Originally published in 2013, this post was updated in September 2026 with current IPHC Area 2B halibut length-weight information, regulations guidance and advice for measuring and releasing fish.
Halibut weight can be estimated from its length using research from the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC). The charts are provided later in this post, with current length-to-weight estimates for British Columbia in metric and imperial units. Tap either chart to open a high-resolution PDF for easier viewing, zooming or printing.
International Pacific Halibut Commission
The International Pacific Halibut Commission studies and manages Pacific halibut stocks across their range from the west coast of North America through British Columbia and Alaska. Its length-weight research provides the basis for estimating the weight of a halibut from its measured length.
IPHC Regulatory Areas
IPHC divides the Pacific halibut fishery into regulatory areas. British Columbia is within IPHC Regulatory Area 2B, so the Area 2B length-weight tables are the appropriate tables to use for halibut caught in B.C.
Updated Halibut Length-Weight Relationships
IPHC revised its Pacific halibut length-weight relationships using commercial and Fishery-Independent Setline Survey sampling data collected from 2019 through 2021. Because the relationship between length and weight varies among regulatory areas, IPHC now provides a separate relationship for each area. The Area 2B tables below are therefore the current IPHC tables for British Columbia.
B.C. Halibut Length-Weight Charts
📄 Table 1: IPHC Pacific halibut length-to-weight chart for Regulatory Area 2B in metric units (centimetres and kilograms).
📄 Table 2: IPHC Pacific halibut length-to-weight chart for Regulatory Area 2B in imperial units (inches and pounds).
Use the measured length to estimate the weight of your halibut without needing to weigh it on a scale. For more information on finding, catching, landing and handling halibut, see the FishinBC.COM Complete Guide to Halibut Fishing.
Understanding Halibut Length and Weight
How to Measure a Halibut Correctly
If you’re checking whether a halibut can be legally retained, first estimate its size while it is still alongside the boat. A fish that is clearly oversized should remain in the water for release, but if it can be done quickly and safely, you can measure its length alongside the boat before letting it go. That measurement can then be used with the tables in this article to estimate the weight of your bragging-rights trophy-room fish without ever bringing it aboard.
If the fish is within or close to the legal size class and an accurate measurement is needed, lay the tape measure on a flat surface, then place the halibut on top of the tape. The fish can be measured with either its dark side or white belly facing up. Ensure the fish’s mouth is closed, and measure in a straight line from the tip of the lower jaw (chin) to the middle of the fork in its tail.
Two simple mistakes can affect the measurement. If the tape curves over or around the halibut’s body, it will measure a longer distance than the straight-line length used by the IPHC tables. The halibut’s mouth should also be fully closed, as an open mouth can change the position of the lower jaw and affect the measured length.
How Accurate Is a Halibut Length-Weight Chart?
A halibut length-weight chart provides an estimate rather than an exact weight. Two halibut of the same length can weigh differently because of differences in body condition, sex and individual growth. IPHC has noted that the actual weight of an individual halibut can vary by roughly 10 to 20 percent from a length-based estimate.
The Area 2B tables estimate net weight, rather than the round weight of a whole fish. If an exact weight is needed, weighing the fish on a scale is more precise. Length-based estimates are particularly useful for large halibut that will be released, because the fish’s weight can be estimated without bringing it aboard.
How Do B.C. Halibut Compare to Other Regions?
Halibut of the same length do not have exactly the same estimated weight throughout their range. IPHC’s current relationships show that the regional differences are quite small for smaller halibut but become more noticeable as fish get larger. For example, a 203 cm halibut is estimated at about 201 pounds net weight in B.C.’s Area 2B, while the estimate for a fish of the same length varies by more than 25 pounds across the IPHC regulatory areas. This is why using the length-weight table for the area where the fish was caught gives a better estimate.
📄 Table 3: Estimated net weight of Pacific halibut at selected lengths by IPHC Regulatory Area.
| IPHC Regulatory Area | 80 cm | 112 cm | 133 cm | 164 cm | 203 cm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2A — California, Oregon & Washington | 9.7 lb | 29.3 lb | 51.4 lb | 102.5 lb | 206.6 lb |
| 2B — British Columbia | 9.9 lb | 29.3 lb | 51.1 lb | 100.8 lb | 200.6 lb |
| 2C — Southeastern Alaska | 9.9 lb | 29.1 lb | 50.3 lb | 98.3 lb | 194.2 lb |
| 3A — Central Gulf of Alaska | 9.7 lb | 28.0 lb | 47.8 lb | 92.4 lb | 180.3 lb |
| 3B — Western Gulf of Alaska | 9.9 lb | 29.5 lb | 52.0 lb | 103.2 lb | 207.2 lb |
| 4A — Eastern Aleutians | 9.9 lb | 28.9 lb | 49.4 lb | 95.5 lb | 186.7 lb |
| 4B — Central & Western Aleutians | 9.5 lb | 27.8 lb | 47.6 lb | 92.2 lb | 181.0 lb |
| 4CDE — Bering Sea | 10.1 lb | 29.3 lb | 50.7 lb | 98.1 lb | 192.7 lb |
Biological Variation: The Biggest Halibut Are Females
Female Pacific halibut grow faster than males and make up most of the largest fish. Larger females also produce more eggs. According to the International Pacific Halibut Commission, a 50-pound female may produce about 500,000 eggs, while a female around 250 pounds may produce about 4 million. This biological variation is one reason fish of similar lengths do not necessarily have identical weights.
Check Current B.C. Halibut Regulations
British Columbia’s recreational halibut regulations can include maximum size, daily, possession and annual limits, and these rules can change during the fishing season. Always check the current DFO recreational finfish regulations and the regulations for the area you plan to fish before heading out.
Estimate the size of a halibut while it is still alongside the boat before bringing it aboard. A fish that is clearly oversized should remain in the water for release. If a smaller fish is close enough to the legal size limit that an exact measurement is needed, it can be brought aboard without gaffing or spearing and measured accurately before deciding whether to retain it. For the full landing and release procedure, see the FishinBC.COM article How to Land a Halibut Safely. For a large fish that is released, a length measurement can also be used with the tables above to estimate its weight without bringing it aboard.
Your Turn: What Was Your Biggest Halibut?
Our boat record stood at 104 pounds from 2012 until 2018, when we caught a 125-pound halibut while fishing in Alaska. What is the biggest halibut you’ve caught? Let us know in the comments below. If you measured the fish and also weighed it on a scale, we’d be interested to know how closely its actual weight matched the estimate from the halibut length-weight chart.
How much edible halibut can you get from a 28 inch halibut and a 33 inch halibut
its all fine and dandy getting an exact measurement by laying the fish of the deck of your boat and measuring tip to tail – but you can bet your bottom dollar that fish is not going to swim away after been man handled over the side of the boat – most likely gaffed into the boat – how is there any conservation throwing dead fish back in the water when it measures out as to big to keep according to the regulations –
Thanks for the comment Mike. These are challenging regulations, and there are pros and cons to any limit system. Since this is the hand the DFO has give out, there are ways that an angler should try their best to handle a halibut carefully. Reckless handling such as gaffing a halibut and bringing into the boat to measure seems unnecessary to me although I would agree it could be happening out there. A better technique is to mark a line on a something like the handle of a gaff or a broomstick or the side of the boat (use electrical tape) and that will allow you to roughly size up the halibut in the water. A lot of the time your halibut will be clearly over or under the legal limit and then you can just cut off your circle hook while the halibut is still in the water, if need be. If it is close to the BC size limit, this is often not a heavy halibut either so if you have a circle hook with 200lb leader then you can grab onto the leader and quickly lift that halibut into the boat, measure and do a quick release if needed.
What is the formula for weighing a 6 foot halibut? What is the difference between the formula for females vs males?
Can you tell me the correct way in which to use a tape measure when weighting a halibut. I have seen the tape used along the top as well as along the white belly. Does it make a difference? Many thanks.
Hi John it should not make a significant difference if you lay the tape from tail to nose along the dark side, from tail to nose along the white side, or, if you have the tape on the deck of your boat and put the fish on top. I lay a flexible tape measure from the center of the tail to the tip of the nose and that is how I measure the halibut. Cheers.
Ryan,
Many thanks for your response to my question. I have been using a flex tape along the dark side, but was never sure if that was correct. You reply tells me I am within correct procedures. I have been looking at many web sites and they all give weight charts, but none bother to explain the best way to actually measure a halibut. Again thank you for your response and I will do as you suggest.
John