THE NEWSROOM
Halibut fishing in Washington opens April 22 in Marine Areas 3 and 4 .
inside Puget Sound . Due to the delayed fishery last year the quota for sport anglers was not met , with only 62 percent of the allowable harvest of 178,622 pounds caught . In 2019 anglers caught 90 percent of the quota during the spring and summer seasons . Part of the low catch rates last year could be due to the closure of Neah Bay and La Push , both ports being on tribal reservations that kept their borders closed due to Covid . This spring is no different with the tribal lands still closed for now .
Anglers will need to run out of Westport or Sekiu to reach Marine Areas 3 and 4 , which are popular halibut areas . WDFW took this into account and are hoping for better tides , and weather but remind anglers to plan accordingly for the long trip to the halibut grounds . The season is set to be open on Thursdays , Fridays and Saturdays until late June . Be sure to check the regulations for exact dates in each marine area .
ALASKA
Alaska Balks At NMFS ’ s Seal Habitat Designation
The National Marine Fisheries Service ( NMFS ) recently announced it plans to designate critical habitat protections for the bearded and ringed seals along Alaska ’ s coastline . The area is the size of Texas and covers most of Alaska ’ s southern and western coast . The seals were listed in 2012 as threatened under the Endangered Species Act but their populations in Alaska are strong , numbering in the “ hundreds of thousands ” as reported in the ADF & G news release .
“ It is difficult to believe that these seal species , which have healthy , robust populations , can be considered threatened with extinction and be the basis for such a massive federal action ,” said Alaska Department of
Fish and Game ( ADF & G ) Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang . “ It ’ s very disappointing . This degree of federal overreach is outrageous .”
The critical habitat designation will not provide any new habitat protections but only add a layer of permitting requirements for any new projects or uses within the area listed as critical habitat . The state is arguing that the area is too large to make that kind of broad designation as well as the population of the seals are not endangered in Alaska . jason brooks photo
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