It’s official…opening day for halibut fishing is March 1st, and that means it’s “Game On” for Port Renfrew’s fishing once again. This time of year can yield the big slabs from the wild west coast of Vancouver Island…fewer fish caught, and usually at anchor, but they are bigger than average and sometimes monsters from the deep!
We look forward to the first reports of halibut catches, hopefully starting this Sunday. We can almost taste those fish and chips now…time to stock up on tartar sauce.
Good luck out there.
[and a word to the wise...it is still winter and that means potential for heavy weather...these winter days can be calm as they come, and things can change for the worse quickly, so make sure you keep an eye on the reports...have fun, but play safe!]
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Effective March 1, 2009, recreational fishing for halibut will be opened coastwide. The daily limit at the start of the season is one (1) per day with a possession limit of two (2).
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Category(s): |
RECREATIONAL – Fin Fish (Other than Salmon) |
Subject: |
FN0101-Halibut: Further to FN0037 & Amendment to FN0100 – Coastwide Opening and Limits |
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The department will implement a coastwide opening of the recreational halibut fishery:
Coastwide: --------- Effective 00:01 hours March 1, 2009 fishing for halibut will be opened coastwide. The daily limit at the start of the season is one (1) per day with a possession limit of two (2).
The exception to this opening is:
Areas 121, 23 and 123: --------------------- Effective 00:01 hours March 1, 2009 to 23:59 hours December 31, 2009:
- No person shall fish for or retain halibut, rockfish and lingcod in Area 121 outside the 12 nautical mile limit seaward of a line that begins at 48 degrees 34.000 minutes North latitude and 125 degrees 17.386 minutes West longitude and continues south easterly at a bearing of 116 degrees True to a point at 48 degrees 28.327 minutes North latitude and 125 degrees 01.687 minutes West longitude.
- Electronic licence conditions will be continued as follows: "no person who is not a Canadian resident may fish for or retain halibut under this licence in management Areas 121, 23 and 123."
In an effort to open the recreational fishery while some key issues with respect to the 2009 management plan remain unresolved, the initial halibut retention limit will be one per day, two in total possession. The department expects to complete its consultations with the recreational sector on the halibut management plan for 2009 before the end of February, including examining the feasibility of increasing the daily limits. The plan will include measures for monitoring and evaluating the catch in-season. Any changes in the management plan following these consultations will be announced in a subsequent Fishery Notice.
Variation Order No. 2009-67
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