • Central Coast Subarea (Cape Falcon to Humbug Mountain):

    • Nearshore season: Open daily beginning May 1 inside the 40-fathom line until the quota (32,808 pounds) is met or through Oct. 31.

    • Spring all-depth season: Open daily May 12 – June 30. If any of the 169,963 quota remains, back-up dates are July 7-9 and July 21-23. Previously, this fishery was open Thursdays through Sundays only; this year's daily schedule gives anglers more opportunity to harvest a halibut.

    • Summer all-depth season: Open Aug. 4-6 and every other Thursday, Friday, and Saturday until the 67,445-pound quota is met or Oct. 31

  • Southern Oregon Subarea (Humbug Mountain to OR/CA border): Open daily beginning May 1 until the 8,000-pound quota is met or through Oct. 31.

For a map of the subareas, click here.

Pacific halibut regulations: https://myodfw.com/pacific-halibut-sport-regulations

  • Pacific halibut anglers must have a descending device onboard the vessel and use it to release any rockfish species when fishing 30 fathoms or deeper.

  • Anglers must immediately tag their harvested fish.

  • Anglers can keep one Pacific halibut daily, six per year.

  • The Stonewall Bank Yelloweye Rockfish Conservation Area (YRCA) located in the Central Coast Subarea is closed to Pacific halibut fishing.

  • Anglers on vessels possessing Pacific halibut or bottomfish are prohibited from fishing in the Stonewall Bank YRCA even when targeting legal species (salmon and tuna).

Reminder: important permanent regulations as of 2021:

  • During May, June, September, and October:

    • Bottomfish may be combined with all-depth Pacific halibut on days open to all-depth halibut.

    • Longleader gear fishing cannot be combined with all-depth halibut fishing.

  • During July and August:

    • Only sablefish, Pacific cod and other flatfish species (no other bottomfish species) can be combined with all-depth halibut except for longleader fishing as noted below.

    • The trip can be combined with offshore longleader fishing provided:

      • Longleader fishing must take place outside of 40 fathoms

      • Once rockfish are on board, no further halibut fishing is allowed.

See Pacific halibut sport regulations for more information.

    1850
    0