News & Events: Highly Migratory Species

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) will convene an online meeting of its Ad Hoc Equity and Environmental Justice Committee (EEJC). This online meeting is open to the public and will be held Wednesday, November 6, 2024, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time.  The scheduled ending time for this meeting is an estimate and will adjourn when business for the day is completed.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) Highly Migratory Species Management Team (HMSMT) and Highly Migratory Species Advisory Subpanel (HMSAS) are holding a joint online meeting. The meeting will be held Tuesday, October 22 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Pacific Time. 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 Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) Highly Migratory Species Management Team (HMSMT) is holding an online meeting. The meeting will be held Monday, October 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific Time. 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 Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) will convene an online meeting of its Ad Hoc Equity and Environmental Justice Committee (EEJC). This online meeting is open to the public and will be held Thursday, August 1, 2024, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time.  The scheduled ending time for this meeting is an estimate and will adjourn when business for the day is 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 EEJC will have an organizational meeting to discuss the NMFS EEJ Strategy Regional Implementation Plan.  This committee was formed by the Pacific Council at its April 2023 meeting to assist the Council in addressing EEJ issues and, in particular, to advise the Council on working with NMFS on the Regional Implementation Plan and the geographic strategic plan.  No management actions will be decided by the EEJC, but recommendations may be provided to the Pacific Council at its September 18-23, 2024 meeting.  A detailed agenda for the webinar will be available on the Pacific Council’s website prior to the meeting. 

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 Angela Forristall at 503-820-2419; toll free 1-866-806-7204, extension 419.

The Council is convening a workshop on Thursday and Friday June 6-7, 2024, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel San Diego – Mission Valley, Shutters West Room. 

The purpose of the workshop is to identify approaches to increase landings of highly migratory species (HMS) fisheries on the West Coast through the use of exempted fishing permits (EFPs). The Council seeks to engage fishery participants, the HMS Advisory Subpanel, and the HMS Management Team in a collaborative and solutions-oriented workshop resulting in recommendations for the Council.

Workshop objectives are to:

• Identify aspects of EFPs that may be limiting participation and ways to increase the number of EFPs and EFP applicants
• Consider approaches to streamline the timing and process for EFPs for applicants, the Council and National Marine Fisheries Service
• Identify fishing practices and gear configurations that could be economically viable while minimizing bycatch
• Identify criteria to be used to define successful EFPs (e.g., economic performance, gear conflicts, acceptable levels of bycatch)

Focal questions to frame workshop brainstorming and discussions include:

• What characteristics of fishing for HMS are necessary to make it economically viable?  
• What types of gear configurations and fishing practices are consistent with Roadmap goals? 
• What metrics or indicators and management strategies are available to support the bycatch minimization goal?  
• What actions can the Council take in partnership with National Marine Fisheries Service to ensure an effective and efficient process for the review and issuance of exempted fishing permits? 
• What other mechanisms are there, such as research funding or grants, that could complement exempted fishing permits and support Roadmap goals? 

Through structured discussion and constructive brainstorming around a set of guiding questions we expect the workshop will generate recommendations the Council could use when considering exempted fishing permit applications to explore new gear types that will replace lost HMS catch and increase West Coast HMS production. This will help define the structure and operation of successful EFPs in terms of economic performance, marketability of catch, social constraints, and avoiding gear conflicts. 

Meeting Materials

Draft Workshop Agenda

Meeting Protocols and Ground Rules

Breakout Session Questions

Draft HMS Roadmap Terms List and Roadmap Goals

HMS Roadmap Registered Participant List

(Registration closed May 24, but you do not have to be registered to attend.)

Day parking will be offered at a validated rate of $5. Ticket validation will be available onsite (cash only).

The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) Highly Migratory Species Subpanel (HMSAS) is holding an online meeting. The meeting will be held Tuesday, June 4, 2024, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pacific Time. 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 this online meeting is for the HMSAS to plan and discuss reports it will submit to the Pacific Council at its June 7-13, 2024 meeting. The HMSAS may also discuss other matters related to its work for the Pacific Council. Before their webinar, HMSAS members are encouraged to listen to the HMS Management Team webinar beginning at 9 a.m. on the same day to hear discussion of topics on the Council’s June agenda. 

Meeting materials

Agenda

Additional information

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 meeting, please contact Dr. Kit Dahl at 503-820-2422; toll free 1-866-806-7204, extension 422.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) Highly Migratory Species Management Team (HMSMT) is holding an online meeting. The meeting will be held Tuesday, June 4 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Pacific Time. 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 this online meeting is for the HMSMT to plan and discuss reports it will submit to the Pacific Council at its June 7-13, 2024, meeting. The HMSMT may also discuss other matters related to its work for the Pacific Council.

Meeting materials

Agenda

To attend the online meeting

Additional information

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 meeting, please contact Dr. Kit Dahl at 503-820-2422; toll free 1-866-806-7204, extension 422.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) Highly Migratory Species Management Team (HMSMT) is holding an online meeting. The meeting will be held Thursday April 4 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Pacific Time. 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 this online meeting is for the HMSMT to discuss and draft the contents of a report with its recommendations for the Council Operations and Priorities agenda item that the Pacific Council will discuss at its April 2024 meeting.

Meeting materials

Agenda

Additional information

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 meeting, please contact Dr. Kit Dahl at 503-820-2422; toll free 1-866-806-7204, extension 422.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) Highly Migratory Species Subpanel (HMSAS) is holding an online meeting. The meeting will be held Tuesday, April 2, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Pacific Time. 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 this online meeting is for the HMSAS to discuss and draft the contents of a report with its recommendations for the Council Operations and Priorities agenda item that the Pacific Council will discuss at its April 2024 meeting.

Meeting materials

Agenda

Additional information

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 meeting, please contact Dr. Kit Dahl at 503-820-2422; toll free 1-866-806-7204, extension 422.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) Highly Migratory Species Subpanel (HMSAS) is holding an online meeting. The meeting will be held Wednesday through Friday, February 28-March 1, 2024, starting at 8 a.m. Pacific Time each day and continue until business is 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 this online meeting is for the HMSAS to discuss and prepare reports for agenda items on the Pacific Council’s March 5-11, 2024, meeting.

Meeting materials

Agenda

To attend the online meeting

Please join using this link: https://v.ringcentral.com/join/271832181

Meeting ID: 271832181

Or dial:
    +1 (650) 4191505 United States (San Mateo, CA)

Access Code / Meeting ID: 271832181

International numbers available: https://v.ringcentral.com/teleconference

Technical information

For technical assistance, you may send an email to Kris Kleinschmidt or call/text 503-820-2412.

System requirements

PC-based attendees: Required: Windows® 8 or 10
Mac®-based attendees: Required: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer
Mobile attendees: Required: iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ phone or Android tablet (See your phone’s App Store and search for RingCentral meeting or visit RingCentral Mobile App site)

Additional information

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 meeting, please contact Dr. Kit Dahl at 503-820-2422; toll free 1-866-806-7204, extension 422.