Fishery Management Plan and Amendments: Amendments in Development

Salmon Fishery Management Plan Amendment 16:
Council Adopted Final Preferred Alternatives

The Council initiated Amendment 16 to the Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery Management Plan to meet the requirements of the reauthorized Magnuson-Stevens Act and the new National Standard 1 guidelines on Annual Catch Limits (ACL) and Accountability Measures (AM).  The Council directed a number of issues be included in the amendment in addition to ACLs and AMs, including:

  • Stock classification
  • New status determination criteria for “overfishing”, “overfished”, “approaching overfished” and “rebuilt” designations
  • Modification of control rules to address de minimis fishing provisions

The Council established an ad hoc committee of Federal, State, and Tribal agency staff to develop the amendment.

Draft Environmental Assessment

The Council took final action on Amendment 16 at its June 2011 meeting In Spokane, Washington.  A Draft Environmental Assessment describing and analyzing the effects of the alternatives was transmitted to NMFS (September 12, 2011) for approval with implementation of the final preferred alternatives expected for the 2012 preseason process.  Revised FMP language implementing Amendment 16 is included in Appendix I of the EA.  NMFS has published a Proposed Rule for Amendment 16, and is taking public comment through November 18, 2011.  The Councils final preferred alternatives are summarized below:

Classifying Stocks in the FMP

  • Smith River Chinook separated from California Coastal Chinook (ESA listed);
  • Rogue coho moved from Oregon Coast Natural ESU, into Southern Oregon/Northern California Coastal coho ESU;
  • Mid-Columbia Spring Chinook, Canadian coho, Chinook and pink salmon are removed from the FMP
  • Willapa Natural coho and Oregon Coast Hatchery coho added to the FMP

Stock Complexes and Indicator Stocks

Three Chinook Complexes

  • Central Valley Fall (CVF), Southern Oregon/Northern California (SONC), Far-North Migrating Coastal (FNMC) Chinook complexes;
  • CVF Indicator: Sacramento River fall Chinook (SRFC)
  • SONC Indicator: Klamath River fall Chinook (KRFC)
  • FNMC Indicators: Grays Harbor, Queets, Hoh, Quillayute fall, and Hoko summer/fall

International Exceptions

Non-ESA Pacific Salmon Treaty stocks

  • Chinook: Columbia Upper River Bright fall and Summer, FNMC complex stocks;
  • Coho: Washington Coastal, Puget Sound;
  • Pink: Puget Sound

Status Determination Criteria (SDC) for Overfishing, Overfished, Approaching Overfished, and Rebuilt

  • Overfishing: Exploitation rate >MFMT (single-year)
  • Overfished: 3-year Geometric Mean Spawning Escapement < MSST
  • Approaching Overfished: Recent 2-year and projected Geometric Mean spawning escapement < MSST
  • Rebuilt: 3-year Geometric Mean spawning Escapement > SMSY

MFMT – Maximum Fishing Mortality Threshold

  • Grays Harbor, Queets, Hoh coho: MFMT = F0.65 (Maximum allowed under Pacific Salmon Treaty)
  • All other stocks: MFMT = FMSY

MSST – Minimum Stock Size Threshold

  • SRFC and KRFC, Grays Harbor, Hoh coho: MSST = 0.75*SMSY
  • Queets, Quillayute fall coho: MSST = 0.75*lower end of conservation objective range
  • Puget Sound coho: MSST = low/critical abundance breakpoint * (1-low exploitation rate)
  • All other stocks: MSST = 0.5* SMSY

Overfishing Limit, Acceptable Biological Catch, and Annual Catch Limit Specification

Spawning Escapement Based

  • OFL: (1-FMSY)*N
  • ABC: (1- FABC)*N: FABC =FMSY*0.95 (Tier 1 stocks; KRFC) or FABC =FMSY*0.90 (Tier 2 stocks; SRFC)
  • ACL: (1- FABC)*N

Accountability Measures

Replace Overfishing Criteria and Identify Other FMP Measures as AM

  • Eliminate Conservation Alert, Overfishing Concern and associated actions (replace with SDC actions);
  • Retain other current FMP measures;
  • Reevaluate ACL if exceeded more than 1 in 4 years: Uncertainty tiers, stock/recruitment analysis,
  • Methodology Review process;
  • Consider Annual Catch Target

De minimis Fishing Provisions

Generic Control Rule

25% spawner reduction rate (SRR; total adult equivalent exploitation rate) at pre-fishing potential spawning abundance between 1.3*SMSY and the midpoint between SMSY and MSST; linear reduction in SRR to 10% at potential spawning abundance between MSST and ½ of MSST; linear reduction in SRR to 0% at potential spawning abundance of zero.





Potential Spawner Abundance





 

KRFC and SRFC Application

SRFC: 25% SRR at potential spawning abundance between 162,700 and 106,750; reduced to 10% between 91,500 and 45,750; reduced to 0% at 0.  SMSY = 122,000

KRFC: 25% SRR at potential spawning abundance between 54,300 and 35,600; reduced to 10% between 30,500 and 15,300; reduced to 0% at 0.  SMSY = 40,700

US v Washington, Hoh v Baldrige stocks

No change to status quo flexibility provisions in the FMP.

Additional information

For additional information contact Mr. Chuck Tracy, Council Staff Officer for Salmon at (503) 820-2280 or toll free 1-866-806-7204.

Last modified: 10/25/2011