Halibut Seasons !!!

[robodad]

I would really like to know how the WDFW sets the seasons for halibut in area 3-4, I read that there is a quota that is set and when the quota is met the season is closed, and my question is how do they know how many fish I catch and how big they are, no one has ever checked me to see what size my fish are nor have I ever seen anyone doing any sort of check at the dock !! This baffles me really cause now the commission says WE (the anglers) caught 20,000lbs of halibut over the quota last year and if I remember last year is when they had several extra days open in June cause of the low harvest rates during the regular season.

Then they cut days from this season !!!

This really sounds fishey to me (pardon the pun) but who really knows anything !!

Sounds like the current administration IMO !!!

[HawkenBob]

Just like crab test fisheries are done. They gather the data from the test fisheries and develop the model. Once established the quota is set and depending on size the seasons reflect the allowable harvest. Our quota is way down this year so the quota is lower and the season reflects it.

There is no way they can check everyone. an avarage is generated by what they do check. And its not exact science. But the forecast "test fishery" has shown that stocks are down. Also, by haveing limited days, it gives them a better chance to keep up with harvest, so we dont over harvest again. The national marine fisheries manages hali, not WDFW. They just enforce.

So ya, like salmon, its not exact, but this way if they dont reach quota, the season gets extended and you get a better chance of BIG females rolling into the straights as the season extends into that period were the BIGGIES are comin in to spawn. If ya ever get a chance to fish Whiskey creek area in 70 feet of water in the latter part of the season, you may find this out!!! Years ago in a 7 day stretch, our group netted 1100 pounds!

 

[HawkenBob]

Also, this years quota is also down from a Sablefish fishery that had Halibut by catch. I suspect hali bycatch is worth more than Sabe's.  So why not target by catch?

[robodad]

I hear ya on Whiskey Creek, that's my favorite spot !!!  but looooooooong way to motor with a big boat !!!

So what if these "Test Fisheries" happen to fish on a poor day (like most of mine) ?? the fish may still be there but not biting or maybe they are in a different area ??

They have this down to an exact science like this Area 5 and 6 have a combined "Quota"of exactly 57,393 yet there are set days to fish (beginning and end) so how do they (commission or WDFW) know what is being caught and how do they know when exactly 57,393 lbs have been caught and do they close the season, I don't think I can remember a season in area 6 that was extended because the quota had not been attained but they still close it right on schedule ?? 

[HawkenBob]

They dont need there "mouth" to get caught in a bottom drag net!

[HawkenBob]

Theres nothing exact about it. And they dont know exactly. Its "Best available science" Like I said the models are created from averages. And they try to error in favor of the fish. Just like when they predict 240,342 Springers will return. Then only 185,932 make it back. We fish hard and tear em up. By the time they catch up with "avarages", were over quota.

So then averages and seasons are set, the fishery happens, then the punchcards get returned. If the punchcards returned average more than the model avarage, we went over and next years get's curtailed.

So we suffer every year based on an average, that we usaually go over by the time they count punch cards. Thats why on the Big C they do fly overs. To count boats and creel reports gives them an average per boat.