14

Here we see halibut caught on a codfish trawl. A codfish trawl is generally made out of 12 gage hooks with 60-65 hooks depending on the distance in between. Halibut trawls are made with 14 - 16 gage hooks and have between 50-55 hooks per trawl. A halibut can be caught on codfish trawl but it is more unlikely that a cod will be caught on a halibut trawl because of the size of the hooks.

15

Washing Inside The Halibut
July 2007
Grosse Isle, Magdalen Islands, Quebec, Canada


Credits:
Glen Clarke

16

After each fish is cleaned from all debris, they are then washed inside with a hose to ensure the quality of the fish.

17

Cleaning The Halibut
July 2007
Grosse Isle, Magdalen Islands, Quebec, Canada


Credits:
Glen Clarke

18

On a codfish trawl you can put anywhere from 55-75 hooks. The more baited hooks you have on a trawl, the better the chances are of attracting more codfish. The size of hooks for codfish are 12 gage and that of halibut are 14 gage. You can use both size hooks for codfish and halibut but by using the size 12 gage hooks you will get more codfish. If you are fishing halibut only, it is best to use size 14 gage hooks in order to avoid codfish. On a codfish or halibut trawl, you begin with cutting the bait in smaller pieces to put on the hooks. There is a buoy on each end along with a weight for anchors to hold the trawl in position. Upon catching a halibut, it is best to immediately open it up and clean out all debris and wash it to ensure better quality of fish. There are certain times of the year when halibut or codfish can be caught. It is determined by Fisheries & Oceans when it opens, how long it stays open and how much the annual quota will be.