Pacific Halibut fisheries are managed with a variety of closed areas intended to minimize the bycatch of overfished groundfish species. This website only provides information on marine areas closed to fishing by Federal regulation. The states of Washington, Oregon, and California, may also have marine areas closed to fishing that fishing vessel operators need to know about.

Directed Commercial Halibut Closed Areas
Commercial vessels are prohibited from fishing in any of these areas:

• Non-Trawl Rockfish Conservation Area
• North Coast Commercial Yelloweye Rockfish Conservation Area
• North Coast Recreational Yelloweye Rockfish Conservation Area (voluntary closure) 
• Westport Offshore Recreational Yelloweye Conservation Area (voluntary closure)

Salmon Troll Fishery with Incidental Halibut Retention 
Commercial salmon troll vessels are prohibited from fishing in any of these area:

• Salmon Troll Yelloweye Rockfish Conservation Area
• North Coast Recreational Yelloweye Rockfish Conservation Area (voluntary closure)

Sport Halibut Closed Area
Sport fishing for halibut is managed within seven geographic sub-areas along the West Coast from Puget Sound, Washington southward to waters off California. Three of these sub-areas are managed inseason with different fishing days for fishing in nearshore and offshore waters: Washington North Coast, Washington South Coast, and Central Oregon. For particular halibut sub-area sport regulations, including nearshore fishing area boundaries, see the 2009 Pacific halibut final rule, Sections 25 through 28 "Sport Fishing for Halibut."

All halibut sport vessels are prohibited from fishing in any of these areas:

• North Coast Recreational Yelloweye Rockfish Conservation Area
• South Coast Recreational Yelloweye Rockfish Conservation Area
• Stonewall Bank Yelloweye Rockfish Conservation Area