Pacific Fishery Management Council

NMFS Issues Final Rule for 2012 Pacific Whiting Fishery

Sandra — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:39:13 +0000

NMFS issued a final rule for the 2012 Pacific whiting fishery under the authority of the Pacific Whiting Act of 2006, the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan, and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). This final rule establishes: The tribal allocation of 48,556 metric tons of Pacific whiting for 2012; provisions associated with the reapportionment of unused tribal whiting to the non-tribal fishery in 2012; and final allocations of Pacific whiting to the non-tribal sector for 2012. Read the entire rule published May 15, 2012 in the Federal Register.

For further information, please contact Mr. Kevin C. Duffy (Northwest Region, NMFS), phone: 206-526-4743, fax: 206-526-6736 and email: Kevin.Duffy@noaa.gov.

Bilateral Joint Management Committee Meeting for Pacific Whiting

Sandra — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:32:30 +0000

The second bilateral meeting of the Pacific Whiting Joint Management Committee (JMC) will be held in Lynnwood, Washington on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 29-30, 2012. Members of the other panels created by the Whiting Treaty – the Advisory Panel, the Joint Technical Committee, and the Scientific Review Group – are also invited to attend, as well as members of the public.

The meeting will be held at:

Embassy Suites Hotel
20610 44th Ave. West
Lynnwood, WA 98036

For further information, please contact the Groundfish Branch of the National Marine Fisheries Service, Northwest Region at 206-526-6140; or visit their Pacific Whiting Treaty webpage.

Annual NOAA Report Shows Record Number of Rebuilt Fisheries

kdahl — Mon, 14 May 2012 17:35:36 +0000

A record six fish populations were rebuilt to healthy levels in 2011, bringing the number of rebuilt U.S. marine fish populations in the last 11 years to 27, according to a report to Congress out today from NOAA Fisheries. This report documents historic progress toward ending overfishing and rebuilding our nation’s fisheries, due to the commitment of fishermen, fishing communities, non-governmental organizations, scientists, and managers.

NOAA’s Status of U.S. Fisheries report declares Bering Sea snow crab, Atlantic coast summer flounder, Gulf of Maine haddock, northern California coast Chinook salmon, Washington coast coho salmon, and Pacific coast widow rockfish fully rebuilt to healthy levels.

Two indicators of stock health increased slightly over 2011:
• 86 percent of the populations examined for fishing activity (222 of 258) were not subject to overfishing, or not fished at too high a level, compared to 84 percent in 2011;
• 79 percent of assessed populations (174 of 219) are not overfished, or were above levels that require a rebuilding plan, compared to 77 percent in 2011.

These data continue a long-term trend in rebuilding U.S. fisheries to sustainable and more productive levels that NOAA began tracking in 2000. Read more

NMFS Salmon Fishery Regulations Booklet Available Online

Sandra — Tue, 08 May 2012 19:28:44 +0000

NMFS has posted their “online” salmon fishery regulations booklet. This booklet provides fishermen with a quick reference guide to the Federal regulations governing commercial and recreational salmon fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (3-200 nautical miles off shore) off Washington, Oregon, and California. The booklet is available by visiting: http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Salmon-Harvest-Hatcheries/Salmon-Fishery-Management/upload/2012-Salmon-Regs.pdf.

Please note fishermen are advised to stay informed of inseason changes to the regulations and to consult Federal and/or State fishery management agencies for current information for the areas in which they are or will be fishing. State regulations, which may differ from Federal regulations, are in effect in State territorial waters (0-3 nautical miles off shore).

Actual notice of inseason changes to the Federal regulations will be provided as follows:

Ocean salmon hotline at (800) 662-9825 or (206) 526-6667. Recorded messages summarize inseason changes to date
U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners broadcasts. Announcements on Channel 16 VHF-FM and 2182 kHz designate the channel or frequency over which the Notice to Mariners will be immediately broadcast
Inseason changes to the Federal regulations are also published in the Federal Register
Announcements will be emailed to “Salmonlist” subscribers. Sign up at:
http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Salmon-Harvest-Hatcheries/Salmon-Fishery-Management/signup.cfm

NMFS Issues Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking – National Standard 1 Guidelines

Sandra — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:28:27 +0000

NMFS issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) to provide background information and request public comment on potential adjustments to the National Standard 1 Guidelines, one of 10 national standards for fishery conservation and management contained in Section 301 of the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Since the guidelines were last updated in 2009, a number of issues regarding the application of the guidelines were identified by stakeholders and managers that may warrant their revision. This action provides the public with a formal opportunity to comment on the specific ideas mentioned in this ANPR, as well as any additional ideas and solutions that could improve provisions of the National Standard 1 Guidelines. Please see the May 3, 2012 Federal Register notice for details.

If you have further questions, contact Wesley Patrick, Fisheries Policy Analyst, National Marine Fisheries Service, 301-427-8566.

HMSMT Meeting Agenda, April 30-May 2, 2012

kdahl — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:42:43 +0000

View Highly Migratory Species Management Team meeting agenda in Google Docs

Council Staff Report on H.R. 1837

Sandra — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:42:54 +0000

In response to a formal Congressional request, the Council has forwarded a Council staff report titled “A General Review of Potential Effects of H.R. 1837 the Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley Water Reliability Act, on Central Valley Salmon Productivity and Salmon Fisheries In Ocean and Inland Waters” to U.S. Congresswoman Grace Napolitano. H.R.1837 addresses water use in California’s Central Valley Project, makes changes to the implementation of the Endangered Species Act, and repeals the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act.

In her July 5, 2011 letter to Council Executive Director, Dr. Donald McIsaac, Congresswoman Napolitano acknowledged the economic impacts of the 2008 and 2009 fishery closures enacted by the Council in response to the collapse of Sacramento River fall Chinook stocks and specifically requested Council comments on H.R. 1837’s impacts to salmon populations, habitat, fisheries management, and fishermen. The Pacific Council remains concerned about negative effects of H.R. 1837 might have on salmon stocks and their habitat, and the consequent negative economic effects on communities that depend on a healthy, vibrant salmon fishery.

For further information, please contact Mr. Mike Burner, Council Staff at 503-820-2280 or toll free 1-866-806-7204 ext. 414.

Ad Hoc South of Humbug Pacific Halibut Work Group Appointments

Sandra — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:48:18 +0000

The Council established an ad hoc South of Humbug Pacific Halibut Workgroup in response to recent unusually high harvests of Pacific halibut off Southern Oregon and Northern California. The Workgroup will help develop an understanding of the biological, abundance assessment, and allocation issues involved in the management of this area. The workgroup is to be comprised of representatives from each state, the International Pacific Halibut Commission, NMFS Northwest Region, and Council staff. Those members have now been appointed by the Council Chairman as follows:

Representative	Organization
Ms. Heather Reed	Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Ms. Lynn Mattes	Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Ms. Deb Wilson-Vandenberg	California Department of Fish and Game
Ms. Sarah Williams	National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Region
Mr. Gregg Williams	International Pacific Halibut Commission
Mr. Chuck Tracy	PFMC Staff

NOAA OLE Releases Final Enforcement Priorities 2012

Sandra — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:50:44 +0000

The NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement has released their national and division enforcement priorities for fiscal year 2012. The document represents input from many interested people across the country: commercial and recreational fishermen, fishery management councils,
state enforcement partners, and nongovernmental organizations. Please visit the NOAA OLE Enforcement Priorities Document 2012 website to download the document.

Salmon Preseason Report III Available

Sandra — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:41:51 +0000

Preseason Report III Council Adopted Management Measures and Environmental Assessment Part 3 for 2012 Ocean Salmon Fishery Regulations, published April 2012, is available on the Council’s website. Visit the Preseason Report III webpage.