News & Events: Groundfish

The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) Groundfish Advisory Subpanel (GAP) will hold an online meeting, which is open to the public.

The Economics Subcommittee of the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will convene an online meeting to review a comparative cost study for the West Coast Groundfish Trawl Catch Share Program. The SSC Economics Subcommittee meeting is open to the public and will be held Thursday, May 11, 2023 from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. (Pacific Daylight Time) or until business for the day has been completed. This meeting is being conducted remotely with a web broadcast that provides the opportunity for remote public comment. In the event an outage occurs or technical issues arise that impact the experience of remote attendees, we will attempt to resolve them but ultimately we cannot guarantee that they will be resolved satisfactorily.

Purpose of the meeting

The purpose of the SSC Economics Subcommittee meeting is to review a comparative cost study for the West Coast Groundfish Trawl Catch Share Program. In 2022, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) provided the Pacific Council with funds for a contract to look more closely at catch share fishery costs that are borne by industry and NMFS. Pacific Council staff engaged Mr. Darrell Brannan to conduct the work. The cost project covers three broad objectives: a) documentation of industry concerns and identifying costs related to specific program elements, b) comparison of those costs to similar catch share programs, and c) organization and presentation of the information to inform future deliberations.

No management actions will be decided by the meeting participants. The participants’ role will be the development of recommendations and reports for consideration by the SSC and the Pacific Council. The Pacific Council and SSC are scheduled to consider the comparative cost study for the West Coast Groundfish Trawl Catch Share Program at their September 2023 meeting in Spokane, Washington.

Meeting Materials

Agenda

Review Material: Comparative Cost Study for the West Coast Groundfish Trawl Catch Share Program

Presentation by Darrell Brannan: Review of Catch Share Cost Study, SSC Meeting, May 11, 2023

If you have additional questions regarding the online meeting, please contact Marlene A. Bellman at 503-820-2414; toll free 1-866-806-7204, extension 414.

The Groundfish and Economics Subcommittees of the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will convene an online meeting to review the sablefish trip limit model used by the Pacific Council’s Groundfish Management Team in commercial non-trawl fisheries management.  The methodology review meeting is open to the public and will be held Tuesday, May 9, 2023 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. (Pacific Daylight Time) or until business for the day has been completed.  This meeting is being conducted remotely with a web broadcast that provides the opportunity for remote public comment. In the event an outage occurs or technical issues arise that impact the experience of remote attendees, we will attempt to resolve them but ultimately we cannot guarantee that they will be resolved satisfactorily.

Purpose of the meeting

The purpose of the groundfish methodology review meeting is to evaluate proposed data inputs, modeling approaches, potential improvements, and any other pertinent information related to the sablefish trip limit model used in commercial non-trawl fisheries management. This review is planned in preparation for the 2025-2026 biennial groundfish management cycle.  The results of this review are not considered final until reviewed by the full SSC at a future Pacific Council meeting. 

No management actions will be decided by the meeting participants. The participants’ role will be the development of recommendations and reports for consideration by the SSC and the Pacific Council at a future Pacific Council meeting.  The Pacific Council and SSC are scheduled to consider methodology review recommendations for use in informing management decisions at their September 2023 meeting in Spokane, Washington.

Meeting Materials

Agenda

Methodology Review Material

Presentation by Whitney Roberts (WDFW, GMT): 2023 Methodology Review of the Sablefish Trip Limit Model May 9, 2023 Groundfish and Economic Subcommittees Workshop

If you have additional questions regarding the online meeting, please contact Marlene A. Bellman at 503-820-2414; toll free 1-866-806-7204, extension 414.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) Groundfish Endangered Species Workgroup will hold a public meeting Wednesday, April 12, 2023 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time and Thursday, April 13, 2023 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., or until business for the day has been completed.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) will convene a one-day webinar meeting of its Groundfish Management Team (GMT) to discuss items on the Pacific Council’s April 2023 meeting agenda. This meeting is open to the public. The online meeting will be held on Monday, March 27, 2023, starting at 1 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time and ending at 4 p.m., or when business has been completed for the day. This meeting is being conducted remotely with a web broadcast that provides the opportunity for remote public comment. In the event an outage occurs or technical issues arise that impact the experience of remote attendees, we will attempt to resolve them but ultimately we cannot guarantee that they will be resolved satisfactorily.

The primary purpose of the GMT webinar is to prepare for the Pacific Council’s April 2023 agenda items.  The GMT will discuss items related to groundfish management and administrative matters on the Pacific Council’s agenda.  The GMT may also address other assignments relating to groundfish management.  No management actions will be decided by the GMT.

Meeting materials

Agenda

Additional information

Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Kris Kleinschmidt at 503-280-2412 at least ten business days prior to the meeting date.

If you have additional questions regarding the meeting, please contact Todd Phillips at 503-820-2426; toll free 1-866-806-7204, extension 426.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) and the National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Fisheries Science Center will convene an online pre-assessment workshop to review proposed data and modeling approaches to inform groundfish stock assessments for shortspine thornyhead, rex sole, and petrale sole, scheduled for assessment during 2023.  The workshop is open to the public and will be held Monday, March 20, 2023 from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time) or until business for the day has been completed.  This meeting is being conducted remotely with a web broadcast that provides the opportunity for remote public comment. In the event an outage occurs or technical issues arise that impact the experience of remote attendees, we will attempt to resolve them but ultimately we cannot guarantee that they will be resolved satisfactorily.

Purpose of the meeting

The purpose of the pre-assessment workshop is to review proposed data inputs, modeling approaches, and any other pertinent information to inform 2023 stock assessments for shortspine thornyhead, rex sole, and petrale sole.  The goal of the pre-assessment workshop is to promote dialogue and a common understanding between assessment teams and data providers of the best data and analytical and modeling approaches applicable to these assessments.  Stock assessment teams will solicit advice from data stewards, stakeholders, and fishery managers knowledgeable about these species. 

No management actions will be decided by the workshop participants. The participants’ role will be development of recommendations for consideration by the stock assessment teams assigned to conduct these assessments.  Assessments for these stocks are tentatively scheduled for peer review during Stock Assessment Review (STAR) panels: shortspine thornyhead and rex sole (June 5-9, 2023) and petrale sole (July 24-28, 2023). The Pacific Council and the Pacific Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee are scheduled to consider these draft assessments for use in informing management decisions at their September 2023 meeting in Spokane, Washington.

Meeting Materials

Agenda

Petrale Sole Workshop Presentation

Shortspine Thornyhead Workshop Presentation

Rex Sole Workshop Presentation

Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Kris Kleinschmidt at 503-820-2412 at least ten business days prior to the meeting date.

If you have additional questions regarding the online meeting, please contact Marlene A. Bellman at 503-820-2414; toll free 1-866-806-7204, extension 414.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) will convene a one-day webinar meeting of its Groundfish Management Team (GMT) to discuss items on the Pacific Council’s March 2023 meeting agenda.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) and the National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest and Southwest Fisheries Science Centers will convene an online pre-assessment workshop to review proposed data and modeling approaches to inform groundfish stock assessments for copper rockfish, canary rockfish, and black rockfish, scheduled for assessment during 2023.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) Groundfish Management Team (GMT) will hold a week-long work session, which is open to the public.  The GMT meeting will be held Monday, January 9, 2023,  from 1:00 p.m., Pacific Time, until business for the day is completed. The GMT will reconvene Tuesday, January 10 through Friday, January 13, 2023, from 8:30 a.m. until business for each day has been completed. The meeting will be held online and in person at the Pacific Fishery Management Council Office, Large Conference Room, 7700 NE Ambassador Place, Suite 101, Portland, Oregon  97220-1384.

Purpose of the meeting

The primary purpose of this week-long work session is for the GMT to prepare for 2023 Pacific Council meetings.  Specific agenda items will include: Amendment 31 groundfish stock definitions, workload and new groundfish management measure prioritization, non-trawl Rockfish Conservation Area management, pot gear marking, and GMT chair/vice chair elections.  The GMT may also address groundfish management actions the Pacific Council has indicated on their year-at-a-glance calendar, such as sablefish gear switching and the 2025/2026 harvest specifications and management measure process. A detailed agenda will be available on the Pacific Council’s website prior to the meeting. The meeting is open to the public, except for a single closed session which will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., on Monday January 9.

Meeting materials

Agenda

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) will convene a one-day webinar meeting of its Groundfish Management Team (GMT)to discuss outcomes of the November Pacific Council meeting and to initiate discussions and analyses on groundfish items on the Pacific Council’s March and April 2023 agendas.