June 5, 2012 – Josh Lawson of Bernard was pulling up his longline on a recent Wednesday morning when he saw “a big fish coming up.” It was a 257-pound, 7.3-foot –long Atlantic halibut.
Josh Lawson, left, at Thurston’s wharf with the 257-pound halibut he caught on May 16. With him is Mike Conners, who scooted out to Lawson’s boat to help his friend haul the giant aboard.
“Well, I was kind of stunned. I was pretty excited,” he said the following day. “I saw the white-bellied flesh, so I knew it was a big fish. And when the big head came up, I knew what it was. It was really an ancient fish. It was the biggest fish I’ve ever seen.”
Lawson was 20 minutes out from Bass Harbor on his boat, Jessica Keeley. Typically, he fishes for lobster and sells it to Thurston’s. But he also holds a state of Maine halibut permit. The state’s halibut fishing program provides an open season in May and June. The size must be 41 inches or greater with the head on, or 32 inches or greater with the head off. Commercial, party or charter vessels may not land more than 25 Atlantic halibut per year. Recreational vessels may land no more than 5 Atlantic halibut per year. All legal-size halibut caught and retained by a commercial or recreational fisherman, regardless of catch location inside or outside of state waters, must be immediately tagged. The fish may be caught only by using one of three sizes of circle hooks. No commercial vessel may use more that 450 circle hooks. Recreational fishermen using a tub trawl are limited to 100 circle hooks. Trawls must have marking buoys.