Central Oregon Coast All-depth Sport Halibut Fishery Open Friday, August 17, 2001

The all-depth sport halibut fishery between Cape Falcon and Humbug Mountain will be open for one day only on Friday, August 17, 2001. Action was taken in accordance with the Catch Sharing Plan to permit additional fishing when only 36,000 pounds was harvested from an expected catch of nearly 78,000 pounds during fishing on August 3 and 4. About 42,000 pounds is available for harvest.

The August 8 non-treaty commercial fishing period in Area 2A resulted in very few landings with low catches. A revised estimate of the directed commercial catch limit that remains is 17,000 pounds.

Area 2A will reopen on August 22 for 10 hours from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. local time. The fishery is restricted to waters that are south of Point Chehalis, Washington (46^o53’18"N. latitude) under regulations promulgated by National Marine Fisheries Service. Fishing period limits as indicated in the following table will be in effect for this opening.

*Weights are after 2% has been deducted for ice and slime if fish are not washed prior to weighing.

The appropriate vessel length class and letter are printed on each halibut license.

The fishing period limit is shown in terms of dressed, head-off weight as well as dressed, head-on weight, although fishermen are reminded that regulations require that all halibut from Area 2A be landed with the head on.

It is estimated that the following catches and numbers of landings were made in the British Columbia IVQ and in the Alaskan IFQ/CDQ fisheries through August 14, 2001.

The Alaskan catch represents 66% of the catch limit. For comparison, from March 15 to August 14, 2000, 37,825 million pounds, or 67% of the 2000 catch limit, were landed in the Alaskan IFQ/CDQ fishery. From March 15 to August 14, 2000, 6.9 million pounds, or 65% of the catch limit, were landed from Area 2B (British Columbia) compared to 60% in 2001.