Early Halibut Opening

[carpeweekend]

Good news. Halibut is opening on Tuesday.

Category(s):
RECREATIONAL - Fin Fish (Other than Salmon)


Fishery Notice - Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Subject: FN0067-Recreational - Fin Fish (Other than Salmon) - Halibut - Fishery Opening February 1, 2022

Effective at 00:01 hours February 1, 2022 until further notice recreational fishing for halibut will open coast-wide with the following measures in effect as noted below:

Licensing:

The 2021/2022 Tidal Waters Sport Fishing Licences and Conditions of Licence, are in effect until March 31, 2022. The 2022/2023 Tidal Waters Sport Fishing Licences and Conditions of Licence will be in effect from April 1, 2022 until March 31, 2023.

A subsequent Fishery Notice will be released prior to the start of the 2022/2023 Tidal Waters Sport Fishing Licence which will announce the recreational halibut fishing measures from April 1, 2022 onward

Limits and sizes:

Effective at 00:01 hours February 1, 2022 until March 31, 2022:

The daily limit is one (1) halibut per day.

The possession limit for halibut is EITHER of:

---- one (1) halibut measuring 90 cm to 133 cm in length (69 cm to 102 cm head-off),

OR

---- two (2) halibut, each measuring under 90 cm in length (69 cm head-off).

No person shall retain a Halibut greater than 133 cm head-on length (102 cm head-off).

 

[bryce]

Awesome on time for the first time in along time

 

[2xeagle16]

Anyone have info on when recreational halibut will open in 2023?

 

[SpringVelocity]

not yet...

 

[Captain PartyMarty]

I was hoping they where going to keep the 3 under 90.....

 

[Capt_Ed]

The IPHC meeting is not till the last week of Jan so until the quotas are set there isn't going to be an opening date.

 

[searun]

How things are sorted out at the IPHC (Jan 23 - 27) will have a lot to do with determining how much available TAC we have to work with and possibly decisions around season start date. A complicating factor this year is Canada and US are negotiating a new agreement on how the coast-wide TAC is apportioned. The existing agreement and formula used to determine apportionment has expired. Timing wise if there is a reduction in TAC, that could make it a bit challenging to assess how to approach planning the new season regulations that cover April 1 to March 31. Even though the IPHC agreement allows for the season to start Feb 1, we are bound by the regulations placed into the Condition of License issued in writing on your tidal water license. So when the season opens prior to April 1, the regulations we have to work with are those in play last season up until March 31.

 

[Bent-Tip]

Do you know if we used all the recreation quota up for 2022/2023?

 

[Dale66]

no, rarely do

Do you know if we used all the recreation quota up for 2022/2023?

 

[Dale66]

Do you know if we used all the recreation quota up for 2022/2023?

90,000lbs under

 

[SVIAC]

The IPHC meeting in Victoria has just wrapped up and US and Cdn commissioners have adopted a reduction for this season. The catch for 2023 is down by 10.3% coast-wide over last year. This isn't as bad as it sounds as we left 90,000+ lbs in the water in 2022. So we might be able to fish close to last year's limits.

SVIAC attended the meeting as a Conference Board delegate as usual.

Canada is 2B management area on the halibut map (see picture below) and the total allowable catch confirmed for Canada in 2023 is 6.78 million lbs. (7.56 M lbs in 2022) - this should leave the public fishery with a little more that 900,000 lbs of TAC for the year ahead. And in the next couple of weeks, the SFAB fishing plan that will come into effect on April 1 will be made public.

I'd speculate we can expect a February 1st opening for the BC public fishery (not confirmed at time of posting!!)

Chris Bos

 

[SVIAC]

I can confirm that the SFAB Halibut Committee just approved a February 1st opening for the public halibut fishery in BC and the daily limit is one (1) fish with a possession limit of EITHER one (1) halibut between 90 cm and 133 cm OR 2 halibut less than 90 cm.

DFO are getting the fishery noticed signed off and expect notification early next week.

The season will open under the existing 2022-2023 fishing plan that will be in effect until March 31st. The 2023-2024 season fishing plan will be decided upon oiver the next few weeks and once approved will go into effect on April 1

 

[Confused]

Any word on size and posession limits for this upcoming season?

 

[Saskasomebody]

Any word on size and posession limits for this upcoming season?

Same working at a lodge this summer, curious how the regs will shake out...

 

[Dale66]

Lower than it should be

 

[Newf]

I can confirm that the SFAB Halibut Committee just approved a February 1st opening for the public halibut fishery in BC and the daily limit is one (1) fish with a possession limit of EITHER one (1) halibut between 90 cm and 133 cm OR 2 halibut less than 90 cm.

DFO are getting the fishery noticed signed off and expect notification early next week.

The season will open under the existing 2022-2023 fishing plan that will be in effect until March 31st. The 2023-2024 season fishing plan will be decided upon oiver the next few weeks and once approved will go into effect on April 1

I had asked a question on Daily Limits under the Sooke Reports thread but will ask it here in a more appropriate thread. It says a daily limit of (1) but I was told by others at the dock and in the Sooke Reports thread that you can catch 2 under 90cm. That 2 under 90cm in this notice is the possession limit and not the daily limit.

When we have been allowed 2 per day under 90cm the notice has been worded as shown below. The latest notice that I can find is the one above in this thread and (The daily limit is one (1) halibut per day) with no exception noted. Has there been another notice showing that we can keep 2 per day under 90cm because the notice above is not saying that.

Notice the wording in last years.

Effective April 1, 2022 until December 31, 2022:
The daily and possession limit for Halibut is EITHER of:
---- one (1) Halibut measuring 90 cm to 133 cm in length (69 cm to 102 cm head-off),
OR
---- two (2) Halibut, each measuring under 90 cm in length (69 cm head-off).

 

[Stoisy]

Nothing on the DFO fishery notices page

Fisheries and Oceans Canada | Fishery Notices

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

notices.dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Only FN0100. So the limit is one per day, but you can keep two under 90cm in possession, caught over two-days.

Effective at 00:01 hours February 1, 2023 until March 31, 2023:

The daily limit is one (1) halibut per day.

The possession limit for halibut is EITHER of:

---- one (1) halibut measuring 90 cm to 133 cm in length (69 cm to 102 cm head-off),

OR

---- two (2) halibut, each measuring under 90 cm in length (69 cm head-off).


etc....

 

[Newf]

Thanks Stoisy. I had heard from another member who confirmed 1 per day as well.

Sooooo, for those who think that you can keep 2 per day under 90cm,,,, keep an eye out for the DFO boat bearing down on you.

 

[wildmanyeah]

I just received this email from DFO.............

Daily Limit:
The possession limit for halibut is EITHER of: one (1) halibut measuring 90 cm to 133 cm in length (69 cm to 102 cm head-off), OR
two (2) halibut, each measuring under 90 cm in length (69 cm head-off).

No person shall retain a halibut greater than 133 cm head-on length (102 cm head-off). Head-off measurements are made from the base of the pectoral fin at its most forward point to the extreme end of the middle of the tail.

Possession Limit:
The maximum number of fish you can have in your possession at any given time, except for what is at your ordinary residence.
As per the regulations highlighted above, your possession limit for more than 1 day would be either:

2 Halibut over 90 cm or 4 all under the size of 90cm.


Edward Panis
Fisheries and Oceans Canada/Government of Canada
Edward.Panis@dfo-mpo.gc.ca / Tel: 604-666-1704
Pêches et Océans Canada / Gouvernement du Canada
Edward.Panis@dfo-mpo.gc.ca / Tel: 604-666-1704

is that new for this year because the possession limit online notice says

Limits and sizes:

Effective at 00:01 hours February 1, 2023 until March 31, 2023:

The daily limit is one (1) halibut per day.

The possession limit for halibut is EITHER of:

---- one (1) halibut measuring 90 cm to 133 cm in length (69 cm to 102 cm head-off),

OR

---- two (2) halibut, each measuring under 90 cm in length (69 cm head-off).


No person shall retain a Halibut greater than 133 cm head-on length (102 cm head-off).

 

[wildmanyeah]

If people could take home two over 90 that would be a game changer for the amount lodges could send people home with