Pacific halibut blog

September Council Meeting to be Streamed Live on Internet

Thursday, September 8th, 2011

The September 12-19, 2011 meeting of the Pacific Fishery Management Council will be streamed live on the internet. The live audio will be broadcast starting with the “Open Session” scheduled to start Wednesday, September 14 at 9:30 a.m. Pacific time. Get the September meeting agenda.

To Listen to the Meeting

To listen and view the powerpoint presentations, go to the PFMC Live Meeting link. Please note that your name and email address will be required to join the meeting.

Alternate Instructions to Join the Meeting

If you are unable to join the meeting through the above link, then please follow these steps:

Copy this address and paste it into your web browser:
https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/pacificfishery/join (This Will Launch the “launch.rtc” file)
Enter the Following Information:

Meeting ID: BD7K3S
Entry Code: (Leave This Field Blank)
Location: Choose the following:
https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/pacificfishery

Choose “Join”

Technical Contact

For more information on how to use the Microsoft Live Meeting live streaming service, please see the Quick Reference Guide. You may also send an email to Sandra for additional assistance.

For MacIntosh — If you have never installed the “Live Meeting Web Access Client” on your workstation, please email Sandra.Krause@noaa.gov for those instructions. Please note, the “Live Meeting Web Access Client” does not provide for audio, but you may view the PowerPoint presentations and the agenda flow of the meeting.

Meeting and Content Expiration

After this meeting is over, you may revisit the meeting (“join the meeting”) to listen to the recordings and view the PowerPoint documents presented during the meeting. All Recordings and PowerPoint documents will be deleted from the meeting on December 18, 2011. (Maximum amount of time allowed by Microsoft Live Meeting Service).

If you need your own personal audio copies of recorded Council meeting CDs (MP3 or WAV formats), please contact our recorder, Mr. Craig Hess, Martin Enterprises, phone (360) 425-7507.

Posted in Council Meetings, Groundfish, Habitat and communities, Highly migratory species, Pacific halibut, Salmon

September 2011 Briefing Book Available on Website

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

The Briefing Book for the September 2011 Council meeting has been posted to the Council’s website on the “Current Briefing Book” webpage. The Briefing Book contains “situation summaries” (brief summaries that provide background for each agenda item), reports and materials for each agenda item, and written public comment.

Posted in Council Meetings, Groundfish, Highly migratory species, Hot topics, Pacific halibut, Salmon

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

September 12-19, 2011 Council Meeting Notice and Agenda Available

Friday, August 19th, 2011

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and its advisory bodies will meet September 12-19, 2011 in San Mateo, California to address issues related to groundfish, highly migratory species, salmon, Pacific halibut, and habitat matters. Please visit the “Current Council Meeting” webpage for the meeting notice and agenda details.

Posted in Council Meetings, Groundfish, Habitat and communities, Highly migratory species, Hot topics, Pacific halibut, Salmon, Uncategorized

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

September Briefing Book Public Comment Deadline

Monday, June 13th, 2011

Public Comment Deadlines for the September Council Meeting in San Mateo, CA

Comments or materials received by 11:59 pm, August 25, 2011 will be mailed to Council members prior to the meeting. This is known as the “Advance Briefing Book Deadline.” Important: Materials included before this deadline will be mailed to Council members and appropriate advisory bodies prior to the meeting.

Comments or materials received at the Council office after August 25 but by 11:59 pm, September 5th will be included in the supplemental materials distributed to the Council on the first day of the meeting. This is known as the “Supplemental Public Comment Deadline.”

Posted in Council Meetings, Ecosystem-based management, Groundfish, Habitat and communities, Highly migratory species, Pacific halibut, Salmon

Final 2010 Pacific Marine Mammal Stock Assessments Now Available Online

Friday, June 10th, 2011

The final 2010 Pacific Marine Mammal Stock Assessments are now available online. All NMFS region stock assessments can be accessed either through the NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources website or the Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Protected Resources division website.

Link to 2010 Pacific SARs

Link to all NMFS Region SARs, 1995 to 2010

Federal Register Notice of availability of 2010 Marine Mammal Stock Assessment Reports

Posted in Coastal Pelagic Species, Groundfish, Habitat and communities, Highly migratory species, Hot topics, Pacific halibut, Salmon, Uncategorized

Spring 2011 Council Newsletter Available Online

Thursday, May 12th, 2011

The Spring edition of Pacific Council News is now available on our website.

Download Spring 2011 Pacific Council News
Visit the Pacific Council News Archives webpage for past newsletter issues

Posted in Ecosystem-based management, Groundfish, Habitat and communities, Highly migratory species, Hot topics, Pacific halibut, Salmon

April 2011 Council Meeting Decisions

Monday, April 18th, 2011

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and its advisory bodies met April 9-13, 2011 in San Mateo, California. The April 2011 Council Meeting Decision Document summarizes the decisions made during that meeting.

Download the April 2011 Council Decision Document (PDF)
For previous decisions, visit the Council Meeting Decisions Archives Webpage

Posted in Groundfish, Pacific halibut, Salmon