WDFW NEWS RELEASE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
http://wdfw.wa.gov/

May 20, 2015
Contact: Heather Reed, (360) 249-4628, ext. 202

Halibut fishing off Neah Bay, La Push
to close May 21, will re-open May 23

OLYMPIA - Halibut fishing will be closed tomorrow (May 21) off the state's north coast but will re-open for a final day of fishing on May 23, Washington fishery managers announced today.

Anglers are expected to reach the 108,030-pound halibut quota in marine areas 3 (La Push) and 4 (Neah Bay) after one more day of fishing, said Heather Reed, coastal policy coordinator for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

Those marine areas had been scheduled to be open for halibut fishing Thursday, when the weather is forecast to be marginal. Department staff consulted with sport fishing representatives and agreed to hold the final day of halibut fishing on Saturday, when weather is expected to improve, Reed said.

"We apologize for the short notice," Reed said. "We typically like to give more warning of a closure. But we want to give anglers a good chance to catch a halibut and we believe the better opportunity to do so will be on Saturday."

In all marine areas open to halibut fishing, there is a one-fish daily catch limit and no minimum size restriction. Anglers may possess a maximum of two fish in any form and must record their catch on a WDFW catch record card.

More information about Washington's halibut fisheries can be found on WDFW's website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/creel/halibut/ .