September 2026 briefing book

September 2026 Council Meeting

A. Call to Order

• A.4 Agenda September 2026 Detailed Agenda & QR
• A.5 Executive Directors Report

B. Open Comment Period

• B.1 Situation Summary: Comments on Non Agenda Items
  • B.1 Attachment 1: Open Comment
  • B.1.b Public Comment – (If received, Electronic Only)

C. Cross Fishery Management Plan

• C.1 Situation Summary: Office of Law Enforcement, United States Coast Guard, and Tri-State Enforcement Biennial Report
  • C.1.a Tri State Report 1
  • C.1.a OLE Report 1: FY25 Annual Enforcement Report to PFMC
  • C.1.a USCG Report 1: U.S. Coast Guard 2024-2025 Report
  • C.1.c Public Comment – (If received, Electronic Only)
• C.2 Situation Summary: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) Report
  • C.2.c Public Comment – (If received, Electronic Only)
• C.3 Situation Summary: Special Projects: Project Planning, Updates, and Clarifications
  • C.3 Attachment 1: PFMC Staff Report on Special Projects: Project Planning, Updates, and Clarifications – Special Project 1, Adaptive Management and Flexibility
  • C.3 Attachment 2: PFMC Staff Report on Special Projects: Project Planning, Updates, and Clarifications – Special Project 2, Decision Making for Stronger Fishing Communities
  • C.3 Attachment 3: PFMC Staff Report on Special Projects: Project Planning, Updates, and Clarifications – Special Project 3, New Fishing Opportunities within Bycatch Allowances
  • C.3 Attachment 4: Special Projects: Project Planning Updates and Clarifications – Consolidated Timeline
  • C.3.b Public Comment – (If received, Electronic Only)
• C.4 Situation Summary: Council Efficiencies
  • C.4 Attachment 1: Summary of Council Recommendations, Timeline, Status, and Next Steps
  • C.4 Attachment 2: Council Efficiencies: Progress, Outcomes, and Next Steps
  • C.4 Attachment 3: Proposed Council Meeting Schedule by FMP and Advisory Body Meeting Format for 2027 and Beyond
  • C.4 Attachment 4: Governance and Process Improvements Regarding Decision Making and Workload
  • C.4 Attachment 5: Proposed Changes to Council Operating Procedures
  • C.4.b Public Comment – (If received, Electronic Only)
• C.5 Situation Summary: Special Project 1: Nationwide Review of If, Then Statements and Council Meeting Requirements
  • C.5 Attachment 1: PFMC Staff Report on Special Project 1: Adaptive Management and Flexibility – Nationwide Review of IF-Then Statements and Inseason Management Actions
  • C.5 Attachment 2: PFMC Staff Report on Special Project 1: Adaptive Management and Flexibility – Council Meeting Requirements
  • C.5.b Public Comment – (If received, Electronic Only)

D. Administrative Matters

• D.1 Situation Summary: Council Member Recusals
  • D.1 Attachment 1: Procedures for Review
  • D.1 Attachment 2: Recusal Rule 50 CFR 600.235
  • D.1.c Public Comment – (If received, Electronic Only)
• D.2 Situation Summary: Fiscal matters
  • D.2.c Public Comment – (If received, Electronic Only)
• D.3 Situation Summary: Approve Council Meeting Record
  • D.3 Attachment 1: DRAFT Council Meeting Record June 2026
• D.4 Situation Summary: Membership Appointments and Council Operating Procedures (COPS)
  • D.4 Attachment 1: NMFS Letter – Palmigiano
  • D.4 Attachment 2: USCG Letter – Campbell
  • D.4.b Public Comment – (If received, Electronic Only)
• D.5 Situation Summary: Future Council Meeting Agenda and Workload Planning
  • D.5 Attachment 1: September 2026 Year-At-A-Glance (YAG)
  • D.5 Attachment 2: November 2026 Quick Reference (QR)
  • D.5 Attachment 3: March 2027 Quick Reference (QR)
  • D.5.b Public Comment – (If received, Electronic Only)

E. Habitat Issues

• E.1 Situation Summary: Current Habitat Issues
  • E.1.c Public Comment – (If received, Electronic Only)

F. Pacific Halibut Management

• F.1 Situation Summary: 2027 Commercial and Recreational Catch Sharing Plan and Annual Regulations – Preliminary
  • F.1 Attachment 1: Area 2A 2026 Pacific Halibut Catch Sharing Plan
  • F.1 Attachment 2: 2026 2A Fishery Allocation Calculations
  • F.1.a NMFS Report 1: NMFS Report 2026 Area 2A Pacific Halibut Fisheries and Inseason Update
  • F.1.a WDFW Report 1: WDFW Report on Proposed Changes for the Pacific Halibut Fishery
  • F.1.b Public Comment – (If received, Electronic Only)

G. Salmon Management

• G.1 Situation Summary: Methodology Review – Final Topic Selection
  • G.1.b Public Comment – (If received, Electronic Only)
• G.2 Situation Summary: Klamath River Dam Removal and Basin Update
  • G.2.c Public Comment – (If received, Electronic Only)
• G.3 Situation Summary: Risk Management Framework – Risk Tables and Other Approaches, Informational
  • G.3 Attachment 1: PFMC Staff Report on Salmon Risk Tables Exploration and Progress to Date
  • G.3 Attachment 2: Methods for Assessing and Responding to Bias and Uncertainty in U.S. West Coast Salmon Abundance Forecasts
  • G.3.b Public Comment – (If received, Electronic Only)

H. Groundfish Management

• H.1 Situation Summary: Protocol for Reviewing Ecosystem Component Species Catch and Identifying Stocks in Need of Conservation and Management
  • H.1 Attachment 1: Proposed Protocol for Reviewing Ecosystem Component Species and Identifying Stocks in Need of Conservation and Management
  • H.1.b Public Comment – (If received, Electronic Only)
• H.2 Situation Summary: Moving Trawl Gear Exempted Fishing Permits Into Regulations; Updating Declaration Requirements; Removing Duplicative Recreational Regulations – Final Action
  • H.1 Attachment 1: DRAFT Impacts Analysis Trawl Gear EFP
  • H.2 Attachment 2: DRAFT FMP Revisions for EFPs
  • H.2.b Public Comment – (If received, Electronic Only)
• H.3 Situation Summary: Inseason Adjustments for 2026 and Technical Corrections for 2027-28 – Final Action
  • H.3 Attachment 1: Corrections to the OR/WA Stock of Vermillion Rockfish Harvest Specifications, Including Corresponding Corrections to the Shelf Rockfish Complex North of 40*10’N Lat
  • H.3.b Public Comment – (If received, Electronic Only)

I. Highly Migratory Species Management

• I.1 Situation Summary: Special Project 1: If, Then Management Measures for Bluefin Tuna Trip Limits
  • I.1 Attachment 1: Highly Migratory Species Trip Limits Flexibility and Modified If/Then Scenarios
  • I.1.b Public Comment – (If received, Electronic Only)

J. Coastal Pelagic Species Management

• J.1 Situation Summary: Fishery Management Plan Amendment: Management Provisions for the Revised Sardine Stock
  • J.1 Attachment 1: Review of Management Provisions for Pacific Sardine
  • J.1 Attachment 2: Joint Report: Meeting to Review Management Provisions for Pacific Sardine
  • J.1 Attachment 3: Proposed Amendment to the Coastal Pelagic Species Fishery Management Plan to Revise the Pacific Sardine Stock Definition
  • J.1 Attachment 4: Coastal Pelagic Species Fishery Management Plan – Sardine Excerpts
  • J.1 Attachment 5: Timeline of Stock Revision Action in Relation to Annual CPS Management Activities
  • J.1.a NMFS Report 1: Pacific Sardine Assessments: Timeline Updates
  • J.1.b Public Comment – (If received, Electronic Only)
• J.2 Situation Summary: Stock Asessment Terms of Reference
  • J.2 Attachment 1: DRAFT Terms of Reference for the CPS Stock Assessment Review Process (redline)
  • J.2 Attachment 2: DRAFT Terms of Reference for the CPS Stock Assessment Review Process
  • J.2 Attachment 3: Accepted Practices Guidelines for Coastal Pelagic Species Stock Assessments
  • J.2.b Public Comment – (If received, Electronic Only)

Advisory body and committee agendas

• Coastal Pelagic Species Advisory Subpanel (CPSAS) Agenda
• Coastal Pelagic Species Management Team (CPSMT) Agenda
• Enforcement Consultants (EC) Agenda
• Groundfish Agenda (Meeting in advance of the Council Meeting)
• Habitat Committee (HC) Agenda
• Highly Migratory Species Agenda (Meeting in advance of the Council Meeting)
• Salmon Agenda (Meeting in advance of the Council Meeting)
• Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) Agenda

Scientific and Statistical Committee Materials

• SSC June 2026 Meeting Minutes
• DRAFT Harvest Specifications Flexibility Analytical Document
• Harvest Specifications Flexibility Carryover Workbook (Excel File)
• DRAFT Terms of Reference for the GF Stock Assessment Review Process (redline)
• DRAFT Terms of Reference for the GF Stock Assessment Review Process

Advisory body and committee memos

• Coastal Pelagic Species Memo
• Enforcement Consultants Memo
• Groundfish Memo
• Habitat Memo
• Salmon Memo
• Scientific and Statistical Committee Memo

Informational reports

• Informational Report 1: West Coast Take Reduction Team Information Updates September 2026
• Informational Report 2a: Estimated Discard and Catch of Groundfish Species in the 2025 U.S. West Coast Fisheries
• Informational Report 2b: GEMM Data (Excel File)
• Informational Report 3: NMFS Report on Recently Published Groundfish Rulemaking & Workload
• Informational Report 4: Seafood Executive Order Correspondence to PFMC
• Informational Report 5: Permit Applications and Consultation Requests – Deep Seabed Hard Minerals Mining

General Information and Membership Roster

• Annual Reception Flyer
• Council Meeting Schedule
• Hotel Map
• Council Seating Diagram
• Illness Protocols
• Roster (as of August 26, 2026)