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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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: […]
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 […]
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 to the public and will be held Tuesday, January 12, 2021 beginning at 9 a.m. Pacific Standard Time and continuing until 1 p.m.
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 […]
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.
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.
The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Groundfish Management Team (GMT) will hold a week-long work session that is open to the public.