Following the Halibut: CDFW Tracks 2016 Recreational Pacific Halibut Catches to Keep Within Quota

Sport fisherman and California Recreational Fishery Survey staff with Pacific halibut. CDFW photo

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has monitored the recreational Pacific halibut catch to ensure it does not exceed the federally set annual quota since 2015. Active catch tracking during the season allows CDFW to manage the fishery in a timely and responsive way, and keep the catch within the quota.

The process for 2016 is the same one CDFW used to successfully track the fishery in 2015. CDFW tracks the catch using a combination of catch projections and catch estimates, and coordinates weekly with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC), and the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) regarding progress towards the quota. If catch projections indicate the quota may be exceeded, NMFS has the authority to close the fishery early.

Creature Feature: Pacific Halibut

The Pacific halibut ranges from Santa Rosa Island northward off California, but most are found north of Fort Bragg. They may be found from 20 to 3,600 ft. depths, and prefer deep, sandy bottom environments.

Recreational Pacific Halibut Fishery Closes Thursday August 13, 2015

CDFW staff collects data from Pacific halibut

After an active summer, the last day of recreational Pacific halibut fishing will be Wednesday, August 12, 2015. The season will be closed for the remainder of the year. Excellent weather during July and early August and a successful catch rate contributed to the early closure of the fishery by the International Pacific Halibut Commission and the National Marine Fisheries Service following consultation with CDFW.

This was the first year of a newly designed Pacific halibut season structure that provided for set open and closed periods of fishing. The short breaks between open periods were anticipated to spread fishing opportunity from May through October (the entirety of the previous season) without exceeding the quota.

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California’s Recreational Pacific Halibut Allocation to Increase For 2015

Sampler with Pacific halibut

The Pacific Fishery Management Council has made recommendations to increase the California Pacific halibut fishery allocation beginning in 2015 in response to greater interest in the northern California fishery, and new information indicating a higher abundance in California than when the formal Catch Sharing Plan (CSP) was originally adopted.

Pacific halibut is allocated among users on the West Coast (known as Area 2A) through a CSP that was developed in the late 1980s. Area 2A sectors include the recreational fisheries in Washington, Oregon and California,