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Captain Bill Steffen with information on Halibut and Halibut fishing
Pacific halibut
(Hippoglossus stenolepis) can be found throughout most of
the marine waters of the North Pacific. Halibut are the
largest of all the flatfishes and are distributed
Along the continental
shelf of the North Pacific from Southern California to Nome,
Alaska and along the coasts of Japan and Russia. Halibut
aredemersal fish, being found on or near the bottom over
mud, sand, or gravel banks. While halibut have been recorded
at depths of 3,600 feet, most are caught at depths of 90 to
900 feet. Halibut generally are in deeper waters during the
winter where they spawn at depths of 600 to 1,500 feet
during the period from November through March. Following
spawning, halibut begin to migrate to shallower coastal
summer feeding areas.
Male halibut become sexually mature at approximately eight
years old while females typically are not mature until age
12. A female can release from 1/2 to 4 million eggs
depending on the size of the fish. After spawning, the eggs
float near the bottom and hatch into larvae after
approximately 15 days. These larvae are free floating and
are subject to movements by deep ocean currents. As the
larvae mature, they move higher in the water column where
surface currents move them to shallower coastal waters.
These currents generally carry the eggs and larvae in a
northwesterly direction. Halibut larvae begin life in an
upright position similar to other fish with an eye on each
side of the head. However, when the larvae are approximately
one inch long, they undergo an amazing transformation in
which the left eye moves over the snout to the right side of
the head and the pigmentation on the left side of the fish
fades.
The young halibut take on the features of adult fish
approximately six months after hatching and settle to the
bottom in shallow, near shore areas. The halibut now have
both eyes on the pigmented (olive to dark brown) side of the
body while the underside of the fish is white. During their
first year of life, they feed on plankton. Young halibut
(1-3 years old) feed on small shrimp-like organisms and
small fish. As halibut increase in size, fish make up a
larger part of the diet. Besides pollock, sablefish, cod,
and rockfish, large halibut also eat octopus, herring,
crabs, clams, and smaller halibut. While halibut can live to
be up to 40 years old, grow to over eight feet long, and
weigh over 500 pounds; most halibut caught in the sport
fishery will be 8-15 years old and weigh between 10 and 100
pounds. Female halibut live longer and grow faster and
larger than do males. Few males exceed 80 pounds and
generally all halibut over 100 pounds are females. The
oldest halibut on record was a 42-year-old female while the
oldest male observed was 27 years old. The age of halibut is
determined by a bony structure in the inner ear called an
otolith. As the fish grows, annual growth rings are formed
on the otolith, similar to rings on a tree.
Halibut typically move to deeper waters, as they grow older.
Besides the seasonal movement from deeper waters in the
winter to shallower waters in the summer, halibut may also
undergo intensive geographic migrations. Halibut tagged in
the Bering Sea have been caught as far south as the coast of
Oregon, a migration of over 2,000 miles. This migration is
generally in an easterly and southerly direction, counter
balancing the northeasterly drift of the eggs and larvae.
You are allowed to keep two halibut a day of any size per
person. Halibut are fun to catch and can be quite a fight.
Now booking 2010 Halibut season, for more info Contact Gary Mc Dowell at info@cordovarose.com
or call us at 907-424-7673.
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