Reminders Ahead of State Halibut Season

Ahead of the start of the state halibut season on May 18, DMR is providing important reminders to harvesters.?

A DMR Halibut Fishing License is required to commercially fish for halibut. This license is new for the 2023 fishing year and replaces the halibut endorsement on the Commercial Fishing License. Those who previously purchased a Commercial Fishing License for the sole purpose of obtaining a halibut endorsement should now purchase the new Halibut Fishing License instead. The new Halibut Fishing License is open access, meaning there are no restrictions to obtain the license based on past participation or landings history. Applications can be downloaded HERE or by contacting?licensing at (207) 624-6550, Option 2.?

Maine's 2023 Halibut Compliance Guide outlines Maine's measures for the recreational and commercial fishery. There are no changes to the state's halibut management measures from 2022 to 2023.?

Any harvester authorized to commercially fish for halibut is required to submit trip level catch reports on a weekly basis during the halibut season (May 18 ? June 13) for landings from Maine?s territorial waters. Reporting must be submitted through an approved electronic method, such as VESL or LEEDs.?The reporting week starts Sunday at 12:01AM and ends Saturday at 12:00 midnight; reports must be submitted by the following Monday at midnight.?

The 2023 Halibut Compliance Guide provides a calendar of when harvester reports are due during this fishing season. For questions, the Landings Program can be reached at 207-633-9500 (Option 2 for Landings then Option 4 for electronic reporting options/help).?

There are?several types of research tags that may be encountered during the upcoming halibut season, many of which have rewards for their return. For any tags captured, please record the date, location (lat/lon or TDs), halibut length and sex (if known).?Tag information should still be reported if a tagged fish is rereleased. Information on the types of research tags used and their reward can be found HERE. For questions regarding halibut research tags, please contact Bill DeVoe at [email protected].?

For additional questions on halibut management, please contact Megan Ware at [email protected] or 207.446.0932.?

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