Coastal Pelagic Species blog

Northwest and Southwest Stakeholder Conference Call on NOAA’s Draft Enforcement Priorities

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

Special Agents in Charge Vicki Nomura and Don Masters of NOAA Office of Law Enforcement’s Northwest and Southwest Divisions, respectively, would like to invite you to participate in a conference call on Monday, December 12, 2011 to outline NOAA’s Draft Enforcement Priorities, which are open for public comment through January 9, 2012. The draft priorities document identifies the national priorities for Fiscal Year 2012 and gives examples of regional priorities that support those national priorities.

Conference Call Date and Time:

Monday, December 12, 2011
11 a.m. Pacific Standard Time
Dial-in: 888-469-2087
Verbal passcode: ENFORCEMENT WEST COAST

The document — as well as guidelines for commenting by the deadline via email, fax and mail — can be found on the NOAA OLE Enforcement Priorities website.

NOAA’s Draft Enforcement Priorities reflect extensive input and guidance from those of you who submitted comments last year as we began the process of identifying our national priorities. Regional priorities vary with the specific resources, activities, and threats across the country. What may be a high priority in one region may not be a priority in another. Equally, fish stocks, fishing gear, and management programs are not identical across the country. Thus, NOAA Office of Law Enforcement must tailor our priorities appropriately.

NOAA OLE looks forward to your participation in this conference call specifically for the Northwest and Southwest Divisions.

For further information, please contact:

Lesli Bales-Sherrod, Communications specialist
Lesli.Bales-Sherrod@noaa.gov
NOAA Office of Law Enforcement
8484 Georgia Ave., Suite 415
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Phone: 301-427-2300 ext. 103

**This information has been posted as a courtesy to the Pacific Fishery Management Council family and constituents.**

Posted in Coastal Pelagic Species, Ecosystem-based management, Groundfish, Highly migratory species, Pacific halibut, Salmon

Pacific Sardine CIE Report Now Available Upon Request

Thursday, November 17th, 2011

The Center for Independent Experts (CIE) made available the report from the October 2011 Pacific sardine STAR Panel meeting. Please contact Mr. Kerry Griffin, Kerry.Griffin@noaa.gov, or call 503-820-2280, ext. 409.

Posted in Coastal Pelagic Species

U.S. Coast Guard’s Commercial Fishing Safety Advisory Committee to Meet

Thursday, October 20th, 2011

The U.S. Coast Guard’s Commercial Fishing Safety Advisory Committee (CFSAC) will meet in Seattle, Washington to discuss various issues relating to safety in the commercial fishing industry. This meeting will be open to the public.

The CFSAC will meet on November 14, 2011, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on November 15–16, 2011, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. This meeting may close early if all business is finished.

Please read the October 20, 2011 Federal Register notice for meeting details. If you have further questions, please contact Mr. Jack Kemerer, Alternate Designated Federal Official of CFSAC, Commandant (CG–5433), U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, at (202) 372–1249.

Posted in Coastal Pelagic Species, Groundfish, Highly migratory species, Other Fisheries Forums, Salmon

2010 Fall Sardine Pilot Research Project Report Available

Tuesday, August 30th, 2011

The results of the 2010 fall sardine pilot research project is available in the following report: “Investigating Methods for Obtaining Fishery-Independent Estimates of Pacific Sardine (Sardinops sagax) Abundance: Comparative Analysis of Photographic, LIDAR, and Acoustic Survey Techniques; Fall Southern California Pilot Sardine Survey Preliminary Sampling Results”.

Download the Fall Southern California Pilot Sardine Survey Preliminary Sampling Results; June 2011; Hanan & Associates, et al.

This report is NOT a report of the Pacific Fishery Management Council; it is a report posted for public information only. Please contact Ms. Diane Pleschner-Steele at: 805-693-5430 if you have questions regarding this report.

This blog submitted by Kerry Griffin, PFMC.

Posted in Coastal Pelagic Species

Ecosystem Plan Development Team to Hold a Work Session via Conference Call on the Schedule and Plans for Developing a Fishery Ecosystem Plan

Monday, August 29th, 2011

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will convene a meeting via conference call of the Ecosystem Plan Development Team (EPDT) that is open to the public. Please note, this is not a public hearing; it is a work session for the primary purpose of drafting a report and recommendations to the Council on the Schedule and Plans for Developing a Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP).

The EPDT will meet on Wednesday, September 21, 2011 and Thursday, September 22, 2011 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. each day, or when business for each day is completed.

Public listening stations will be available at the following locations:

Pacific Fishery Management Council
Small Conference Room
7700 NE Ambassador Place, Suite 101
Portland, Oregon 97220
503-820-2280
OR toll free at 866-806-7204
Driving Directions

National Marine Fisheries Service
Southwest Fisheries Science Center
Conference Room
110 Shaffer Road
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
831-420-3900

Driving Directions

The EPDT will primarily address Council requests from the June 2011 Council meeting where the Council approved a draft purpose and need statement and moved to develop an ecosystem plan that is primarily advisory in nature with the potential for expanding the plan to include regulatory authority in the future. The Council recommended continued management of fisheries through existing fishery management plans (FMPs), including potential future management measures for forage fish species. The Council also tasked the EPDT with developing a list of West Coast species that are not currently included in any FMP, that are not under State management, are not listed under the Endangered Species Act, or are species that could be the target of future fishery exploitation.

The meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Mr. Kris Kleinschmidt at 503-820-2280, at least five days prior to the meeting date.

For further information, please contact Mr. Mike Burner at (503) 820-2280 ext. 414.

Posted in Aquaculture, Coastal Pelagic Species, Ecosystem-based management, Ecosystem-based management, Groundfish, Habitat and communities, Highly migratory species, Meetings and Events, Pacific halibut, Salmon

Pacific Sardine Stock Assessment Review Panel Will Meet

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will convene a public meeting of the Pacific Sardine Stock Assessment Review (STAR) Panel.

The purpose of the STAR Panel meeting is to review the 2011 stock assessment for Pacific sardine, in order to inform fisheries management decisions for the 2012 fishery. Other issues relevant to Pacific sardine management and science may be addressed as time permits. The meeting will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 4, and at 8:00 a.m. each subsequent day. The meeting will conclude each day at 5:00 p.m. or until business for each day is completed. If adequate progress has been achieved, the meeting may conclude at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, October 7, at the discretion of the STAR Panel Chair.

The meeting will be held at the following location:

National Marine Fisheries Service’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center
Green Room
8604 La Jolla Shores Drive
La Jolla, California 92037
Telephone: 858-334-2800
Driving Directions

For further information, please contact Mr. Kerry Griffin at (503) 820-2280 ext. 409.

Posted in Coastal Pelagic Species, Coastal pelagic species, Meetings and Events

Notice of Pacific Sardine Directed Fishing Closure

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011

Based on the most recent Pacific sardine landings data it is estimated that the second allocation’s directed harvest fishing total for Pacific sardine will soon be reached. Read the informational noticed announcement that directed fishing for Pacific sardine will close at 12:01 am Tuesday morning, July 12, 2011. Fishing vessels with Pacific sardine on board taken in the directed harvest fishery must be at shore/dock and in the process of offloading at the time of closure.

After the effective time of the closure until September 15, 2011, Pacific sardine may only be caught/landed (i) as part of the live bait fishery, or (ii) when caught incidental to other species/fisheries, with incidental harvest constrained by a 30-percent by weight of all fish per trip.

This action is necessary because the directed harvest allocation total for the second seasonal period (July 1 – September 14) has been reached.

For any further questions please contact Mr. Josh Lindsay, National Marine Fisheries Service, at 562-980-4034 or by email at joshua.lindsay@noaa.gov.

Posted in Coastal Pelagic Species

Proposed List of Fisheries for 2012

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) published its proposed List of Fisheries (LOF) for 2012, as required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The proposed LOF for 2012 reflects new information on interactions between commercial fisheries and marine mammals. NMFS must classify each commercial fishery on the LOF into one of three categories under the MMPA based upon the level of serious injury and mortality of marine mammals that occurs incidental to each fishery. The classification of a fishery in the LOF determines whether participants in that fishery are subject to certain provisions of the MMPA, such as registration, observer coverage, and take reduction plan requirements. Please visit the NMFS LOF 2012 webpage for further details. NMFS is accepting comments and they must be received by July 28, 2011.

You may also download the Federal Register notice announcing the proposed 2012 LOF, published June 28, 2011.

Posted in Coastal Pelagic Species, Groundfish, Highly migratory species, Pacific halibut, Salmon

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