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47 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, January 24, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 29, 2004 Changes in halibut season make for more liberal fishing By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune Oregon’s recreational halibut anglers will hit the water coast-wide May 1 and begin a liberal season with more fishing days than 2003. The International Pacific Halibut Commission last week set season dates and catch limits for 2004. The season includes a coast-wide quota for the halibut sport catch of 1.48 million pounds, 13 percent higher than last year. Beginning May 1, fishing opens along the coast, except the waters from Cape Falcon to Humbug Mountain will be relegated to inside the 40-fathom curve. The new curve this year replaces the old 40-fathom curve. The exact latitude and longitude references for the curve are available at www.dfw.state.or.us , the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s web site. Advertisement For Southern Oregon coastal anglers, the season runs daily from May 1 through Oct. 31, with all waters open for halibut fishing. In the more popular fishing zone from Cape Falcon to Humbug Mountain, the season inside 40 fathoms runs May 1 through Oct. 31, but it would close earlier if the zone’s 22,574-pound quota is reached first. The spring all-depth season opens May 13, when prime, deep-water areas open to halibut jigging. Other all-depth open dates will be set in March. The area from Cape Falcon near Manzanita to Humbug Mountain near Port Orford will have a zone-wide quota of 194,703 pounds. Extreme cold and snow in central Oregon has forced wildlife biologists to close portions of a state-owned wildlife area to reduce stress on animals there. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife on Monday closed public access to most of its White River Wildlife Area south of The Dalles. The area is a popular destination for photographers, wildlife sight-seekers and shed-antler hunters. Agency biologists expect to review the closed areas on a weekly basis and open them as soon as possible, ODFW spokeswoman Anne Pressentin Young says. The main concern is over deer, elk and pronghorn now struggling to survive in deep, crusted snow that has hindered access to food and made travel difficult and hazardous, according to Pressentin Young. So far, staff and wildlife biologists have documented 15 dead animals this month. Since December, agency technicians have been actively feeding the big-game animals there to help them survive one of the region’s more severe winters in recent years. However, the feeding areas generate unusual concentrations of elk and pronghorn, and this attracts both photographers and shed-hunters that can disturb already stressed and malnourished animals, according to Pressentin Young. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers