2026 Pacific Halibut Recreational Fishery
Summary
On May 1, 2026, NOAA Fisheries published a final rule approving changes to the Pacific Halibut Catch Sharing Plan (CSP) for the International Pacific Halibut Commission 's (IPHC) regulatory Area 2A off Washington, Oregon, and California. This action also implements management measures for the 2026 recreational fisheries in Area 2A that are not implemented through the IPHC. These measures include the recreational fishing seasons and subarea allocations for Area 2A. These measures are intended to conserve Pacific halibut and provide angler opportunity where available.
2026 Area 2A Pacific Halibut Catch Sharing Plan Allocations
| Area | Pounds | Metric Tons |
|---|---|---|
| Area 2A TCEY | 1,650,000 | 748.4 |
| Area 2A FCEY (Catch Limit) | 1,540,000 | 694.0 |
| Non-tribal Recreational Allocations | ||
Washington Recreational Fishery (including Columbia River) | 286,356 | 129.9 |
| Washington Puget Sound | 80,512 | 36.5 |
| Washington North Coast | 131,149 | 59.5 |
| Washington South Coast | 65,857 | 29.9 |
| Columbia River | 19,299 | 8.8 |
| Oregon Recreational Fishery | 286,835 | 130.1 |
Oregon Central Coast Nearshore Spring all-depth Summer all-depth | 278,835 10,000 209,126 59,709 | 126.5 4.5 94.9 27.1 |
| Oregon Southern Coast | 8,000 | 3.6 |
| California Recreational Fishery | 40,040 | 18.2 |
| Northern California Coast | 39,540 | 17.9 |
| South of Point Arena | 500 | 0.2 |
2026 Area 2A 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 any 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 through September, up to 7 days per week. The area will be closed when there is not sufficient subarea allocation for another full day of fishing. |
| North Coast |
If any 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 through September, up to 7 days per week. The area will be closed when there is not sufficient subarea allocation for another full day of fishing. |
| South Coast primary |
If any 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 through September, up to 7 days per week. 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 |
Additionally, if NMFS determines that sufficient allocation is available to add fishing dates for this subarea in June NMFS may take inseason action to allow the fishery to open the following additional days in June:
The determination of whether allocation is sufficient to open these additional days will be based on catch and effort in May and projections for June. 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 through September, up to 7 days per week. The area will be closed when there is not sufficient subarea allocation for another full day of fishing. |
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 be closed 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
Any inseason action, including closures and reallocation, 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 2026 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 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, NOAA Fisheries approved a Council-recommended, long-term Catch Sharing Plan (pdf). The Council has recommended and NOAA Fisheries 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.