The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) will hold an in-person meeting of its Ad Hoc Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fisheries Innovation Workgroup (FIW) to discuss procedures to facilitate the development of new HMS gears and achieve the goals of the HMS Roadmap. This meeting is open to the public. The meeting will be held Thursday, January 29, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, and will continue on Friday, January 30, 2026 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or until business for the day has been completed. This meeting is not being broadcast online.
Purpose of the meeting
The purposes of this meeting are to 1) finalize recommended metrics and benchmarks for evaluating performance of exempted fishing permit (EFP) activities, 2) finalize recommendations for EFP guidance, and 3) develop recommended modifications to Council Operating Procedure 20 (consideration of HMS EFPs). The FIW will develop a report for consideration at the March 2026 Council meeting.
Meeting materials
Briefing Paper – Jan 29-30 FIW Meeting
FIW Co-Chair Proposal for PFMC EFP Evaluation Framework
Additional information
This meeting will take place in a Federal facility. Visitors who are foreign nationals (defined as a person who is not a citizen or national of the United States) will require additional security clearance to access the SWFSC. Foreign national visitors should contact Kara Koehrn (Kara.Koehrn@noaa.gov; (858) 546-5651) at least 2 weeks prior to the meeting date to initiate the security clearance process.
Starting on January 1, 2026, Federal facilities (including leased facilities) will only accept REAL ID-compliant forms of identification. Visitors with state-issued identification must now present a REAL ID or a different form of government-issued photo identification, such as:
• A passport.
• An Enhanced Driver’s License.
• A Federal employee, military, or veteran identification card.
(This list is not all-inclusive.)
At this time, mobile driver’s licenses are not authorized for acceptance at any Department-occupied facility in place of REAL ID compliant credentials.
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Hayden York at 503-820-2424 at least ten business days prior to the meeting date.
If you have additional questions regarding the meeting, please contact Kerry Griffin at 503-820-2409; toll free 1-866-806-7204, extension 409.