2024 Pacific Halibut Recreational Fishery
Summary
NOAA Fisheries announces publication of the final rule (89 FR 22966, April 3, 2024) to approve changes to the Pacific Halibut Catch Sharing Plan for the International Pacific Halibut Commission's regulatory Area 2A off Washington, Oregon, and California. This action also approves and implements management measures for the 2024 recreational fisheries in Area 2A that are not implemented through the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC). These measures include the recreational fishery seasons and subarea allocations for Area 2A. Additionally, this final rule includes a new inseason management provision to transfer anticipated uncaught recreational fishery allocation between states, as well as a new management line at Point Arena, California, creating two subareas with separate allocations off California. These actions are intended to conserve Pacific halibut and provide angler opportunity where available.
2024 Pacific Halibut Catch Sharing Plan Allocations
Area | Pounds | Metric Tons |
Area 2A TCEY | 1,650,000 | 748.43 |
Area 2A FCEY (Catch Limit) | 1,470,000 | 666.8 |
Non-tribal Recreational Allocations | ||
Washington Puget Sound | 81,729 | 37.1 |
Washington North Coast | 132,366 | 60.0 |
Washington South Coast Primary Nearshore | 67,074 65,074 2,000 | 30.4 29.5 0.9 |
Columbia River All-depth Nearshore | 18,612 18,112 500 | 8.4 8.2 0.2 |
Oregon Central Coast Nearshore Spring all-depth Summer all-depth | 266,161 31,939 167,681 66,540 | 120.7 14.5 76.0 30.2 |
Oregon Southern Coast | 8,000 | 3.6 |
Northern California Coast | 37,720 | 17.1 |
South of Point Arena | 500 | 0.2 |
2024 Recreational Fishing Seasons and Bag Limits
Washington
The daily bag limit is one Pacific halibut of any size per person.
Subarea | Season Dates |
Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca |
If the subarea allocation remains for at least another full day of fishing after June 30, NOAA Fisheries may take inseason action to reopen the fishery in August, up to 7 days per week, through September. The area will be closed when there is not sufficient subarea allocation for another full day of fishing. |
North Coast |
If the subarea allocation remains for at least another full day of fishing after June 30, NOAA Fisheries may take inseason action to reopen the fishery in August, up to 7 days per week, through September. The area will be closed when there is not sufficient subarea allocation for another full day of fishing. |
South Coast primary |
If sufficient subarea allocation remains for at least another full day of fishing after May 30, the primary fishery will reopen:
If the subarea allocation remains for at least another full day of fishing after June 30, NOAA Fisheries may take inseason action to reopen the fishery in August, up to 7 days per week, through September. The area will be closed when there is not sufficient subarea allocation for another full day of fishing. |
South Coast nearshore | When the South Coast subarea primary fishery does not have sufficient allocation to open for at least another full day of fishing, any remaining primary fishery allocation will be used to open a nearshore fishery. The nearshore fishery will open the first Saturday after the closure of the primary fishery and will be open 7 days per week until there is not sufficient nearshore fishery allocation remaining for another full day of fishing, at which point the area will be closed. |
Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca—Puget Sound and Strait of Juan de Fuca east of a line at approximately 124°23.70' W. long. (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Marine Areas 5-10)
North Coast—North of Queets River and west of the Sekiu River mouth (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Areas 3 and 4)
South Coast primary—Queets River south to Leadbetter Point (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Marine Area 2)
South Coast nearshore—Waters between 47°31.70’ N. lat. south to 46°58’ N. lat. and east of a boundary line approximating the 30 fm depth contour
More information about Pacific halibut fishing in Washington >
Columbia River
The daily bag limit is one Pacific halibut of any size per person.
Subarea | Season Dates |
All-depth |
If the subarea allocation remains for at least another full day of fishing after June 30, NOAA Fisheries may take inseason action to reopen the fishery in August, up to 7 days per week, through September. The area will be closed when there is not sufficient subarea allocation for another full day of fishing. |
Nearshore |
The area will be closed when there is not sufficient subarea allocation for another full day of fishing. |
All-depth—Between Leadbetter Point, WA and Cape Falcon, OR
Nearshore—Leadbetter Point to the Columbia River, connecting the following coordinates in Washington: 46°38.17' N. lat., 124°15.88' W. long. 46°16.00' N. lat., 124°15.88' W. long. and connecting to the boundary line approximating the 40-fm (73-m) 12 depth contour in Oregon
Oregon
The daily bag limit is two Pacific halibut of any size per person unless otherwise specified through inseason action.
Subarea | Season Dates |
Central Coast nearshore |
The area will be closed when there is not sufficient subarea allocation for another full day of fishing. |
Central Coast all-depth | Spring
The area will close when there is not sufficient subarea allocation for another full day of fishing. Summer
The area will close when the remaining combined spring all-depth fishery and summer all-depth fishery allocations in the Oregon Central Coast subarea is not sufficient for another full day of fishing. |
Southern Oregon |
The area will be closed when there is not sufficient subarea allocation for another full day of fishing. |
Central Coast nearshore (inside 40-fathom)—Cape Falcon south to Humbug Mountain, shoreward of a boundary line approximating the 40-fm depth contour
Central Coast all-depth—Cape Falcon south to Humbug Mountain
Southern Oregon—Humbug Mountain, to the Oregon/California border
More information about Pacific halibut fishing in Oregon >
California
The daily bag limit is one Pacific halibut of any size per person.
Subarea | Season Dates |
Northern California Coast |
The area will be closed when there is not sufficient subarea allocation for another full day of fishing. |
South of Point Arena |
The area will be closed when there is not sufficient subarea allocation for another full day of fishing. |
Northern California Coast—south of the Oregon/California border (42°00.00′ N lat.) to Point Arena (38°57.5′ N lat.).
South of Point Arena—Point Arena (38°57.5′ N lat.) to the U.S./Mexico border.
More information about Pacific halibut fishing in California >
Closures
In addition to the following areas, any closure will be announced in accordance with Federal regulations at 50 CFR 300.63(c)(3) and on the NMFS hotline at (206) 526–6667 or (800) 662–9825.
Washington
Recreational fishing for halibut is closed within Recreational Yelloweye Rockfish Conservation Areas off the north and south Washington coast subareas. See the Washington state regulations online for additional 2024 area closures in the Puget Sound subarea.
Oregon
A yelloweye rockfish conservation area off central Oregon, near Stonewall Bank, is closed to recreational fishing for halibut. Please check waypoints online.
Regulatory Background
Since 1988, the NOAA Fisheries (NMFS) has implemented catch sharing plans that allocate the IPHC regulatory Area 2A Pacific halibut catch limit between treaty tribal and non-tribal harvesters, and among non-tribal commercial and recreational fisheries. The Council develops catch sharing plans in accordance with the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982 (pdf). In 1995, NMFS approved a Council-recommended, long-term Catch Sharing Plan (pdf). The Council has recommended and NMFS has approved adjustments to the Catch Sharing Plan each year to address the changing needs of these fisheries. In addition, each year NMFS must issue management measures to govern the recreational fishery (50 CFR 300.63(b)(1)). These measures include the recreational fishery seasons, allocations, closed areas, and bag limits for Area 2A.
Additional Information
- Pacific Halibut Fishing on the West Coast
- Area 2A Pacific Halibut Recreational Charter Vessel License Application
- The NOAA Fisheries Pacific halibut hotline at (800) 662-9825 has the most up-to-date information for recreational Area 2A fisheries.
- International Pacific Halibut Commission Regulations
- For information on retaining groundfish, please see West Coast Groundfish and federal regulations.
For More Information
Email nmfs.wcr.halibut@noaa.gov
Any discrepancies between this Public Notice and the Federal Register will be resolved in favor of the Federal Register.