Acronyms

Acronym	Definition
ABC	Acceptable biological catch. See below.
acceptable biological catch	The ABC is a scientific calculation of the sustainable harvest level of a fishery and is used to set the upper limit of the annual total allowable catch. It is calculated by applying the estimated (or proxy) harvest rate that produces maximum sustainable yield to the estimated exploitable stock biomass (the portion of the fish population that can be harvested).
ACE	Army Corps of Engineers
ACL	Annual catch limit
ACOE	Army Corps of Engineers
ACT	Annual catch target
ADFG	Alaska Department of Fish and Game
AFA	American Fisheries Act
AFSC	Alaska Fisheries Science Center (National Marine Fisheries Service)
AIS	Aquatic invasive species
allocation	Distribution of fishing opportunity among user groups or individuals. Shares are sometimes based on historic harvest amounts.
alternatives	In the context of an environmental impact statement for annual fisheries management measures, alternatives are different suites of optimum yields and management measures that could be used to manage fisheries.
AM	Accountability measures
AMP	Adaptive Management Program
anadromous	Fish that spend their adult life in the sea, but swim upriver to freshwater spawning grounds in order to reproduce.
angler	A person catching fish or shellfish with no intent to sell; includes people releasing the catch.
APA	Administrative Procedures Act
ATM	Acoustic trawl method
B25%	25% of unfished biomass (size of fish stock without fishing). For groundfish, this is the threshold for being designated as overfished.
B40%	40% of unfished biomass (size of fish stock without fishing). This is the Council’s threshold for declaring a stock rebuilt, or the size of the stock estimated to produce maximum sustainable yield. This is also referred to as BMSY.
BA	Biological assessment. See below.
barotrauma	Physical trauma or injury to a fish due to pressure change. When a fish is rapidly brought from deep water to the surface, the drop in pressure can cause a variety of physical problems, such as severe expansion of the swim bladder and gas bubbles in the blood.
bathymetry	The science of measuring the ocean’s depth.
Bathypelagic Zone	The zone of the ocean that extends from 1,000 to 4,000 meters below the ocean surface.
BB	Briefing Book
BC	Budget Committee
BDCP	Bay Delta Conservation Plan
benthic	Refers to organisms that live on or in the ocean floor.
best available science	The term “best available science” comes from the second National Standard listed in the Magnuson-Stevens Act and is the informational standard mandated for decision making.
biological assessment (BA)	An assessment conducted as part of the Endangered Species Act process.
Biological Opinion (BO)	A scientific assessment issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as required by the Endangered Species Act for listed species. Determines the likelihood of an action to jeopardize the existence of a species listed under the Endangered Species Act.
biomass	The total weight of a stock of fish.
BiOp	Biological opinion. See above.
BLM	Bureau of Land Management. Administers 261 million acres of public lands, mainly in the West.
BOEM	Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
BMSY (B sub MSY)	The biomass that allows maximum sustainable yield to be taken. Also see B40%.
BO	Biological opinion. See above.
Bo (B sub zero)	Unfished biomass; the estimated size of a fish stock in the absence of fishing.
BOR	U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Responsible for managing water distribution in the West.
BPA	Bonneville Power Administration. BPA markets electricity from 31 federally-owned dams in the Columbia River basin.
BRD	Bycatch reduction device. See below.
bycatch	Fish that are captured in a fishery, but that are discarded (returned to the sea) rather than being sold, kept for personal use, or donated to a charitable organization. Bycatch plus landed catch equals the total catch or total estimated fishing mortality.
C&S	Ceremonial and subsistence. See below.
CA	California
CalCOFI	California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations
California Bight	The region of concave coastline off Southern California between the headland at Point Conception and the U.S./Mexican border, and encompassing various islands, shallow banks, basins, and troughs extending from the coast roughly 200 km offshore.
California Rockfish Conservation Area	The California Rockfish Conservation Area (CRCA) is defined as (1) ocean waters 20 fm to 250 fm between Cape Mendocino and Point Reyes and 20 fm to 150 fm between Point Reyes and the U.S./Mexico Border, and (2) the Cowcod Conservation Areas. The purpose of the CRCA is to regulate all gear types that have a potentially significant affect on rebuilding of overfished rockfish species south of Cape Mendocino.
catch per unit of effort	The quantity of fish caught (in number or weight) with one standard unit of fishing effort. For example, the number of fish taken per 1,000 hooks per day, or the weight of fish, in tons, taken per hour of trawling. CPUE is often considered an index of fish biomass (or abundance). Sometimes referred to as catch rate. CPUE may be used as a measure of economic efficiency of fishing as well as an index of fish abundance.
CBNMS	Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary
CCA	Cowcod Conservation Area(s). See below.
CCE	California Current Ecosystem
CCC	Council Coordination Committee
CCI	Climate and Commununities Initiative
CCIEA	California Current Integrated Ecosystem Assessment
CCCT	Ad Hoc Climate and Communities Core Team
CDFW	California Department of Fish and Wildlife (formerly CDFG, Fish and Game)
CEQ	Council on Environmental Quality
CEQA	California Environmental Quality Act
ceremonial and subsistence	A harvest category specific to native American tribes.
cetaceans	Marine mammals of the order Cetacea. Includes whales, dolphins and porpoises.
CFA	Community fishing association
CFR	Code of Federal Regulations. See below.
cfs	Cubic feet per second. A measure of running water in a stream or river.
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary.	A 1,252-square-nautical-mile area of the Santa Barbara Channel designated as a marine sanctuary in 1980. It encompasses an area out to six nautical miles around the islands of San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, and Santa Barbara. CINMS is one of 13 National Marine Sanctuaries around the country.
CINMS	Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. See above.
CITES	Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species
cm	Centimeter
coastal pelagic species	Coastal pelagic species are schooling fish, not associated with the ocean bottom, that migrate in coastal waters. They usually eat plankton and are the main food source for higher level predators such as tuna, salmon, most groundfish, and humans. Examples are herring, squid, anchovy, sardine, and mackerel.
Coastal Zone Management Act	The main objective of the CZMA is to encourage and assist states in developing coastal zone management programs, to coordinate state activities, and to safeguard the regional and national interests in the coastal zone. It requires that any federal activity (including fishery management regulations) directly affecting the coastal zone of a state be consistent with that state’s approved coastal zone management program, since activities that take place beyond the territorial sea may affect the coastal zone.
Code of Federal Regulations	A codification of the regulations published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the federal government. The CFR is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to federal regulation. Title 50 contains wildlife and fisheries regulations.
coded-wire tag	Coded-wire tags are small pieces of stainless steel wire that are injected into the snouts of juvenile salmon and steelhead. Each tag is etched with a binary code that identifies its release group.
cod-end	The end of a trawl net, which retains the catch.
COE	(U.S. Army) Corps of Engineers. Among other things, the COE manages hydropower facilities, conducts dredging operations, and builds breakwaters and jetties.
cohort	In a stock, a group of fish born during the same time period.
cohort replacement rate	The rate at which each subsequent cohort, or generation, replaces the previous one.
commercial fishing	Fishing in which the fish harvested, either whole or in part, are intended to enter commerce through sale, barter, or trade.
co-occurring stocks	Different stocks of fish that swim or school near one another and may be caught together.
COP	Council Operating Procedures
Council	Pacific Fishery Management Council
Cowcod Conservation Area(s)	Two areas located in the Southern California Bight southwest of Santa Monica to the California/Mexico border that encompass roughly 4,300 square nautical miles of habitat where the highest densities of cowcod occur. These areas are closed to bottom fishing in order to rebuild the cowcod stock.
CP	Catcher-processor
CPFV	Commercial passenger fishing vessel (charter boat)
CPS	Coastal pelagic species. See above.
CPSAS	Coastal Pelagic Species Advisory Subpanel
CPSMT	Coastal Pelagic Species Management Team
CPUE	Catch per unit of effort. See above.
CR	Columbia River
CRCA	California Rockfish Conservation Area. See above.
CRITFC	Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
CSP	Halibut Catch Sharing Plan
cumulative limit	The total allowable amount of a species or species group, by weight, that a vessel may take and retain, possess, or land during a period of time. Fishers may take as many landings of a species or species complex as they like as long as they do not exceed the cumulative limit that applies to the vessel or permit during the designated period.
CVPIA	Central Valley Project Improvement Act
CWT	Coded-wire tag. See above.
CZMA	Coastal Zone Management Act. See above.
DEIS	Draft Environmental Impact Statement (see EIS, NEPA)
demersal	Living near, and depending on, the sea floor. For example, cods, groupers, and halibut are demersal. (Pronounced “deMERsal”).
derby fishery	A fishery of brief duration during which fishers race to take as much catch as they can before the fishery closes.
DFO	(Canada) Department of Fisheries and Oceans
DFW	Department of Fish and Wildlife
DGN	Drift gillnet
DOC	Department of Commerce. Parent organization of the National Marine Fisheries Service.
DOI	Department of Interior
DOJ	Department of Justice. DOJ attorneys represent the Secretary of Commerce in litigation on fishery management plans.
DOS	Department of State
DTL	Daily trip limit
DTS	Dover sole, thornyhead, and trawl-caught sablefish complex
EA	Environmental assessment (see NEPA, EIS). See below.
EAS	Ecosystem Advisory Subpanel
EBM	Ecosystem-based management
EC	Enforcement Consultants, or ecosystem component.
ED	Executive Director
EDF	Environmental Defense Fund
EEZ	Exclusive Economic Zone. See below.
EFH	Essential fish habitat. See below.
EFHCA	Essential fish habitat conservation area
EFHRC	Essential Fish Habitat Review Committee
EFIN	Economic Fishery Information Network, administered by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission.
EFMP	Ecosystem Fishery Management Plan
EFP	Exempted fishing permit. See below.
EIR	Environmental impact review
EIS	Environmental impact statement. See below.
El Niño Southern Oscillation	Abnormally warm ocean climate conditions, which in some years affect the eastern coast of Latin America (centered on Peru) often around Christmas time. The anomaly is accompanied by dramatic changes in species abundance and distribution, higher local rainfall and flooding, and massive deaths of fish and their predators. Many other climactic anomalies around the world are attributed to consequences of El Niño.
EM	Electronic monitoring
Endangered Species Act	An act of Federal law that provides for the conservation of endangered and threatened species of fish, wildlife, and plants. When preparing fishery management plans, councils are required to consult with the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine whether the fishing under a fishery management plan is likely to jeopardize the continued existence of an ESA-listed species or to result in harm to its critical habitat.
endorsement	A designation on a limited entry permit that authorizes the use of the permit for a particular gear, length of vessel, or in a particular segment of the fishery.
Enforcement Consultants	A Council committee that provides advice on enforcement of fishery regulations.
ENSO	El Niño Southern Oscillation. See above.
environmental assessment	As part of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, an EA is a concise public document that provides evidence and analysis for determining whether to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) or a Finding of No Significant Impact.
Environmental impact statement	As part of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, an EIS is an analysis of the expected impacts resulting from the implementation of a fisheries management or development plan (or some other proposed action) on the environment. EISs are required for all fishery management plans as well as significant amendments to existing plans. The purpose of an EIS is to ensure the fishery management plan gives appropriate consideration to environmental values in order to prevent harm to the environment.
EO	Executive Order
EPA	Environmental Protection Agency
EPDT	Ecosystem Plan Development Team
EPO	Eastern Pacific Ocean
ESA	Endangered Species Act. See above.
escapement	The number or proportion of fish surviving (escaping from) a given fishery at the end of the fishing season and reaching the spawning grounds. Term generally used for salmon management.
essential fish habitat	Those waters and substrate necessary to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding or growth to maturity.
Estimated discard mortality	Estimates of discards can be made in a variety of ways, including samples from observers and logbook records. Fish (or parts of fish) can be discarded for a variety of reasons such as having physical damage, being a non-target species for the trip, and compliance with management regulations like minimum size limits or quotas.
ESU	Evolutionarily significant unit
evolutionarily significant unit	An Evolutionarily Significant Unit or “ESU” is a distinctive group of Pacific salmon, steelhead, or sea-run cutthroat trout that is uniquely adapted to a particular area or environment and cannot be replaced.
EWG	Ecosystem Workgroup
Exclusive Economic Zone	A zone under national jurisdiction (up to 200 nautical miles wide) declared in line with the provisions of the 1982 United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea, within which the coastal State has the right to explore and exploit, and the responsibility to conserve and manage, the living and non-living resources.
exempted fishing permit	A permit issued by National Marine Fisheries Service that allows exemptions from some regulations in order to study the effectiveness, bycatch rate, or other aspects of an experimental fishing gear. Previously known as an “experimental fishing permit.”
F	The instantaneous rate of fishing mortality. The term “fishing mortality rate” is a technical fishery science term that is often misunderstood. It refers to the rate at which animals are removed from the stock by fishing. The fishing mortality rate can be confusing because it is an “instantaneous” rate that is useful in mathematical calculations, but is not easily translated into the more easily understood concept of “percent annual removal.”
F=0	Fishing mortality equals zero (no fishing).
FAD	Fish aggregating device. See below.
FAO	Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
fathom	Used chiefly in measuring marine depth. A fathom equals six feet.
Fecundity	The potential to produce offspring.
Federal Register	The Federal Register is the official daily publication for Rules, Proposed Rules, and Notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as Executive Orders and other Presidential documents. Fisheries regulations are not considered final until they are published in the Federal Register.
FEIS	Final Environmental Impact Statement (see EIS, NEPA).
FEP	Fishery ecosystem plan
FERC	Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Regulates hydropower operations and offshore wave energy.
Finding of no significant impact	As part of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, a finding of no significant impact (FONSI) is a document that explains why an action that is not otherwise excluded from the NEPA process, and for which an environmental impact statement (EIS) will not be prepared, will not have a significant effect on the human environment.
Fish aggregating device	Artificial or natural floating objects placed on the ocean surface, often anchored to the bottom, to attract several schooling fish species underneath, thus increasing their catchability.
Fish stock	A population of a species of fish from which catches are taken in a fishery. Use of the term “fish stock” usually implies that the particular population is more or less isolated from other stocks of the same species, and hence self-sustaining.
Fishery management council	A fisheries management body established by the Magnuson-Stevens Act to manage fishery resources in designated regions of the United States. Membership varies in size depending on the number of states involved. There are eight regional Councils, including the Pacific Council.
Fishery management plan	A plan, and its amendments, that contains measures for conserving and managing specific fisheries and fish stocks.
Fishery management unit	The species or stocks of fish managed under a fishery management plan.
Fishing	The catching, taking, or harvesting of fish; the attempted catching, taking, or harvesting of fish; any other activity that can reasonably be expected to result in the catching, taking, or harvesting of fish; any operations at sea in support of, or in preparation for, any of these activities. This term does not include any activity by a vessel conducting authorized scientific research.
Fishing community	A community which is substantially dependent on or substantially engaged in the harvest or processing of fishery resources to meet social and economic needs. Includes fishing vessel owners, fishing families, operators, crew, recreational fishers, fish processors, gear suppliers, and others in the community who depend on fishing.
Fixed gear	Fishing gear that is stationary after it is deployed (unlike trawl or troll gear which is moving when it is actively fishing). Within the context of the groundfish limited entry fleet, “fixed gear” means longline and fishpot (trap) gear. Within the context of the entire groundfish fishery, fixed gear includes longline, fishpot, and any other gear that is anchored at least at one end.
FL	Fork length. See below.
Fm	Fathom (6 feet)
FMC	Fishery management council. See above.
FMP	Fishery management plan. See above.
FMSY	The fishing mortality rate that maximizes catch biomass in the long term.
FOIA	Freedom of Information Act
FONSI	Finding of no significant impact. See above.
Footrope	The rope along the bottom of a trawl net’s opening. Small footropes can get caught or tangled in rocky reef areas, so regulations that require small footropes protect these rocky areas by encouraging skippers to fish elsewhere.
Fork length	A measurement used frequently for fish length when the tail has a fork shape. Projected straight distance between the tip of the fish and the fork of the tail.
FR	Federal Register. See above.
FRAM	Fishery Regulation Assessment Model. Typically used for salmon.
FTE	Full time employee
FWS	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
FX%	The rate of fishing mortality that will reduce female spawning biomass per recruit to x percent of its unfished level. F100% is zero, and F35% is a reasonable proxy for FMSY. (All figures after “F” should be subscript.)
GAO	General Accounting Office
GAP	Groundfish Advisory Subpanel. See below.
GDP	Gross Domestic Product
GEMPAC	Ad Hoc Groundfish Electronic Monitoring Policy Advisory Committee
GEMTAC	Ad hoc Groundfish Electronic Monitoring Technical Advisory Committee
GESW	Groundfish Endangered Species Workgroup
GF	Groundfish
GFNMS	Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary
GIS	Geographic Information System
GMT	Groundfish Management Team. See below.
GPS	Global Positioning System
Groundfish Advisory Subpanel	The Council established the GAP to obtain the input of the people most affected by, or interested in, the management of the groundfish fishery. This advisory body is made up of representatives with recreational, trawl, fixed gear, open access, tribal, environmental, and processor interests. Their advice is solicited when preparing fishery management plans, reviewing plans before sending them to the Secretary, reviewing the effectiveness of plans once they are in operation, and developing annual and inseason management.
Groundfish Management Team	Groundfish management plans and annual and inseason management recommendations are prepared by the Council’s GMT, which consists of scientists and managers with specific technical knowledge of the groundfish fishery.
Habitat areas of particular concern.	Subsets of essential fish habitat (see EFH) containing particularly sensitive or vulnerable habitats that serve an important ecological function, are particularly sensitive to human-induced environmental degradation, are particularly stressed by human development activities, or comprise a rare habitat type.
HAPC	Habitat areas of particular concern. See above.
Harvest guideline(s)	A numerical harvest level that is a general objective, but not a quota. Attainment of a harvest guideline does not require a management response, but it does prompt review of the fishery.
Harvest specifications	The detailed regulations that make up management measures – for example, trawl footrope size, depth limits, net mesh size, etc.
HC	Habitat Committee
HCR	Harvest control rule
HG	Harvest guideline(s). See above.
High seas	All waters beyond the EEZ (3-200 mile zone) of the United States and beyond any foreign nation’s EEZ.
Highly migratory species	In the Council context, highly migratory species in the Pacific Ocean include species managed under the HMS Fishery Management Plan: tunas, sharks, billfish/swordfish, and dorado or dolphinfish.
HMS	Highly migratory species. See above.
HMS FMP	Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan. This is the fishery management plan (and its subsequent revisions) for the Washington, Oregon, and California Highly Migratory Species Fisheries developed by the PFMC and approved by the Secretary of Commerce.
HMSAS	Highly Migratory Species Advisory Subpanel
HMSMT	Highly Migratory Species Management Team
HMSPDT*	Highly Migratory Species Plan Development Team
IATTC	Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission
IBQ	Individual bycatch quota. IBQs are used to control the catch of prohibited species.
IDFG	Idaho Department of Fish and Game
IEA	Integrated Ecosystem Assessment
IFQ	Individual fishing quota. See below.
Incidental catch or incidental species.	Species caught when fishing for the primary purpose of catching a different species.
Incidental take	The “take” of protected species (such as listed salmon, marine mammals, sea turtles, or sea birds) during fishing. “Take” is defined as to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct.
Individual transferable (or tradeable) quota.	A type of quota (a part of a total allowable catch) allocated to individual fishermen or vessel owners and which can be transferred (sold, leased) to others.
INPFC	International North Pacific Fishery Commission. See below.
Inseason adjustments	Regulatory changes that affect an ongoing fishery.
International Pacific Halibut Commission.	A Commission responsible for studying Pacific halibut stocks and the halibut fishery. The IPHC makes proposals to the U.S. and Canada concerning the regulation of the halibut fishery.
Invertebrate	An animal, such as a mollusk, with no spinal column
IPHC	International Pacific Halibut Commission. See above.
IQ	Individual quota
ISC	International Scientific Committee for Tuna and Tuna-like Species in the North Pacific Ocean
ITQ	Individual Transferable (or Tradable) Quota. See above.
IUU	Illegal, unregulated, and unreported
KBRA	Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement
kg	kilogram
KMZ	Klamath management zone (ocean zone between Humbug Mountain and Horse Mountain where management emphasis is on Klamath River fall Chinook)
KRFC	Klamath River fall Chinook
LAPP	Limited Access Privilege Program
LC	Legislative Committee
LCN	Lingcod - North
LCN	Lower Columbia natural
LCR	Lower Columbia River
LCS	Lingcod - South
LE	Limited entry fishery. See below.
Length requirement	The requirement that specifies that permits may not be registered for use with vessels more than five feet longer (in overall length) than the length endorsed on the permit.
Limited entry fishery	A fishery for which a fixed number of permits have been issued in order to limit participation.
LNG	Liquified natural gas
Local depletion	Local depletion occurs when localized catches take more fish than can be replaced either locally or through fish migrating into the catch area. Local depletion can occur apart from the status of the overall stock, and can be greater than decreases in the entire stock.
m	Meter(s)
Magnuson-Stevens Act	Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. See below.
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.	The MSFCMA, sometimes known as the “Magnuson-Stevens Act,” established the 200-mile fishery conservation zone, the regional fishery management council system, and other provisions of U.S. marine fishery law.
Marine Mammal Protection Act	The MMPA prohibits the harvest or harassment of marine mammals, although permits for incidental take of marine mammals while commercial fishing may be issued subject to regulation. (See “incidental take” for a definition of “take”).
Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistical Survey.	A national survey conducted by National Marine Fisheries Service to estimate the impact of recreational fishing on marine resources.
Maximum fishing mortality threshold.	A limit identified in the National Standard Guidelines. A fishing mortality rate above this threshold constitutes overfishing.
Maximum sustainable yield	An estimate of the largest average annual catch or yield that can be continuously taken over a long period from a stock under prevailing ecological and environmental conditions. Since MSY is a long-term average, it need not be specified annually, but may be reassessed periodically based on the best scientific information available.
MBNMS	Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
mean generation time	A measure of the time required for a female to produce a reproductively-active female offspring.
MEW	Model Evaluation Workgroup (for salmon)
MFCMA	Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The Fishery Conservation and Management Act was renamed the “Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act” in 1980. The MFCMA established the 200-mile fishery conservation zone and the regional fishery management council system.
MFMT	Maximum fishing mortality threshold. See above.
MHHW	Mean higher high water level (high tide line)
Minimum stock size threshold	A threshold biomass used to determine if a stock is overfished. The Council proxy for MSST is B25%.
Mixed stock exception	In “mixed-stock complexes,” many species of fish swim together and are caught together. This becomes a problem when some of these stocks are healthy and some are overfished, because even a sustainable harvest of the healthy stocks can harm the depleted stock. In order to avoid having to shut down all fisheries to protect one particular overfished stock, the national standard guidelines allow a “mixed-stock” exception to the “overfished” definition. This would allow higher catches of some overfished species than ordinarily allowed in order to avoid severe hardship to fishing communities.
mm	Millimeter
MMPA	Marine Mammal Protection Act. See above.
MOA	Memorandum of Agreement
MOU	Memorandum of Understanding
MPA	Marine protected areas
MRFSS	Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey. See above.
MS	Mothership
MSA	Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. See above.
MSE	Management strategy evaluation
MSFCMA	Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. See above.
MSRA	Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006
MSST	Minimum stock size threshold. See above.
MSY	Maximum sustainable yield. See above.
mt	Metric ton. 1000 kilos or 2,204.62 pounds. (A “short ton” is 2000 lbs.)
NA	Not available
National Environmental Policy Act.	Passed by Congress in 1969, NEPA requires Federal agencies to consider the environment when making decisions regarding their programs. Section 102(2)(C) requires Federal agencies to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) before taking major Federal actions that may significantly affect the quality of the human environment. The EIS includes: the environmental impact of the proposed action, any adverse environmental effects which cannot be avoided should the proposed action be implemented, alternatives to the proposed action, the relationship between local short-term uses of the environment and long-term productivity, and any irreversible commitments of resources which would be involved in the proposed action should it be implemented.
National Marine Fisheries Service.	A division of the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NMFS is responsible for conservation and management of offshore fisheries (and inland salmon). The NMFS Regional Director is a voting member of the Council.
National standard guidelines	Guidelines issued by National Marine Fisheries Service to provide comprehensive guidance for the development of fishery management plans and amendments that comply with the national standards of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. These guidelines are found in Title 50, Code of Federal Regulations, part 600.
NE	Northeast
Nearshore	“Nearshore” is defined (by the California Nearshore Fishery Management Plan) as the area from the high-tide line offshore to a depth of 120 ft (20 fm)
NEPA	National Environmental Policy Act. See above.
NGO	Nongovernmental organization
nm	Nautical mile
NMFS	National Marine Fisheries Service. See above.
NMFS NWFSC	National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Fisheries Science Center
NMFS NWR	National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Region
NMFS SWR	National Marine Fisheries Service Southwest Region
NMFS WCR	National Marine Fisheries Service West Coast Region
NMS	National Marine Sanctuary
NMSA	National Marine Sanctuaries Act
NMSP	National Marine Sanctuaries Program
NOAA	National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. The parent agency of National Marine Fisheries Service.
NOAA GC	NOAA (see above) General Counsel
NOI	Notice of Intent
Nontrawl	Within the context of the groundfish limited fleet, “nontrawl” and “fixed gear” are the same, i.e. longline and fishpot gear. Within the context of the entire groundfish fishery, nontrawl gear includes longline, fishpot, and any other gear that is not trawl gear (troll, gillnet, vertical hook-and-line, etc.).
NORPAC	North Pacific Database Program
NOS	National Ocean Service
NPCC	Northwest Power and Conservation Council (formerly known as the Northwest Power Planning Council)
NPDES	National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
NPFMC	North Pacific Fishery Management Council. The NPFMC consists of the state of Alaska, with representation by Washington and Oregon.
NPOA	National Plan of Action
NRC	National Research Council
NRDC	Natural Resources Defense Council
NS1	National Standard 1
NSF	National Science Foundation
NSG	National Standards Guidelines. See above.
NWFSC	Northwest Fisheries Science Center (in Seattle; a division of NMFS)
NWIFC	Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission
NWR	Northwest Region
OA	Open access fishery. See below.
Oceanic	Inhabiting the open sea, ranging beyond the continental and insular shelves, beyond the neritic zone.
OCN	Oregon coastal natural (coho)
OCNMS	Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary
OCZMA	Oregon Coast Zone Management Act
ODFW	Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
OFL	Overfishing limit
OLE	Office of Law Enforcement (NOAA Fisheries)
OMB	Office of Management and Budget
Open-access fishery	The segment of the groundfish fishery or any other fishery for which entry is not controlled by a limited entry permitting program.
Optimum yield	The amount of fish that will provide the greatest overall benefit to the Nation, particularly with respect to food production and recreational opportunities, and taking into account the protection of marine ecosystems. The OY is developed on the basis of the Maximum Sustained Yield from the fishery, taking into account relevant economic, social, and ecological factors. In the case of overfished fisheries, the OY provides for rebuilding to a level that is consistent with producing the Maximum Sustained Yield for the fishery.
OR	Oregon
OSP	Optimum sustainable production, Oregon State Police
OSU	Oregon State University
Overcapacity	A level of fishing pressure that threatens to reduce a stock or complex below the abundance necessary to support maximum sustainable yield and allow an economically sustainable fishing industry.
Overfished	Any stock or stock complex whose size is sufficiently small that a change in management practices is required to achieve an appropriate level and rate of rebuilding. The term generally describes any stock or stock complex determined to be below its overfished/rebuilding threshold. The default proxy is generally 25% of its estimated unfished biomass; however, other scientifically valid values are also authorized.
Overfishing	Fishing at a rate or level that jeopardizes the capacity of a stock or stock complex to produce MSY on a continuing basis. More specifically, overfishing is defined as exceeding a maximum allowable fishing mortality rate. For any groundfish stock or stock complex, the maximum allowable mortality rate will be set at a level not to exceed the corresponding MSY rate (FMSY) or its proxy.
OY	Optimum yield. See above.
P*	Probability of overfishing.
PacFIN	Pacific Coast Fisheries Information Network. Provides commercial fishery information for Washington, Oregon, and California. Maintained by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission.
Pacific decadal oscillation	A long-term, El Nino-like pattern of Pacific Ocean climate variability.
Pacific Salmon Treaty (PST)	Created in 1985 through cooperative efforts of tribes, state governments, U.S. and Canadian governments, and sport and commercial fishing interests. The Pacific Salmon Commission (PSC) was created to implement the treaty. The PSC establishes fishery and allocation regimes, develops management recommendations and is a forum for working on fishery issues.
Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission.	The PSMFC is a non-regulatory agency that serves Alaska, California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. PSMFC (headquartered in Portland) provides a communication exchange between the Pacific Fishery Management Council and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, and a mechanism for Federal funding of regional fishery projects. The PSMFC provides information in the form of data services for various fisheries.
PBR	Potential biological removal. See below.
PCFFA	Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations
PDF	Probability density function.
PDO	Pacific decadal oscillation. See above.
PEIS	Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement. An EIS that applies to an entire program or management regime, rather than a specific action.
Pelagic	Inhabiting the water column, as opposed to being associated with the sea floor; generally occurring anywhere from the surface to 1000 meters (547 fm). See also epipelagic and mesopelagic.
Permit stacking	The registration of more than one limited entry permit for a single vessel, where a vessel is allowed additional catch for each additional permit registered for use with the vessel.
PFMC	Pacific Fishery Management Council
PIE rule	Program Improvements and Enhancements rule
PMAX	The estimated probability of reaching TMAX. May not be less than 50%.
PNW	Pacific Northwest
POP	Pacific ocean perch
Potential biological removal	The maximum number of animals, not including natural mortalities, that may be removed from a marine mammal stock while allowing that stock to reach or maintain its optimum sustainable population.
PPA	Preliminary preferred alternative
PRA	Paperwork Reduction Act
Preferred alternative	The alternative that is identified as preferred by the authors of an environmental impact statement or environmental assessment. It is identified to indicate which alternative is likely to be selected, thereby helping the public focus its comments.
Processing	The preparation or packaging of fish to render it suitable for human consumption, retail sale, industrial uses, or long-term storage, including but not limited to cooking, canning, smoking, salting, drying, filleting, freezing, or rendering into meal or oil, but not heading and gutting unless additional preparation is done.
Proposed alternatives	Alternatives proposed by the Council for a proposed management action (such as annual management specifications). The alternatives are presented to the public for comment, and are voted upon at a subsequent Council meeting. The options always include a “status quo” alternative (for example the current season’s ABCs and OYs).
PSC	Pacific Salmon Commission
PSMFC	Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. See above.
PST	Pacific Salmon Treaty
QP	Quota pounds
QS	Quota share (related to individual fishing quotas; see below)
Quota	A specified numerical harvest objective, the attainment (or expected attainment) of which causes closure of the fishery for that species or species group.
Quota shares	A share of the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) allocated to an operating unit such as a vessel, a company or an individual fisherman (individual quota) depending on the system of allocation. Quotas may or may not be transferable, inheritable, and tradable. While generally used to allocate total allowable catch, quotas could be used also to allocate fishing effort or biomass.
RCA	Rockfish Conservation Area, riparian conservation area
Rebuilding	Implementing management measures that increase a fish stock to its target size.
Rebuilding analysis	An analysis that uses biological information to describe the probability that a stock will rebuild within a given timeframe under a particular management regime.
Rebuilding plan	A document that describes policy measures that will be used to rebuild a fish stock that has been declared overfished.
RecFin	Recreational Fishery Information Network. A database managed by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission that provides recreational fishery information for Washington, Oregon, and California.
Recruits	Recruits are a group (“cohort”) of young fish that enter a fish stock in one year.
Recruits/recruitment	The estimated production of new members to a fish population as measured at a specific life stage.
Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (or Act).	Regulatory Flexibility Act (see IRFA and FRFA above). See below. The Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601-612) requires federal agencies to consider the effects of their regulatory actions on small businesses and other small entities and to minimize any undue disproportionate burden.
Regulatory Impact Review	RIRs are prepared to determine whether a proposed regulatory action is “major.” The RIR examines alternative management measures and their economic impacts.
RER	Recovery Exploitation Rates
RF	Rockfish
RFA	Regulatory Flexibility Analysis, or Regulatory Flexibility Act. See above.
RFMO	Regional Fishery Management Organizations
Riparian area	A land area adjacent to water. Technical definition: “riparian area” means an area of land that (a) is adjacent to a stream, river, lake or wetland, and (b) contains vegetation that, due to the presence of water, is distinctly different from the vegetation of adjacent upland areas. (Code of British Columbia)
RIR	Regulatory Impact Review. See above.
rkm	River-kilometer
ROA	Range of alternatives
ROD	Record of Decision
ROV	Remotely operated vehicle (submarine)
RPAs	Reasonable and prudent alternatives
Rulemaking	The process of developing Federal regulations which occurs in several steps, including publishing proposed rules in the Federal Register, accepting comments on the proposed rule, and publishing the final rule. An “advanced notice of proposed rulemaking” is published when dealing with especially important or controversial rules.
SAFE	Stock assessment and fishery evaluation. See below.
Saltonstall-Kennedy Act	The Saltonstall-Kennedy Act allocates 30% of the duties for imported fishery products to technological, biological, marketing, and other research and services in order to promote the free flow of domestically-produced fishery products and to develop markets for domestic fishery products.
SAS	Salmon Advisory Subpanel
Scientific and Statistical Committee	An advisory committee of the PFMC made up of scientists and economists. The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires that each council maintain an SSC to assist in gathering and analyzing statistical, biological, ecological, economic, social, and other scientific information that is relevant to the management of Council fisheries.
SDC	Status determination criteria
Secretary	U.S. Secretary of Commerce
SEIS	Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (see Environmental Impact Statement)
SFA	Sustainable Fisheries Act of 1996. Amended the MSFCMA.
SFO	Sustainable Fisheries Office (NMFS)
Shelf rockfish	Rockfish that live on the continental shelf
SIA	Social impact analysis
S-K	Saltonstall-Kennedy. See above.
Slope rockfish	Rockfish that live on the continental slope
SONCC	Southern Oregon Northern California coastal coho (an evolutionarily significant unit)
SONCCWG	Ad Hoc Southern Oregon Northern California Coast Coho Workgroup
SOPP	Statement of Organization, Practices, and Procedures
Southern California Bight	See California Bight, above.
Spawning biomass	The biomass of mature female fish at the beginning of the year. If the production of eggs is not proportional to body weight, then this definition is construed to be proportional to expected egg production.
SPR	Spawning biomass per recruit
SPR	Spawning potential ratio. The ratio of spawning potential per recruit under a given fishing regime, relative to the spawning potential per recruit with no fishing.
SRFC	Sacramento River fall Chinook
SRI	Sacramento River index
SRKWWG	Ad Hoc Southern Resident Killer Whale Workgroup
SSB	Spawning stock biomass
SSC	Scientific and Statistical Committee. See above.
SST	Sea surface temperature
STAR	Stock assessment review
STAR Panel	Stock Assessment Review Panel. A panel set up to review stock assessments for particular fisheries. In the past there have been STAR panels for sablefish, rockfish, squid, and other species.
Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation.	A SAFE document is a document prepared by the Council that provides a summary of the most recent biological condition of species in the fishery management unit, and the social and economic condition of the recreational and commercial fishing industries, including the fish processing sector. It summarizes, on a periodic basis, the best available information concerning the past, present, and possible future condition of the stocks and fisheries managed in the FMP.
STT	Salmon Technical Team
SWFSC	Southwest Fisheries Science Center (NMFS)
SWR	Southwest Region
TAC	Total allowable catch. See below.
Territorial sea	The territorial sea of the United States extends 12 nautical miles offshore. States exercise authority over marine fisheries in waters from the coastline to 3 miles offshore.
TMAX	The maximum time period to rebuild an overfished stock, according to National Standard Guidelines. Depends on biological, environmental, and legal/policy factors.
TMIN	The minimum time period to rebuild an overfished stock, according to National Standard Guidelines. Technically, this is the minimum amount of time in which a fish stock will have a 50% chance of rebuilding if no fishing occurs (depends on biological and environmental factors).
TNC	The Nature Conservancy
Total allowable catch	The total regulated catch from a stock in a given time period, usually a year. (NMFS)
Total catch OY	Total catch optimum yield. The landed catch plus discard mortality.
TTARGET	The target year, set by policy, for a fish stock to be completely rebuilt.
U/A	Usual and accustomed (usually used when referring to tribal fishing, hunting or gathering areas)
USCG	U.S. Coast Guard. A representative of the USCG is a non-voting member of the Council.
USFS	U.S. Forest Service
USFWS	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A representative of USFWS is a non-voting member of the Council.
USGS	U.S. Geological Survey
Vessel Monitoring System	A satellite communications system used to monitor fishing activities­—for example, to ensure that vessels stay out of prohibited areas. The system is based on electronic devices (transceivers), which are installed on board vessels. These devices automatically send data to shore-based “satellite” monitoring system.
VMS	Vessel monitoring system. See above.
WA	Washington
WCP	West Coast Pelagic Conservation Group
WCPFC	Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission
WCSPA	West Coast Seafood Processors Association
WCVI	West Coast Vancouver Island
WDFW	Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. A representative of WDFW sits on the Council.
WFOA	Western Fishboat Owners Association
WPFMC	Western Pacific Fishery Management Council
Yield per recruit	A model that estimates yield in terms of weight, but more often as a percentage of the maximum sustainable yield, for various combinations of natural mortality, fishing mortality and time exposed to the fishery (NOAA).