Effective July 28, 2020
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces additional season dates for the Washington and Columbia River Pacific halibut recreational fisheries in Area 2A (Washington, Oregon, and California). The inseason action is effective on July 28, 2020. You can access Pacific halibut information on the NOAA Fisheries website.
The additional dates for the Puget Sound and North Coast subareas are August 6-8, 13-15, 20-22, 27-29, September 3-5, 10-12, 17-19, and 24-26, 2020. For the South Coast, the additional season dates are August 6, 13, 16, 20, 23, 27, 30, September 3, 6, 10, 13, 17, 20, 24, and 27, 2020. If catch and effort are lower than anticipated, NMFS may also announce additional fishing days for the South Coast on the NMFS hotline at 206-526-6667 or 800-662-9825, that may include August 28, September 4, and September 11, 2020.
Additional openings have also been added to the Pacific halibut recreational season in the Columbia River subarea. The additional season dates for the all-depth fishery are August 6, 13, 16, 20, 23, 27, 30, September 3, 6, 10, 13, 17, 20, 24, and 27, 2020. If catch and effort are lower than anticipated, NMFS may also announce additional fishing days for the Columbia River on the NMFS hotline at 206-526-6667 or 800-662-9825, that may include August 28, September 4, and September 11, 2020. For the nearshore fishery, additional season dates begin August 10, 2020, and continue on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday each week until the nearshore allocation is taken or September 30, 2020, whichever is earlier.
The NOAA Fisheries halibut hotline at (800) 662-9825 has the most up-to-date information for both the commercial (directed and incidental) and recreational Area 2A fisheries. There may be state-instituted regional closures that impact the open dates mentioned below; check with the Department of Fish and Wildlife for your respective state for more information. State-specific Pacific halibut fishery information is available at the following websites:
Washington: https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/halibut
Oregon: https://www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/finfish/halibut/management.asp
California: https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Pacific-Halibut
