Category: News & events

  • Request for nominations for a commercial fishery vacancy on the Habitat Committee

    The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) is requesting nominations of qualified candidates to fill one commercial fishery position on its Habitat Committee (HC).  The successful candidate will serve out the remainder of the 2019-2021 Council advisory body term. To ensure consideration, nominations should be received at the Council office no later than 5 p.m. Pacific…

  • National Archives and Records Administration notice of availability of proposed records schedules and request for comments (electronic monitoring)

    NOAA Fisheries is working with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to establish a new retention schedule for the raw imagery and other data collected by Electronic Monitoring systems. This NOAA Fisheries website provides background information, the proposed rule, the link to the NARA website, and the instructions on how to comment. Public comments are due…

  • Request for nominations for a vacancy on the Salmon Advisory Subpanel representing Washington Charter Operations

    The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) is seeking qualified candidates to consider for a vacant Washington Charter Boat Operator position on its Salmon Advisory Subpanel (SAS).  The successful candidate will serve out the remainder of the 2019-2021 Council advisory body term. To ensure consideration, nominations should be received at the Council office no later than…

  • West Coast Region Electronic Monitoring (EM) Webinar

    PUBLIC NOTICE For Information Contact: NMFS-SEA-20-21 Justin Kavanaugh: Justin.Kavanaugh@noaa.gov (206) 526-4140 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 13, 2020  The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces a webinar on EM program implementation for west coast groundfish. The purpose of this webinar is to review guidance materials for EM service providers, including EM Service Plan Guidelines and the…

  • Council says goodbye to Rich Lincoln and hello to Butch Smith

    The Council thanks Rich Lincoln for his three terms of service as a Council member, and welcomes Butch Smith in the Washington obligatory seat, effective August 11. Butch Smith  is a third-generation salmon and sturgeon fishing guide whose family owns and operates Coho Charters in Ilwaco. He is a longtime advocate for salmon and salmon…

  • Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast Coho Workgroup to hold online meeting August 6-7, 2020

    The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast coho Workgroup (Workgroup) will hold an online meeting, which is open to the public.  The meeting will be held Thursday, August 6 through Friday, August 7, 2020. 

  • Pacific Council News Summer 2020

    An interview with Don Hansen This is the first of a three-part interview with Don Hansen. Don founded Dana Wharf Sport Fishing and Whale Watching, along with the Festival of the Whale in Dana Point, California. He was involved in the development of the first West Coast fishery management plans under the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Don…

  • Highly Migratory Species Management Team to hold online meeting July 27, 2020

    The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold an online meeting of its Highly Migratory Species Management Team (HMSMT), which will be open to the public.

  • Call for data and information – Essential Fish Habitat Review for Pacific Coast Highly Migratory Species

    The Pacific Fishery Management Council, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and the NMFS Southwest Fisheries Science Center have initiated a review of essential fish habitat (EFH) provisions in the Pacific Coast Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP).  This call for data and information is intended to support the review. The HMS FMP, its…

  • Pacific Council News Summer 2020: Groundfish

    Six exempted fishing permits move forward The Council has forwarded six 2021-2022 exempted fishing permits (EFP) applications to NMFS. They focus on year-round coastwide midwater rockfish; California Department of Fish and Wildlife recreational cowcod sampling in California; yellowtail rockfish Jig fishing off California; commercial midwater hook-and-line rockfish in the Rockfish Conservation Area off Oregon; Washington…

  • Pacific Council News Summer 2020: Salmon

    Workgroup meets to look into new management approach for southern Oregon/northern California coast coho The ad hoc Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast Coho Workgroup met for the first time in June to support the Council in its efforts to develop a new management approach for southern Oregon/northern California coast coho.  NMFS requested the Council assist in…

  • PRELIMINARY DRAFT JUNE 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.…

  • June 2020 oral public comment sign up

    As with our in-person meetings, we will be accepting oral public comment for each agenda Item. You will still need to fill out a public comment card to sign up for an opportunity to speak, and oral comments will only be accepted before Council action on each agenda item. The links below will take you…

  • NMFS publishes proposed rule for 2020-2021 annual specifications and management measures for Pacific Sardine

    The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) proposes to implement annual harvest specifications and management measures for the northern subpopulation of Pacific sardine, for the fishing year from July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021. NMFS is accepting comments through June 11, 2020. Please see the Federal Register notice dated May 27, 2020 to view the…

  • Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast Coho Technical Workgroup to hold online meeting June 9

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

  • Budget Committee to meet May 19, 2020

    The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Budget Committee will hold a meeting to consider budget issues as outlined in the Budget Committee agenda for the June 2020 Council Meeting.

  • How CARES Act funds are allocated

    (Summarized from a Congressional staff report) NOAA Fisheries aims to distribute the Sec. 12005 funds as quickly as possible while accounting for regional variability in the size of commercial, charter, seafood processors and dealers, and aquaculture industries. NOAA Fisheries used multi-year averages of annual revenue information from the commercial fishing, charter fishing, marine shellfish and…

  • 2020: Video review discussions continue

    NMFS and the Council’s Groundfish Electronic Monitoring Policy and Technical Advisory Committees are developing draft business rules to implement third-party video review. This includes examining the level of video review necessary to audit logbooks and to audit video review providers. Agency staff and advisory bodies are discussing ways to reduce video review to the minimum…

  • June 2020 meeting notice and detailed agenda available

  • Reminder! Groundfish Subcommittee of the Scientific and Statistical Committee to hold online meeting May 12-14, 2020

  • Final rule published for 2020 salmon fisheries management measures

    Through this final rule, National Marine Fisheries Service establishes fishery management measures for the 2020 ocean salmon fisheries off Washington, Oregon, and California and the 2021 salmon seasons opening earlier than the effective date of the 2021 rule, which is expected to be no later than May 16, 2021, under authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery…

  • Ad hoc Ecosystem Workgroup to hold online meeting May 27

    The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s ad hoc Ecosystem Workgroup (EWG) will convene an online meeting.  

  • Notice: final rule for the 2020 Pacific Halibut Catch Sharing Plan

    NOAA Fisheries has issued the final rule that implements the Pacific Halibut Catch Sharing Plan for the International Pacific Halibut Commission’s regulatory Area 2A off Washington, Oregon, and California. This rule also announces that it may be necessary to further modify the opening dates or other fishing days for some subareas shortly after the publication…

  • Pacific Council News Spring 2020: Salmon and halibut

    2020 Salmon seasons set In April the Council adopted ocean salmon season recommendations that provide recreational and commercial opportunities for most of the Pacific coast, and achieve conservation goals for the numerous individual salmon stocks on the West Coast. Due to the COVID-19 social distancing requirements, all meetings associated with the decision were held via…