Central coast all-depth halibut fishing closes until August, July 7

After fishing last weekend nearly exhausted the available spring quota, the spring all-depth Pacific halibut fishery on Oregon’s central coast is closed until Aug. 7. “Last weekend there was just enough good weather and good fishing to push us to within 1,500 pounds of the spring all-depth quota,” said Lynn Mattes, ODFW’s project leader for halibut. “That’s not enough quota to open any additional days this spring, but that remaining quota will be added to the summer season that opens in August.” The spring all-depth Pacific halibut fishery for the central coast subarea (from Cape Falcon south to Humbug Mountain) was open 12 days over four different periods, resulting in the harvest of approximately 109,163 pounds of Pacific halibut. The summer all-depth fishery will open Aug. 7 with a quota of approximately 45,000 pounds. The summer season for the central coast all-depth fishery is scheduled to be open every other Friday and Saturday until the all-depth quota is taken or Oct. 31, whichever is earlier. Fishing for halibut in the Central Coast Subarea is still allowed seven days per week inside the 40-fathom line until the quota is reached or Oct. 31. On the north coast (the Columbia River Subarea; from Leadbetter Point, Wash., to Cape Falcon), nearshore halibut fishing is open seven days a week until the quota is taken or Sept. 30. On the south coast (the Southern Oregon Subarea; from Humbug Mountain to the OR/CA Border) the halibut fishery is open seven days per week until the quota is reached or Oct. 31.