Council adopts 2021 Catch Sharing Plan changes, annual regulations In September the Council adopted proposed changes to the 2020 Area 2A Pacific halibut Catch Sharing Plan and annual fishing regulations for West Coast recreational fisheries for public review. In addition to status quo, the options include: In the Columbia River subarea, allowing the retention of […]
Upper Columbia United Tribes begin reintroducing salmon above Chief Joseph, Grand Coulee The Upper Columbia United Tribes have begun a process to reintroduce anadromous fish above Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee dams. The tribes have been working with state and Federal agencies on the project. In a report to the Council in September, Rodney Cawston, […]
Nineteen exempted fishing permits for deep-set buoy gear forwarded At its September meeting the Council reviewed 20 exempted fishing permit (EFP) applications to use standard and linked deep-set buoy gear, and recommended that National Marine Fisheries Service issue all but one. Four of the applications proposed using deep-set buoy gear at night, but the Council […]
Primary fixed-gear sablefish fishery extended under emergency rule Under an emergency action, NMFS is extending the primary (tier) limited entry fixed-gear sablefish fishery from October 31 to December 31, 2020 in response to requests from the Groundfish Advisory Subpanel, fishing industry, and members of the public. A portion of this sablefish sector also participates in […]
An interview with Don Hansen, Part 2: Memories of management Getting into fishery management was interesting. From the second meeting on, I was there, until now. So I’ve been with fishery management for a long, long time. [Those first Council meetings] were different! Believe me, they were different. You sat around a table and the […]
Climate and Communities scenario presented; workshops to follow The Council endorsed the Climate and Communities Core Team’s) final climate scenario document in September. The Council has been conducting a climate change scenario planning exercise for over a year as part of the Fishery Ecosystem Plan Climate and Communities Initiative. At a January workshop that included […]
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) publishes its proposed List of Fisheries (LOF) for 2021, as required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Comments are due no later than October 21, 2020. Information regarding the LOF may be obtained from the NMFS LOF website. You may also download the Proposed Rule published September 21, 2020. […]
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. […]
The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) Ad Hoc Climate and Communities Core Team (CCCT) will hold an online meeting, which is open to the public.
Ms. Yvonne deReynier, National Marine Fisheries Service West Coast Region, has provided a pre-recorded video briefing. This video is intended for viewing prior to Agenda Item F.2., Fishery Ecosystem Plan Update. Please watch the video briefing on the Council’s YouTube Channel. Briefing materials for Agenda Item F.2 can be found on the Council’s September 2020 […]