Sport Fishing for Halibut in Alaska

Summary of halibut sport fishing regulations for unguided and guided anglers in Areas 2C and 3A, and all sport halibut anglers elsewhere in Alaska.

Alaska

Sport halibut caught near Angoon in Southeast Alaska.

The following Sport Fishing Regulations are excerpted from International Pacific Halibut Commission annual management measures for 2024. If you are fishing with a guide (on a charter) in Area 2C or 3A, additional restrictions apply. If you are fishing with a guide (on a charter) outside of Areas 2C and 3A, the regulations are the same as for unguided anglers.

Recreational (Sport) Fishing for Halibut-General

(revised March 11, 2024)

Annual Management Measures Section 25

(1) No person shall engage in recreational (sport) fishing for Pacific halibut using gear other than a single line with no more than two hooks attached; or a spear.

(2) Any size limit promulgated under IPHC or NOAA Fisheries regulations shall be measured in a straight line passing over the pectoral fin from the tip of the lower jaw with the mouth closed, to the extreme end of the middle of the tail as depicted in Figure 2 for recreational (sport) fishing size limits for halibut taken on charter vessels.

(3) Any Pacific halibut brought aboard a vessel and not immediately returned to the sea with a minimum of injury will be included in the daily bag limit of the person catching the Pacific halibut.

(4) No person may possess Pacific halibut on a vessel while fishing in a closed area.

(5) No Pacific halibut caught by recreational (sport) fishing shall be offered for sale, sold, traded, or bartered.

(6) No Pacific halibut caught in recreational (sport) fishing shall be possessed on board a vessel when other fish or shellfish aboard said vessel are destined for commercial use, sale, trade, or barter.

(7) The operator of a charter vessel shall be liable for any violations of these Regulations committed by an angler on board said vessel. In Alaska, the charter vessel guide, as defined in 50 CFR 300.61 and referred to in 50 CFR 300.65, 300.66, and 300.67, shall be liable for any violation of these Regulations committed by an angler on board a charter vessel.

Recreational (Sport) Fishing for Halibut - IPHC Areas 2C, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E

Annual Management Measures Section 28

(1) In Convention waters in and off Alaska*

(a) The recreational (sport) fishing season is from February 1 to December 31.

(b) The daily bag limit is two Pacific halibut of any size per day per person unless a more restrictive bag limit applies in Commission regulations or Federal regulations at 50 CFR 300.65.

(d) No person shall possess on board a vessel, including charter vessels and pleasure craft used for fishing, Pacific halibut that have been filleted, mutilated, or otherwise disfigured in any manner, except that each Pacific halibut may be cut into no more than 2 ventral pieces, 2 dorsal pieces, and 2 cheek pieces, with a patch of skin on each piece, naturally attached. Either one dorsal piece or one ventral piece from one Pacific halibut on board may be consumed;

(e) Pacific halibut in excess of the possession limit in paragraph (1)(c) of this section may be possessed on a vessel that does not contain recreational (sport) fishing gear, fishing rods, hand lines, or gaffs.

(f) Pacific halibut harvested on a charter vessel fishing trip in IPHC Regulatory Areas 2C or 3A must be retained on board the charter vessel on which the Pacific halibut was caught until the end of the charter vessel fishing trip as defined at 50 CFR 300.61.

(g) Guided angler fish (GAF), as described at 50 CFR 300.65, may be used to allow a charter vessel angler to harvest additional Pacific halibut up to the limits in place for unguided anglers, and are exempt from the requirements in paragraphs (2) and (3) of this section; and

(h) if there is an annual limit on the number of Pacific halibut that may be retained by a charter vessel angler as defined at 50 CFR 300.61, for purposes of enforcing the annual limit, each charter vessel angler must:

(1) maintain a nontransferable harvest record in the angler's possession if retaining a Pacific halibut for which an annual limit has been established. Such harvest record must be maintained either on the angler's State of Alaska recreational (sport) fishing license, an ADFG approved electronic harvest record, or on a Sport Fishing Harvest Record Card obtained, without charge, from ADFG offices, the ADFG website, or fishing license vendors;

(2) immediately upon retaining a Pacific halibut for which an annual limit has been established, permanently and legibly record the date, location (IPHC Regulatory Area), and species of the catch (Pacific halibut) on the harvest record; and

(3) record the information required by paragraph 1(h)(2) on any duplicate or additional recreational (sport) fishing license issued to the angler, duplicate electronic harvest record, or any duplicate or additional Sport Fishing Harvest Record Card obtained by the angler for all Pacific halibut previously retained during that year that were subject to the harvest record reporting requirements of this Section.

(2) For guided recreational (sport) fishing (as referred to in 50 CFR 300.65) in IPHC Regulatory Area 2C:

(a) No person on board a charter vessel (as referred to in 50 CFR 300.65) shall catch and retain more than one Pacific halibut per calendar day, and

(b) No person on board a charter vessel (as referred to in 50 CFR 300.65) shall catch and retain from 1 February to 14 July any Pacific halibut that with head on is greater than 40 inches (101.6 cm) and less than 80 inches (203.2 cm), and from 15 July to 31 December, any Pacific halibut that with head on is greater than 36 inches (91.4 cm) and less than 80 inches (203.2 cm), as measured in a straight line, passing over the pectoral fin from the tip of the lower jaw with mouth closed, to the extreme end of the middle of the tail; and

(c) No person on board a charter vessel may catch and retain Pacific halibut in 2024 on any Friday from 19 July – 13 September.

(3) For guided recreational (sport) fishing (as referred to in 50 CFR 300.65) in IPHC Regulatory Area 3A:

(a) No person on board a charter vessel (as referred to in 50 CFR 300.65) shall catch and retain more than two Pacific halibut per calendar day.

(b) At least one of the retained Pacific halibut must have a head-on length of no more than 28 inches (71.1 cm) as measured in a straight line, passing over the pectoral fin from the tip of the lower jaw with mouth closed, to the extreme end of the middle of the tail. If a person recreational (sport) fishing on a charter vessel in IPHC Regulatory Area 3A retains only one Pacific halibut in a calendar day that Pacific halibut may be of any length.

(c) A “charter halibut permit” (as referred to in 50 CFR 300.67) may only be used for one charter vessel fishing trip in which Pacific halibut are caught and retained per calendar day. A charter vessel fishing trip is defined at 50 CFR 300.61 as the time period between the first deployment of fishing gear into the water by a charter vessel angler (as defined at 50 CFR 300.61) and the offloading of one or more charter vessel anglers or any Pacific halibut from that vessel. For purposes of this trip limit, a charter vessel fishing trip ends at 2359 (Alaska local time) on the same calendar day that the fishing trip began, or when any anglers or Pacific halibut are offloaded, whichever comes first.

(d) A charter vessel on which one or more anglers catch and retain Pacific halibut may only make one charter vessel fishing trip per calendar day. A charter vessel fishing trip is defined at 50 CFR 300.61 as the time period between the first deployment of fishing gear into the water by a charter vessel angler (as defined at 50 CFR 300.61) and the offloading of one or more charter vessel anglers or any Pacific halibut from that vessel. For purposes of this trip limit, a charter vessel fishing trip ends at 2359 (Alaska local time) on the same calendar day that the fishing trip began, or when any anglers or Pacific halibut are offloaded, whichever comes first.

(e) no person on board a charter vessel may catch and retain Pacific halibut in 2024 on any Wednesday.

*If you are required to comply with the regulations, you should rely on the current, actual regulatory text for Federal and State regulations, and not on this guide. For Federal regulations, please refer to the annual management measures under 50 CFR 300 or contact NOAA Fisheries