Last year, we had just over 225,000 lbs for WA waters. We ended up with approximately 52,000 lbs. The new base of 1.5Mlbs will give the sport fleet 675,675 lb for WA, OR, and CA each year for the next four years unless there is a major crash in the biomass.

I would suggest that you read through the 2A catch share plan to see how the quota is disbursed between all the active fisheries.

https://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov...halibut-csp.pdf

We've been trying to get a season structure re-established in WA waters for years. When the quota is done on an annual basis, it is hard to run a management program.

We're slowly, we think, making progress on chances for a "season". Last year, we finally had an annual limit established for WA waters of four fish. This year, anyone fishing for halibut will need a halibut CRC ($5) so that the state will finally get some solid numbers on how many halibut anglers are in the state. We know that it isn't the 300,000 +/- that "could/might" fish for halibut based on the current issuance of halibut CRCs. Having good numbers will/should result in better catch estimates. Having a solid catch base will help.

We're going to have to see what the harvest numbers are for 2019 compared to 2018 and previous years. In 2016, because of the number of halibut CRCs issued, the state used an expansion factor of 11.7 to estimate total harvest. For areas 5,6,7, and 9 the raw CRC count of halibut was 591 fish. Using their expansion factor of 11.7, the Puget Sound catch estimate was 6,611 halibut. For the ocean, the CRC showed 863 fish and an expanded estimate of 9908 fish for total halibut landing of 16,519 fish.

Since the IPHC manages on pounds landed, there is a strong argument to be made for a maximum size to protect the spawning females. Canada has a one per day and two fish field possession limit (with one fish under 45" and one fish under 32". You have to take the fish home before you can take two more. They have an annual limit of 6 fish. These size limits effectively protect the spawning female populations.

We will continue to work for a season structure so we can be safe on the water. We would hope we might see something in the next couple of years.