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 (December 2023)
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)
Appendix F: Overfished Species Rebuilding Plans (November 2020)
FMP and regulatory amendments
Council actions in development
- Groundfish harvest specifications and management measures for 2023-2024 (including Amendment 30)
- Gear switching and trawl allocation attainment
- Electronic monitoring
Implemented Council actions
FMP amendments
- Amendment 32: Non-trawl area management measures
- Groundfish FMP Amendment 31
- Groundfish FMP Amendment 30 and the 2022-23 Groundfish Harvest Specifications and Management Measures
- Groundfish FMP Amendment 29 and the 2021-22 Groundfish Harvest Specifications and Management Measures
- FMP amendments to address standardized bycatch reporting methodology requirements
- Groundfish FMP Amendment 18: Bycatch Mitigation Program
- 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
- Gear switching and trawl allocation attainment
- 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
- 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
- Gear switching and trawl allocation attainment
- Widow rockfish quota share reallocation and divestiture deadlines
- Control date: Shorebased trawl catch share program gear switching
- Control date: Catcher-processor accumulation limits
- Update eTicket for web-based submissions, revise the own/hold control limit, and allow for joint fixed gear/trawl permit registration
- 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
- Electronic monitoring
- 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