Legislative Report In September the Council received a request for comments from Representative Rob Bishop regarding HR 1979 (the Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act) and HR 2236 (the Forage Fish Conservation Act.) The Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act, introduced by Ted Lieu and Diane Feinstein of California, would extend current California state regulations […]
Habitat report Jordan Cove The Council has sent a letter to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on the proposed natural gas pipeline project for the Jordan Cove Liquefied Natural Gas facility. The letter comments on the agencies’ proposed changes to their Resource Management Plans, which exempt the pipeline from complying […]
Regional fisheries management organizations discuss bluefin tuna stock status, allocations In September the Council recommended that U.S. Commissioners to the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) negotiate an equitable allocation of harvest opportunity for Pacific bluefin tuna between the Eastern Pacific Ocean and the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. The WCPFC is a treaty-based organization established […]
Final salmon rebuilding plans approved In September the Council adopted rebuilding plans for Strait of Juan de Fuca natural coho, Queets River natural coho, and Snohomish River natural coho, subject to approval by National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Each plan contained two alternatives for rebuilding the stock. Under Alternative I, management would remain the same […]
Cowcod rebuilt; other stock assessments adopted Cowcod has been rebuilt ahead of schedule, the Council announced in September. The cowcod (Sebastes levis) stock south of 40°10’ N. latitude was managed under a strict rebuilding plan that severely constrained West Coast fisheries in California for two decades. Rebuilding cowcod was achieved through large area closures, non-retention […]
The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) Habitat Committee will hold a meeting via webinar, which is open to the public. The webinar will be held Wednesday, October 30, 2019 at 9 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time, and will end at noon on the same day. Public comments during the webinar will be received from attendees at […]
The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) Ad Hoc Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) Workgroup (Workgroup) will meet via webinar, and this meeting will be open to the public. The webinar meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 29, 2019, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), or until business for the day […]
The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s ad hoc Sablefish Management and Trawl Allocation Attainment Committee (SaMTAAC) met, October 9-10, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. This announcement published in the Federal Register on 09/12/2019 At its meeting, the SaMTAAC continued their work to develop alternatives that address obstacles to achieving the goals and objectives of the groundfish trawl catch share plan […]
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 […]