LAST WEEK, THE state department of Fish and Wildlife held its final 2018 halibut season options meeting in Montesano.
I was otherwise occupied writing stories and designing pages that day, but Sequim’s Dave Croonquist, a member of the Puget Sound Anglers, the Coastal Conservation Association and the Olympic Peninsula Halibut and Salmon Coalition, was one of about 70 anglers in attendance.
He passed along a summary of what went down at the meeting and I’ll offer up the most important information.
No pooling quota
There will be no changes to how quota allocations are managed. A shared-quota management strategy had been put forward as a potential option.
“We will continue to fish halibut on the same days for the South Coast, North Coast, and Puget Sound, and each area will fish on its own quota,” Croonquist said.
“There will be no pooling of quota for the three areas.”
Sablefish trade
The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (PFMC) Groundfish Advisory Panel approved a change (to be voted on at the November PFMC meeting) that would drop the ceiling cap of 70,000 pounds of sport halibut that goes to the sablefish fleet to 50,000 pounts unless the Total Allowed Catch (TAC) for the Area 2A Catch Share Plan goes above 1.5 million pounds. If that happens, the commercial sablefish (black cod) fleet would absorb that 20,000-pound cut.
If approved in November, Croonquist said he understands this to mean adding 20,000 pounds to the sport quota base, raising it from 214,412 pounds to 234,412 pounds.
“The sablefish fleet would get between 10,000 pounds and 50,000 pounds depending on what the Area 2A total allowable catch is set. The state sport fleet would then pick up any extra poundage above the 50,000 pound allotment.
“Let’s hope the biomass surveys done by the International Pacific Halibut Commission continue to show an increase in halibut density.”
I’d consider this a small win for the Olympic Peninsula Halibut and Salmon Coalition.
The group has advocated for gaining back sport halibut given to commercial anglers.
No bag limit change for now
Croonquist said a move to institute an annual bag limit of two to six halibut per angler “drew considerable discussion but more analysis needs to be done.” Current regulations allow anglers to keep one halibut a day with no minimum size restriction.
Catch record card
Croonquist said the idea of a stand-alone halibut catch record card was discussed.
“Something needs to happen so [Fish and Wildlife] can complete a more timely collection of halibut catch data to compare against the creel checks on the docks [instead of] waiting up to 18 months after the close of the season to compile the catch record card information.”
The idea that a halibut I counted on my catch record card from a June 2016 charter trip may yet to be counted by the state is troubling to say the least.
Likely fishing dates
No dates are guaranteed by the state as catch record totals and quota allocations won’t be known until January’s IPHC meeting.
Croonquist said the four pretty sure dates assuming no heavy harvest numbers in each area are Friday and Sunday, May 11 and May 13 and Friday and Sunday, May 25 and 27.
Other potential dates, depending on harvest totals, would be June 7, 9, 21, 23, 28 and 30.
Fish and Wildlife’s season proposal will be out soon and will be an action item at the PFMC meeting in Costa Mesa, Calif. on Nov. 16.
Croonquist said he will attend that meeting.
Links to the meeting agenda and more information is available at tinyurl.com/PDN-PFMC17.
Teal, Gibbs stocked
Jefferson County’s Teal and Gibbs lakes joined Lake Leland in receiving fall trout plants by Fish and Wildlife.
Lake Leland received a plant of 2,056 large rainbow trout back on Oct. 2.
Teal was planted with 150 bigger rainbows on Oct. 5 and Gibbs Lake had 350 larger rainbows planted that same day.
