Coastal Bottomfish Bag Limits

Marine Areas 1-4: 15-bottomfish aggregate bag limit, which includes a sub limit of 10 rockfish and 2 lingcod, but does not include halibut (which has a daily bag limit of 1). Retention of canary and yelloweye rockfish is prohibited, regardless of area caught.

Bottomfish Seasons
Marine Areas 1-4: Open year-round

Coastal Lingcod Seasons

Marine Areas 1-3: Open March 15 - October 18, 2008

Marine Area 4: Open April 16 - October 15, 2008

Marine Areas 1-3: Lingcod minimum size limit is 22 inches, daily bag limit of two lingcod per angler.

Marine Area 4: Lingcod minimum size limit is 24 inches, daily bag limit of two lingcod per angler.

Pacific Coast Halibut Seasons for 2008

Marine Area 1: Open May 1, 7 days/week, until 70% of the quota is achieved, or until July 20, whichever is earlier. The fishery will then reopen on August 1, and continue 3 days/week (Friday-Sunday), until the remaining quota is taken, or September 30, whichever occurs first.

Marine Area 2: Open May 1, 2 days/week (Sunday and Tuesday), until the quota is achieved, or September 30, whichever occurs first. The northern nearshore area will open on May 1, 4-days per week, Friday through Sunday and Tuesday, until the quota is achieved.

Marine Areas 3 and 4: Open May 13, 3 days/week—Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday—until the quota is achieved. If sufficient quota remains, the fishery will reopen on June 17 and 19 (Tuesday and Thursday) in Area 4B and shoreward of a line approximating 30 fm from the Bonilla-Tatoosh line south to the Queets River.

All recreational fishing in Marine Areas 3 and 4 outside of these areas will be closed on those dates.

If sufficient quota remains, the fishery will reopen in all areas of Marine Areas 3 and 4 on Saturday, June 21.

Puget Sound Halibut Seasons for 2008

Marine Area 5: Open May 22 – July 21, 2008, 5 days/week, closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

Marine Areas 6-11, and 13 (Marine Area 12 remains closed): Open April 10 – June 13, 2008, 5 days/week, closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

Marine Areas 1-13: Daily bag limit of 1 halibut per angler, with no minimum size limit. All catch must be recorded on WDFW catch record card. Possession limits remain the same.

North Coast Bottomfish (Marine Areas 3 and 4)

Recreational fishing for bottomfish is prohibited seaward of a boundary line approximating the 20-fm (37-m) depth contour from May 21 through September 30, except on days when the Pacific halibut fishery is open in this area. The retention of canary and yelloweye rockfish is prohibited.

It is prohibited to fish for, retain, or possess bottomfish and halibut in the “C-shaped” yelloweye rockfish conservation area.

South Coast Bottomfish (Marine Area 2)

Recreational fishing for bottomfish is prohibited seaward of a boundary line approximating the 30-fm (55-m) depth contour.

This depth restriction is in place from March 15, 2008, through June 15, 2008, except that recreational fishing for sablefish and Pacific cod is permitted within the recreational RCA from May 1 through June 15. The retention of canary and yelloweye rockfish is prohibited.

It is prohibited to fish for, retain, or possess bottomfish and halibut in the south coast rockfish conservation area.

Columbia Area (Marine Area 1)

The retention of bottomfish, except sablefish and Pacific cod, with halibut onboard is prohibited from May 1 through September 30. The retention of canary and yelloweye rockfish is prohibited.