Go Deep: Oregon’s Pacific Halibut Fishery
Each summer, as ocean swells settle and sunlight lingers longer, a quiet buzz rolls through Oregon’s coastal towns: halibut season is near.
Out on the edge of the continental shelf, Pacific halibut roam deep, cold waters—massive, flat-bodied fish that demand patience, strength, and skill to land. These aren’t your everyday catches. They’re sea-floor giants, and the fishery built around them is just as bold.
A Fish Worth the Wait
The Oregon Pacific halibut season is short: just a few weeks, often staggered across June to September. Why so limited? Because it’s a highly managed fishery, with catch limits set each year based on scientific assessments of halibut stocks across the North Pacific.
Oregon’s slice of that catch is modest but mighty. And when the season opens, it feels like a derby. Everyone is watching the weather, the quota, and the tides—waiting for just the right moment to make their move.
Clay Archambault of F/V Island Girl, one of many independent boats Local Ocean regularly purchases from
The Fish
Pacific halibut are ocean heavyweights, sometimes reaching almost 400 pounds! Most fish landed in Oregon fall in the 20–60 lb range—plenty for a generous yield of mild, buttery-white meat.
They start life upright and symmetrical, but as they grow, one eye migrates to the other side of their head. Flattened and camouflaged, they become ambush predators, waiting on the sea floor for prey to wander too close.
The appeal of halibut isn’t just size—it’s texture. Firm yet delicate, it holds up beautifully to grilling, roasting, or ceviche. Its flavor is clean and versatile, ready to pair with seasonal fruit, herbs, butter sauces, or just a squeeze of lemon.
Halibut are also slow-growing and long-lived—some live over 40 years. That makes careful stewardship essential. And Oregon’s fishers know it.
Offload specialist Paul Dunphy of NW Reliable, leading an offload of fresh halibut. Paul has been assisting Local Ocean with direct buys from the Newport fleet for about a decade.
A Fishery Built on Stewardship
Oregon’s halibut season isn’t a free-for-all—it’s derby-style. Short, scheduled openers. Tight quotas. High accountability.
Each year, the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) allocates Oregon a small but specific portion of the coastwide quota. Once that’s caught, the season closes—whether that’s after three weekends or just one good haul.
This creates a palpable sense of urgency. Boats gear up, crews rally, and dock chatter buzzes the night before each opener. But it’s not a reckless race. Fishers are strategic. Managers track landings daily. If the numbers start climbing too fast, openers may be postponed to protect the quota.
This fast-paced, highly collaborative model ensures access is shared, pressure is limited, and fish populations stay healthy.
For small-boat operators, it’s a vital part of the season—a surge of economic activity that supports crews, fuel docks, processors, and local seafood buyers. For the rest of us, it’s a chance to enjoy a world-class fish caught with care.
Local Ocean Fish Goddess Amber Morris holding a freshly-landed halibut on Newport’s docks
From Dock to Table
We source halibut directly from Newport’s small-boat fleet—fishers who head 30 to 50 miles offshore to harvest halibut in deep, cold waters. As soon as a fish is landed, it’s bled, iced, and brought back quickly. No detours, no delays.
From the dock, our team offloads to the restaurant or to the Central Coast Food Web’s processing room, where the filleters break down the fish with intention. Every portion is cut to maximize quality, minimize waste, and celebrate what this fish offers. We purchase enough to blast freeze and store away for future months, so delcious local seafood can be enjoyed year-round.
This is what we mean by dock to table: a short, traceable supply chain that connects diners to the fishers, the place, and the story behind every bite.
Whether it’s paired with grilled peaches in the summer, served as ceviche, or wrapped in pastry with crab for the holidays, halibut is a centerpiece of our seasonal menus—and a reminder of what’s possible when people and ocean are in balance.
Pictured from left to right: Halibut ceviche, halibut & peaches, grilled halibut with udon & edamame, and crab-stuffed halibut. Each season brings a fresh celebration of Oregon’s prized halibut catch. Find out what’s featured on the current Local Ocean menu here and Daily Specials menu here
Why It Matters
The Pacific halibut fishery is a rare success story: rooted in science, guided by cooperation, and built for longevity.
Buying and eating Oregon halibut supports more than just flavor. It fuels working waterfronts, sustains coastal economies, and keeps small-boat fisheries viable in a world leaning toward industrial consolidation.
And it reconnects us to the source—to the people who fish, the waters they rely on, and the care required to do it right.
That’s why we go deep. And why this fish is worth the wait.
