Hot Topics

• Season map 2012 (pdf, 1 page)
  The staff-recommended seasons were adopted without change by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission at its meeting on April 20 and are now final.
  
  
• Estimates and 2012 quota status (updated Thursday, May 17)
  
  
• Average weight 2012 (pdf, 1 page)
  
  
• Research moorings in NW area of Stonewall Bank, west of Newport (pdf, 1 page)
  Vessels please use caution or avoid this area if possible.

• A catch limit of 0.989 million pounds for the West Coast was adopted by the International Pacific Halibut Commission at its annual meeting. This is a 9% increase from 2011 (0.910 million pounds). Read the IPHC news release
  
  
• The Pacific Fishery Management Council adopted these changes for 2012:
  
  
• Columbia River Subarea
  • Allocate 80% of the subarea quota to the May-July period and 20% to the August-September period.
  • Change the Oregon contribution to the subarea quota to equal the Washington contribution.
    
    
• Oregon Central Coast Subarea
  • Change allocation of the subarea quota to 63% spring all-depth (was 67%) and 12% nearshore (was 8%). (There is no change to the summer all-depth allocation of 25%).
  • Allow remaining quota from the spring fishery to be transferred to either the summer fishery quota or the nearshore fishery quota.
    
    
• South of Humbug Mt. Subarea
  • No changes.

Watch a Pacific halibut escape from a commercial pink shrimp trawler. (1.3 mb) Requires Windows Media Player

This video was taken in 2005 during ODFW research to reduce fishery bycatch of small flatfish and juvenile rockfish using a BRD (bycatch reduction device).