Fishery management plan and amendments

The Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP) describes how the Council develops decisions for management of the groundfish fishery. Scroll down to view FMP and regulatory amendments.

Fishery Management Plan

The current Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan through Amendment 37 ( May 2026 )

FMP appendices

Appendix B

Pacific Coast Groundfish Essential Fish Habitat

Section B.1 Assessment Methodology for Groundfish Essential Fish Habitat
Section B.2 Groundfish Life History Descriptions

Appendix C

The Effects of Fishing on West Coast Groundfish Essential Fish Habitat and Current Conservation Measures

The Effects of Fishing on Groundfish Habitat: West Coast Perspective
Coordinates for EFH conservation areas (.csv)

Appendix D

Nonfishing Effects on West Coast Groundfish Essential Fish Habitat and Recommended Conservation Measures

Appendix E

Description of Trawl Rationalization (Catch Shares) Program (June 2017)

FMP and regulatory amendments

Council actions in development

Phase 2 Stock Definitions: Identification of Groundfish Stocks in Need of Conservation and Management
Amendment 37: Identification of Groundfish in Need of Conservation and Management and Defining their Stocks
Cordell Bank Fishery Regulation Changes
Limited Entry Fixed Gear Follow On Actions
Fixed Gear Marking and Entanglement Risk Reduction
Gear switching and trawl allocation attainment

Implemented Council actions

FMP amendments

Groundfish FMP Amendment 35: Stock Definitions for Blackspotted, Chilipepper, Redbanded, Rougheye, Widow, Yelloweye, and Yellowtail Rockfishes, and English Sole
Groundfish Harvest Specifications and Management Measures for 2025-26 (including Amendment 33):
Amendment 34: Coral Research and Restoration
Amendment 32: Non-trawl area management measures
Groundfish FMP Amendment 31: Phase 1 Stock Defintions
Groundfish harvest specifications and management measures for 2023-2024 (including Amendment 30)
Groundfish FMP Amendment 29 and the 2021-22 Groundfish Harvest Specifications and Management Measures
Coastal Pelagic Species Amendment 19.: FMP amendments to address standardized bycatch reporting methodology requirements
Groundfish FMP Amendment 28: Essential fish habitat
Groundfish FMP Amendment 26: Allocation of harvest opportunity between sectors of blackgill rockfish and other species managed in the slope rockfish complex south of 40°10′ N latitude
Groundfish FMP Amendment 18: Bycatch Mitigation Program
At-sea set-asides of darkblotched rockfish and Pacific ocean perch
Groundfish FMP Amendment 27: Changes related to the 2017-2018 biennial management process
Groundfish FMP Amendment 25: Unfished and unmanaged forage fish protections
Groundfish FMP Amendment 24: Default harvest control rules
Groundfish FMP Amendment 23: New harvest specifications framework
Groundfish FMP Amendment 21 and related amendments (Amendment 21-1 through Amendment 21-4): Allocation of harvest opportunity for trawl and other sectors of the Pacific Coast groundfish fishery
Groundfish FMP Amendment 20: Trawl rationalization (IFQs and co-ops)
Groundfish FMP Amendment 15: Measures to Limit Participation in the Pacific Whiting Fishery
Groundfish FMP Amendment 19: Essential fish habitat
Groundfish FMP Amendment 16 and related FMP amendments: Stock rebuilding
Groundfish FMP Amendment 17: Multi-year management and the specifications and management measure process
Groundfish FMP Amendment 14: Permit Stacking, Season Extension, and Other Modifications to the Limited Entry Fixed Gear Sablefish Fishery
Early groundfish FMP and amendments (1982-2000)

Regulatory amendments

Electronic monitoring
Pacific Whiting Utilization in the At-Sea Sectors
Endangered Species Act (ESA) mitigation measures for salmon
2020 harvest specifications for cowcod and shortbelly rockfish
Endangered Species Act mitigation measures for seabirds
Gear regulations
Widow rockfish quota share reallocation and divestiture deadlines
Control date: Shorebased trawl catch share program gear switching
Control date: Catcher-processor accumulation limits
Commercial Sablefish Regulations and Electronic Fish Tickets
Quota share divestiture rule
Set-asides for the at-sea whiting co-ops
Vessel movement monitoring
Whiting and midwater trawl cleanup rule
Observer/catch monitoring rule
Change the shorebased whiting season opening date
Continue adaptive management program pass-through
Cost recovery
Chafing gear
Program Improvements and Enhancement Rule 2
Whiting catch share reallocation
Change of renewal dates from September 1 to September 15
Program improvements and enhancement rule
Groundfish FMP Amendment 20: Trawl rationalization (IFQs and co-ops)
Control date: Open access limited entry
Control date: Spiny dogfish
Control date: Trawl individual quotas
Control date: Fixed gear sablefish permit stacking
Control date: Limited entry permits held by American Fisheries Act entities
Control date: Permitting in the open access fishery
Control date: Limiting participation by American Fisheries Act entities
Control date: Harvest qualifications for trawl re-allocation and permit stacking