Category: News & events

  • Bills signed into law in the 116th Congress

    The following West Coast fishery-related bills were signed into law in the 116th Congress. VETOED: Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act This bill addresses certain driftnet fishing. (Driftnet fishing is a method of fishing in which a gillnet composed of a panel or panels of webbing, or a series of such gillnets, is placed in…

  • Ad Hoc Ecosystem Workgroup and the Ecosystem Advisory Subpanel to hold online meetings February 22 & 23, 2021

    The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) Ad Hoc Ecosystem Workshop (EWG) and Ecosystem Advisory Subpanel (EAS) will hold online meetings, which are open to the public.  The EWG will hold an online meeting on Monday, February 22, 2021, from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time, or until business is concluded.

  • Highly Migratory Species Subcommittee of the Scientific and Statistical Committee to hold online meeting February 4-5, 2021

    The Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Subcommittee of the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council’s) Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will hold an online meeting to advise on a best scientific information available (BSIA) determination by National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) on the use of new stock assessments to determine management limit reference points and status…

  • Salmon Technical Team work session February 16-19, 2021

    The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) Salmon Technical Team (STT) will hold a work session February 16-19, 2021. 

  • Salmon Technical Team work session January 19-22, 2021

    The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) Salmon Technical Team (STT) will hold a work session January 19-22, 2021.

  • Highly Migratory Species Management Team and Advisory Subpanel to hold online meetings January 15, 2021

    The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) Highly Migratory Species Advisory Subpanel (HMSAS) and HMS Management Team (HMSMT) will conduct online meetings, which are open to the public.  The HMSMT will hold an online meeting on Friday, January 15, 2021, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time. The HMSMT and HMSAS will meet jointly…

  • Coastal Pelagic Species Management Team to hold online work session February 2-4, 2021

    The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) will hold an online work session of its Coastal Pelagic Species Management Team (CPSMT) to develop reports and products for upcoming Pacific Council meetings.  This work session is open to the public and will be held Tuesday, February 2 through Thursday, February 4, 2021, 9 a.m. to 3…

  • Pacific Council News Winter 2020: Halibut

    Council adopts final changes to 2021 catch sharing plan, annual regulations In November, the Council adopted final changes to the 2021 Halibut Catch Sharing Plan and annual fishing regulations consistent with the recommendations provided by California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, including the…

  • Pacific Council News Winter 2020: Highly Migratory Species

    Highly migratory species advisory bodies to review options on deep-set buoy gear limited entry program NMFS briefed the Council on elements of its final preferred alternative for the deep-set buoy gear limited entry program that require clarification, including the qualification criteria for a limited entry permit. The highly migratory species advisory bodies will review options…

  • Pacific Council News Winter 2020: Groundfish

    Council directs analysis to focus on gear switching impacts The Council wants to better understand the impacts of limiting gear switching (the use of fixed gear in the trawl individual fishing quota fishery) in order to help identify the maximum level of gear switching that should be allowed. In November, the Council directed analysts to…

  • Pacific Council News Winter 2020: Salmon

    2021 preseason salmon management schedule set  The Council approved the 2021 salmon management schedule in November. All meetings and hearings are expected to be conducted online. A summary of the schedule is provided below. Jan. 19-22, 2021: The Salmon Technical Team (STT) meets to draft Review of 2020 Ocean Salmon Fisheries. (Available mid-February)  Feb. 16-19:…

  • Pacific Council News Winter 2020: Features, Legislation, Habitat and Appointments

    An Interview with Don Hansen: The whale watching business This is the third and last part of our interview with Don Hansen, who has been involved in the Council process since it started in 1976. I started whale watching on the West Coast. Phil Grignon down at San Clemente high school here, had his biology…

  • Ecosystem Subcommittee of the Scientific and Statistical Committee to hold online meeting January 12, 2021

    The Ecosystem Subcommittee of the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council’s) Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will hold an online meeting to consult with the National Marine Fisheries Service California Current Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (CCIEA) team on how COVID-19 impacts may affect its annual Ecosystem Status Report to the Pacific Council.  The meeting is open…

  • Washington submits draft plan to distribute Federal relief funding

    Washington State announced on December 8 that it has submitted a draft plan for how to distribute $50 million in Federal relief funding to members of Washington’s commercial seafood, shellfish and charter industries to NOAA Fisheries for review and approval. Under Section 12005 of the CARES Act, Congress provided $300 million to states to distribute…

  • Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast Coho Workgroup to host online meeting January 5, 2021

    The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast (SONCC) Coho Workgroup (Workgroup) will host an online meeting that is open to the public. 

  • Area 2A Pacific Halibut Managers online meeting will be held January 4, 2021

    The Pacific Fishery Management Council will host an online meeting of the Area 2A Pacific halibut governmental management entities that is open to the public. 

  • Groundfish Management Team to hold online work session January 11-15, 2021

    The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Groundfish Management Team (GMT) will hold a week-long work session that is open to the public. 

  • November 2020 Decision Summary Document

    Habitat Issues | Pacific Halibut | Salmon Management | Groundfish Management | Coastal Pelagic Species Management | Highly Migratory Species Management | Administrative Matters November 13, 16-20, 2020 Council Meeting Decision Summary Documents are highlights of significant decisions made at Council meetings.  Results of agenda items that do not reach a level of highlight significance…

  • Climate and Communities Initiative climate change scenarios

    The Council developed four scenarios to explore the implications of climate change to 2040 in the California Current Ecosystem. These scenarios were used in a series of four regionally-focused workshops conducted between mid-December 2020 to early February 2021.  First, you should view this 10-minute video that will give you a high-level view of the scenario…

  • PRELIMINARY DRAFT NOVEMBER 2020 MOTIONS IN WRITING

    Cautionary Note — These preliminary motions do not represent the final official administrative record. The motions and amendments contained in this blog are as projected on the screen at the Council meeting at the time of the Council vote and often use expedited language and references without the benefit of any final editing or proofing.…

  • COVID-19 fisheries assistance

    NOTE: The Council does not administer fisheries assistance for COVID-19. Please see the links below for resources, or contact the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. Recent news California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife posts a CARES Act page for fisheries participants and communities (June 23) How CARES Act funds are allocated (May 14) The Midwater…

  • Call for data and information – Essential Fish Habitat Review for Coastal Pelagic Species

    The Pacific Fishery Management Council, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center have initiated a review of essential fish habitat (EFH) provisions in the Coastal Pelagic Species (CPS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP).  This call for data and information is intended to support the review.  Information and data sources can include…

  • NOAA Fisheries announces emergency action to temporarily extend the primary sablefish fishery season

    Published in the Federal Register October 27, 2020: Emergency rule to temporarily extend the 2020 sablefish primary fishery from October 31, 2020 to December 31, 2020. This action is necessary to provide operational flexibility so that vessels in the sablefish primary fishery are able to fully harvest their tier limits despite high economic uncertainty in…

  • Request for comments: proposed rule for salmon bycatch minimization measures in the Pacific Coast groundfish fishery

    NOAA Fisheries announces a proposed rule to implement measures to minimize incidental take of Endangered Species Act-listed salmon by vessels in the Pacific coast groundfish fishery. The proposed rule will publish tomorrow, October 20, 2020 in the Federal Register. The pre-publication version of the proposed rule is available for public inspection. When the proposed rule publishes, it will…