The Council began scoping the authorization deep-set buoy gear (DSBG) to target swordfish in March 2016. It adopted a range of alternatives, including a preliminary preferred alternative in November 2018 and took final action to identify its preferred alternative in September 2019. During review of the Council final action NMFS identified several elements of the […]
In November 2015, the Council took final action to remove blackgill rockfish from the Slope Rockfish complex south of 40⁰ 10’ N. latitude and reallocate blackgill rockfish and the remaining species in the southern Slope Rockfish complex to trawl and non-trawl sectors as follows: No changes were recommended to the accumulation limit for these species. […]
Amendment 18 was developed at the same time as Amendment 19. Amendment 18: Requires the use of current bycatch minimization measures. Fully describes the current standardized bycatch reporting methodology. Incorporates the Groundfish Strategic Plan goal of reducing overcapacity in all commercial fisheries. Implements a sector-specific bycatch accounting methodology. Supports the future use of individual fishing quota […]
In March 2017, the Council was presented with proposed changes to the HMS FMP as Amendment 4. These proposed changes originated from a 2016 recommendation from the HMS Management Team (HMSMT) for housekeeping changes that would revise dated and inaccurate text. At its June 2017 meeting the Council adopted for public review proposed these changes to […]
Based on issues identified in its first review of the trawl catch share program (review of Amendment 20 to the FMP), the Council undertook a number of follow-on actions (see Section 5.0 of the review document, completed in November 2017). One of these issues was related to gear switching in the shoreside individual fishing quoa […]
CPS Amendment 16 adds a description to the CPS FMP of a very small sector of the CPS fishery that is not part of the primary commercial directed fishery and harvests minor amounts of CPS finfish. The intent of Amendment 16 is to allow this sector to continue targeting CPS finfish after a directed fishery […]
In September 2016, the Council changed management of the at-sea whiting sector allocations of darkblotched rockfish and Pacific ocean perch to set-asides, while maintaining the allocation formulas in the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan for these two stocks to determine the set-aside amounts. Amendment 21-3 was included as part of this action. The final rule was published […]
In March 2017 the Council took final action to adopt Amendment 5 to the Fishery Management Plan for West U.S. Coast Fisheries for Highly Migratory Species (HMS FMP). This amendment would create a Federal limited entry permit for the California large mesh drift gillnet (DGN) fishery. Upon publication of NMFS’s final rule to establish the […]
FMP changes related to the biennial management process Amendment 27 to the Groundfish FMP was developed as part of the 2017-2018 harvest specifications and management measures process. It reclassified big skate from an ecosystem component species to “in the fishery,” listed deacon rockfish as a management unit species, and added a description of a new […]
In September 2015, the Council approved new protections for forage fish species that are currently unfished and unmanaged. The purpose of the action is to prohibit new directed commercial fishing in Federal waters on unmanaged, unfished forage fish species until the Council has had an adequate opportunity to both assess the scientific information relating to […]