Halibut Landing Report No. 4

North Washington Coast Sport Fishery to Close

The north Washington coast (waters west of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line and south to the Queets River) sport halibut harvest through May 21 is 43,041 pounds. Preliminary indications suggest that three factors will contribute to higher than average catches in the week of May 22-28; 1) larger fish recruiting to the fishery, 2) increased effort from a holiday weekend, 3) continued good weather. Allowing additional fishing days after May 27 could result in exceeding the catch limit of 71,410 pounds. Therefore, the sport halibut fishery in this area will close at 11:59 p.m. on May 27. Sport fishing opportunities on the south Washington coast (waters south of the Queets River) and on the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound (waters east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line) are unaffected by this closure.

Fishing remains open in Canadian waters with a two fish daily bag limit, no size restriction. Anglers desiring to fish in Canadian waters are strongly urged to contact Canada Department of Fisheries and Oceans at (604) 666-0383/0583 for sport fishing information concerning licensing and the nautical description of closed areas.

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