Posts
OLYMPIA – The recreational halibut fishery off Ilwaco will close at the end of the day Sunday, June 1 after four weeks of fishing, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today.
Fishing ends at 11:59 p.m. on June 1, by which time anglers are expected to reach the 13,133-pound quota for the primary season in Marine Area 1, said Heather Reed, coastal policy coordinator.
The area has been open to halibut fishing seven days a week since May 1. Following the closure, the fishery will reopen for a late season Aug. 1, three days a week (Friday-Sunday) until the remaining quota is taken.
Reed reminds anglers that no other bottom fish may be taken, retained, possessed or landed, except sablefish and Pacific cod, if halibut are onboard the vessel.
Meanwhile, halibut fishing remains open two days a week (Sundays and Tuesdays) in Marine Area 2 off Westport. The fishery is also open five days a week (Thursday through Monday) in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and all other areas of Puget Sound except Hood Canal.
Halibut fishing in marine areas 3 and 4 will be open May 31 at all depths. The fishery in those two areas is scheduled to reopen June 17 and 19 with fishing restricted to the nearshore area and Marine Area 4B on those days, as specified in WDFW’s 2008-09 Fishing in Washington rules pamphlet.
