Council Operations: Council Operating Procedures
The Council Operating Procedures were developed and adopted by the Pacific Fishery Management Council to guide the process for developing fishery management plans, plan amendments, and regulatory measures for ocean fisheries off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California. They specify how the Council and its advisory entities run their meetings, lay out schedules for developing plan amendments and annual management measures, and describe other Council processes.
- Download the Full Set of COPs or by Topic:
List of Procedures
Administrative
- General Council Meeting Operations
- Advisory Subpanels
- Plan, Technical, and Management Teams
- Scientific and Statistical Committee
- Enforcement Consultants
- Habitat Committee
- Groundfish Allocation Committee
- Ad-Hoc Committees
Process
- Management and Activity Cycles
- Preseason Salmon Management Process
- Plan Amendment Cycles
- Update and Communication of Research and Data Needs
- Confidentiality of Statistics
- Documentation of Outside Agreements
- Salmon Estimation Methodology Updates and Review
- Weather-related Adjustment to Salmon Fisheries
- Foreign Fishing Permit Review Procedure
- Protocol for Industry Sponsored Salmon Test Fishery Proposals
- Protocol for Consideration of Exempted Fishing Permits for Groundfish Fisheries
- Protocol for Consideration of Exempted Fishing Permits for Highly Migratory Species Fisheries
- Highly Migratory Species Management Recommendations to Regional Fishery Management Organizations
- Groundfish Essential Fish Habitat Review and Modification
