Action status
- Implemented
- Undergoing NMFS Review
- Approved by Council
- Under development by the Council
The Council adopted its final preferred alternatives (FPA) for the 2025-26 harvest specifications and management measure process at their June 2024 meeting. This action also included adoption of a rebuilding plan for California quillback rockfish. The following summarizes the FPA.
1.1 Harvest Specifications
The Council adopted default harvest control rules (HCRs) to calculate harvest specifications for all managed stocks and stock complexes, except for Dover sole, rex sole, California quillback rockfish, and shortspine thornyhead as their FPA. The output from the HCRs when applied to the best scientific information available for each stock include overfishing limits (OFL), acceptable biological catch (ABC), and annual catch limits (ACL) for all stocks and stock complexes actively managed under the Groundfish FMP.
- Rex Sole
The Council adopted Alternative 2, P* 0.45, as FPA resulting in ACLs of 4,550 mt and 3,719 mt for 2025 and 2026, respectively
- Dover Sole
The Council adopted Alternative 2, ABC=ACL, P* 0.45, as FPA resulting in ACLs of 47,424 mt and for 2025 and 2026, respectively
- Shortspine Thornyhead
The Council adopted Alternative 2, ACL < ABC, P* 0.45 with the 40-10 rule applied as FPA resulting in ACLs of 815 mt and 825 mt for 2025 and 2026, respectively
- California Quillback Rockfish
The Council adopted the acceptable biological catch (ABC) Rule, P* 0.45, as FPA as the rebuilding strategy. The ABC rule results in annual catch limits (ACLs) of 1.3 mt and 1.5 mt for 2025 and 2026, respectively.
1.2 Management Measures
The Council largely adopted their preliminary preferred alternative (PPA) as the FPA for routine management measures in the 2025 and 2026 groundfish fisheries as detailed in Appendix 1 Agenda Item F.6.a, Supplemental GMT Report 1, June 2024. The GAP concurred with the GMT as shown in Appendix 1 of Agenda Item F.6.a, Supplemental GAP Report 1, June 2024). These measures are summarized below and follow the structure of the Action Item Checklist (Agenda Item F.6, Attachment 1, June 2024).
1.2.1 Rockfish Conservation Area Modifications
The Council adopted updates to Rockfish Conservation Area (RCA) waypoints as described in F.5.a, Supplemental CDFW Report 1, April 2024 that will better align coordinates with the depth contours.
1.2.2 Off-the-Top Deductions
Off-the-top deductions (i.e., set-asides) are made to the ACL to account for mortality in Pacific Coast treaty Indian tribal fisheries, research, exempted fishing permits (EFP), and incidental open access fisheries. The ACL minus the off-the-top set-asides results in the harvest guideline (HG). The Council adopted research and incidental open access set-asides based on an adopted rolling ten-year maximum except for the species noted in Agenda Item F.6.a, Supplemental GMT Report 1, June 2024. A 30 mt set-aside for sablefish north of 36° N. lat. was adopted by the Council for the recreational sector. The PPA Tribal set-asides were adopted as FPA. The Council did not adopt any EFP set-asides.
1.2.3 Tribal
The Council adopted Alternative 1 tribal set-asides, noting there was an increase to the yelloweye set-aside, a decrease in the petrale sole set-aside, and an addition of a set-aside for starry flounder.
1.2.4 Annual Catch Target
The Council established for recreational copper rockfish south of 34°27′ N. lat., removed the California quillback rockfish annual catch target (ACT). No changes were made to the yelloweye rockfish ACT.
1.2.5 Amendment 21 and biennial Allocations
The Council reduced the widow rockfish non-trawl allocation to 300 mt and changed the shortspine thornyhead allocations as detailed in New Management Measure 9E. All other stocks/stock complex allocations were not modified under the FPA.
1.2.6 Rebuilding Species Allocations
The Council maintained the Alternative 1 yelloweye rockfish rebuilding allocation structure.
1.2.7 Harvest Guidelines and State Shares for Stocks in a Complex
Under the FPA, HGs and state shares for species in a complex remain unchanged.
1.2.8 Trawl: Individual Fishing Quota and Pacific Whiting At-Sea Fisheries
No changes were made to the trawl IFQ program or non-IFQ species trip limits. The Council adopted status quo set-asides for the at-sea whiting fishery, except for arrowtooth flounder, canary rockfish, darkblotched rockfish, other flatfish complex, sablefish north of 40° 10′ N. lat., widow rockfish, and yellowtail rockfish north of 40°10′ N. lat.
1.2.9 Non-Trawl: Commercial
The Council adopted a suite of LEFG and OA trip limit modifications detailed in Appendix 2 and 3 of Agenda F.6.a, Supplemental GMT Report 1, June 2024 as their FPA. A 10 mt recreational set-aside was for sablefish south of 36° N. lat. was established. This amount is deducted from the non-trawl south of 36° N. lat. allocation.
1.2.10 Recreational Fishery
Washington
The Council adopted the proposed Washington recreational fishery management measures as recommended in Agenda Item F.5.a, Supplemental WDFW Report 1, April 2024. The aggregate groundfish bag limit will be nine fish per day which includes sub-limits of seven rockfish, two lingcod, and one cabezon plus five additional flatfish species, not including Pacific halibut, which can be retained in addition to the nine groundfish daily limit. Canary rockfish subject to a five fish sub-bag limit as recommended in Agenda Item F.6.a, Supplemental WDFW Report 1, June 2024.
Oregon
The Council adopted the proposed Oregon recreational fishery management measures as recommended in Agenda Item F.5. Supplemental ODFW Report 1, April 2024, which established of a 10 fish sablefish limit in addition to the general marine bag limit.
California.
The Council adopted the proposed California recreational fishery season structure as recommended in Agenda Item F.5.a, Supplemental CDFW Report 1, April 2024 and status quo bag limits. Size limits remained status quo, except for cabezon, greenling, and CA scorpionfish were removed, though a filet skin requirement for these species is required, as described in Agenda Item F.5.a, Supplemental EC Report 1, April 2024.
1.2.11 New Management Measures
Open Access Registration/Permit Program
The Council adopted a measure to establish an open access (OA) registration program as PPA. The program is expected to improve fishery manager’s understanding of the OA fishery in Federal waters.
Update to Discard and Retention Requirements in the Electronic Monitoring Program
The Council adopted a measure to update federal regulations pertaining to discard and retention requirements in the Electronic Monitoring (EM) program for non-IFQ species to include sablefish and rex sole, and exclude California halibut.
A Coastwide Rockfish Sorting Requirement for Processors
The Council considered this new management measure and removed it from consideration under this action. This measure will be added to the groundfish new management measure list.
Shortspine Thornyhead Management
The Council adopted modifications to shortspine thornyhead management and allocation structure as noted in Agenda Item F.5.a, Supplemental GAP Report 1, April 2024 and in Agenda Item F.5.a, Supplemental GMT Report 2, April 2024. Several process steps were needed to modify the management of this stock. Briefly, the measure removed the management line at 34°27′ N. lat. and established management of the ACL at the coastwide scale. The trawl/non-trawl allocation percentages are different each year of the biennium, in 2025 of 64 percent trawl and 36 percent non-trawl and in 2026, the coastwide allocation structure is 71 percent trawl and 29 percent non-trawl. The stock was also converted from a formal allocation to a biennial allocation. This measure established a non-trawl ACT north of 34° 27′ N. lat. set equal to 25 percent of the coastwide non-trawl allocation. (i.e., 2025 ACT of 67 mt and a 2026 ACT of 55 mt). This new management measure required Amendment 33 to the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan
Descending Device Requirement for Recreational Vessels in Federal Waters
The Council adopted a measure to create coastwide descending device requirement in the EEZ (i.e., 3-200 nm offshore). This measure create regulatory consistency between State and Federal waters across all three states
Modify Continuous Transit Limitations in California Recreational Vessels
The Council adopted a measure to modify federal continuous transit provisions at 50 CFR 660.360(c)(3)(i)(a) for California recreational vessels in Federal waters within Recreational RCA boundary line. This modification allows recreational vessels to anchor overnight and/or stop to fish for non-groundfish species inside the seasonal Recreational RCA.
Correction to the Pacific Sand Lance Scientific Name and the Common Name for Pacific Spiny Dogfish in Federal Regulation
The Council adopted a measure to update the common name of Pacifc sand lance and the common name of Pacific spiny dogfish in Federal regulation
1.3 California Quillback Rebuilding Plan
The California stock of quillback rockfish (Sebastes maliger) status was determined as overfished by the Secretary of Commerce in December 2023. This finding requires a rebuilding plan and Amendment 33 to the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan. As noted above, the Council adopted the acceptable biological catch (ABC) Rule, P* 0.45, as FPA as the rebuilding strategy to calculate harvest specifications. The ABC rule results in annual catch limits (ACLs) of 1.3 mt and 1.5 mt for 2025 and 2026, respectively. The stock was also removed from the nearshore rockfish complexes north and south of 40°10’ N lat. for purposes of rebuilding.
The Council considered two California quillback rockfish rebuilding strategies in the rebuilding plan. Alternative 2 (the ABC Rule) and Alternative 4 (F = 0). Alternative 2 (PPA), the “ABC rule” rebuilding strategy, sets ACL equal to the ABC with management risk tolerance (P* = 0.45) and the scientific uncertainty (time-varying sigma) reduction applied to the overfishing limit (OFL). Alternative 2 rebuilds the stock by 2060 (Tmin) with 73.6 percent probability of rebuilding by 2071,Tmax. Alternative 4 (F = 0) represents a harvest strategy that achieves zero fishing mortality. The stock has a median time of rebuilding the stock in the minimum amount of time, i.e., by 2045 with 99.9 percent probability of rebuilding by 2071 (Ttarget) and a 99.9 percent probability of rebuilding by 2071 (Tmax). The GMT and GAP recommended Alternative 2