Highly migratory species blog

No Jeopardy Finding for Hawaii Shallow-set Longline Fishery for Swordfish

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

On January 30, 2012, NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office released a Biological Opinion for the continued operation of the Hawaii-based shallow-set longline fishery under the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for Pelagic Fisheries of the Western Pacific Region (Pelagics FEP), as managed under the 2010 regulations implementing Amendment 18. The Biological Opinion concludes that ”it is NMFS’ biological opinion that the proposed action is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of these five species, and is not likely to destroy or adversely modify designated critical habitat.” NMFS anticipates the following incidental takes may occur within any 2-year period as a result of the continued operation of the Hawaii shallow-set longline fishery with a projected expansion of up to 5,500 sets per year:

Humpback whale: 2 interactions (0.40 killed)
N. Pacific loggerhead turtles: 68 interactions (14 killed)
Leatherback turtles: 52 interactions (12 killed)
Olive ridley turtles: 4 interactions (2 killed)
Green turtles 6 interactions (2 killed)

Exceeding these interaction rates could result in the re-initiation of consultation pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act.

Posted in Highly migratory species

NOAA rule designates add’l critical habitat for leatherbacks on U.S. west coast

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

NOAA announced today the designation of additional critical habitat to provide protection for endangered leatherback sea turtles along the U.S. West Coast. NOAA is designating 41,914 square miles of marine habitat in the Pacific Ocean off the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington. This regulation is currently on file with the Federal Register and is available at the link below. The regulation will formally publish on January 26th, and will become effective on February 25, 2012.

http://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/01/26/2012-00995/critical-habitat-designation-for-the-endangered-leatherback-sea-turtle-endangered-and-threatened

Posted in Highly migratory species

January 10-12, 2012 HMSMT Meeting Agenda

Tuesday, December 20th, 2011

The proposed agenda for the January 10-12, 2012, HMSMT meeting in La Jolla, California is available here.

Posted in Highly migratory species, Highly migratory species

Winter Newsletter Now Available

Thursday, December 8th, 2011

The Winter issue of the Pacific Council News is now available. Please visit the Council’s Newsletters webpage for details.

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

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

Highly Migratory Species Management Team to Meet

Thursday, December 1st, 2011

The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Council) Highly Migratory Species Management Team (HMSMT) will hold a work session, which is open to the public. The HMSMT work session will begin at 8:30 a.m. each day, and continue until business is completed.

The HMSMT will discuss work assignments to be delivered at the March 2012 Council meeting in Sacramento, California. The first assignment is the development of recommendations for a management framework for North Pacific albacore tuna fisheries. This will help inform the Council in relation to the development of such a framework planned by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission Northern Committee. The second assignment is to provide information to the Council about future management of the U.S. west coast swordfish fishery. The HMSMT will also begin work on the next SAFE (Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation) document, which is prepared annually, summarizing information from the previous year. Informational topics may also be discussed, time permitting.

The meetings will be held at the following location:

Large Conference Room, Torrey Pines Court
National Marine Fisheries Service
Southwest Fisheries Science Center
3333 North Torrey Pines Court
La Jolla, California 92037
858-546-7000

Driving Directions

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 about the work session, please contact Dr. Kit Dahl at 503-820-2280, ext. 422; toll free 1-866-806-7204.

Posted in Highly migratory species, Highly migratory species, Uncategorized

NOAA Seeks Input on Enforcement Priorities

Tuesday, November 29th, 2011

On November 8, 2011, NOAA released a draft of its enforcement priorities and invited the public to submit comments through January 9, 2012 (midnight, Eastern Standard Time). To view the priorities, and how to comment, please see the following NOAA Office of Law Enforcement webpage.

Posted in Groundfish, Highly migratory species, Pacific halibut, Salmon

NMFS Publishes Final “List of Fisheries for 2012″

Tuesday, November 29th, 2011

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) publishes its final List of Fisheries (LOF) for 2012, as required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The final 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 (TRP) requirements.

This final rule is effective January 1, 2012. Information regarding the LOF, along with the 2012 LOF, may be obtained from the NMFS LOF website.

Posted in Groundfish, Highly migratory species, Salmon

Proposed rule published modifying swordfish retention in the deep-set tuna longline fishery

Thursday, October 20th, 2011

Proposed Rule: to Modify Retention Limits for Swordfish, Xiphias gladius, Harvested in the U.S. West Coast-Based Deep-Set Tuna Longline Fishery (October 20, 2011). View the Federal Register notice: http://www.pcouncil.org/resources/federal-register-notices/2011-federal-register-notices/#October

Posted in Highly migratory species

Highly migratory species blog

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