Here is an email from a friend on the halibut board.
Hello all,
Appears I lied, sort of. The quota set for Puget Sound is not a quota per se. The 2004 halibut fishing rules (Federal Register Vol 69 pg 24525 item (i)) states "there is no quota. This area is managed by setting a season that is projected to result in a catch of 76220 lb (34.6 mt).

What this means is there is no way for WDFW to monitor the catch in season therefore they set the lenght of the season by using amount of catch/day type figures gathered from previous years (three year average I think) crc records to not exceed the 76220 lb for 2004. Expect the quota (not) to drop for 2005 but not necessarily the number of days.
WDFW also conventiently uses the argument that as long as you're getting the quota (not), why do you need earlier openers?
Keep in mind, even WDFW admits their data is only +- 23% accurate, therefore requiring them to err on the high side to be sure and not exceed the quota (not).


I asked for catch card reports next.
Ron