Recreational Pacific Halibut fishery closed in August

Enjoying your Pacific Halibut catch is quite a delight. But the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is reminding anglers that recreational fishing for Pacific Halibut will be closed for the month of August.

The season will reopen on Sept. 1 and run through Oct. 31.

A spokesperson for the department says the reason they’re closing for August is to reduce catch levels. Levels are set by the various regulatory bodies for Halibut fishing and in order to not exceed those levels, it’s necessary to close recreational Halibut fishing for August.

When the season reopens, both the daily bag and possession limit of Pacific halibut will be one fish, with no minimum size limit.

Pacific halibut fishing regulations are developed through a collaborative regulatory process involving CDFW, the Pacific Fishery Management Council, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the California Fish and Game Commission, the International Pacific Halibut Commission and other West Coast states.

For details regarding Pacific halibut management, please visit the CDFW website.