At the September 2019 Council meeting the SSC will review two indicators included in the 2019 Report, “stoplight” summary of ecosystem factors affecting salmon abundance and and one candidate a spatial indicator of bottom contact by trawl gear. The SSC will also review an ongoing ecosystem research leading to forecasts of albacore distribution and abundance […]
The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Salmon Advisory Subpanel (SAS) will hold a meeting to discuss and make recommendations on issues on the Council’s September 2019 meeting agenda. This meeting will be held via webinar, which is open to the public. The webinar will be held on Wednesday, August 14, 2019, at 2 p.m. (Pacific Time) […]
The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Salmon Technical Team (STT) and Model Evaluation Workgroup (MEW) will hold a joint meeting to discuss and make recommendations on issues on the Council’s September 2019 meeting agenda. This meeting will be held via webinar, which is open to the public. The webinar will be held on Thursday, August 29, […]
Coast Guard gives annual report on West Coast activities The U.S. Coast Guard’s Thirteenth and Eleventh Districts gave their annual presentation to the Council in June. Some highlights are provided below; see the full report. In 2018, there were 877 fisheries boardings and 11 significant fisheries violations in West Coast waters. About a third of the boardings were […]
Legislative report In June the Council has received a request from Senator Maria Cantwell for comment on HR 2236, the Forage Fish Conservation Act. The Council responded with a letter emphasizing the actions that the Council has already taken to protect forage fish species. HR 2236 would amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) to require Scientific and […]
Habitat Report Jordan Cove letter In July the Council sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on the proposed Jordan Cove Liquified Natural Gas Terminal and Pipeline, which would transport liquified natural gas (LNG) 229 miles from near Klamath Falls, Oregon to the coastal export terminal in Coos Bay, Oregon for shipping across the […]
Highly migratory species shorts Deep-set buoy gear: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) presented an analysis of the biological impacts of a deep-set buoy gear fishery in June. The data comes from observer records and logbooks for deep-set buoy gear exempted fishing permit activity from 2015 through early 2019, and shows how many targeted and non-targeted species were caught with […]
Coastal pelagic species shorts Proposed sardine rules: On July 1, NMFS published harvest specifications and management measures for the 2019-2020 Pacific sardine fishing year based on Council recommendations at the April 2019 meeting. The biomass estimate of 27,547 metric tons (mt) places sardine in the “overfished” category, meaning the Council and NMFS must develop a […]
Transfer of halibut management authority moves forward Plans to transfer management of the non-Indian commercial directed halibut fishery from the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) to the Council are moving forward. In June, the Council committed to working closely with the IPHC and stakeholders on transitioning the management of this fishery, and outlined the Council’s […]
Council adopts Klamath, Sacramento fall Chinook rebuilding plans The Council adopted Klamath River fall Chinook and Sacramento River fall Chinook salmon rebuilding plans in June, choosing “status quo” as the final preferred alternative for both plans. This means that fisheries will continue to be managed under existing protocols, allowing for maximum flexibility in structuring fisheries […]