“Highly migratory species” (HMS) include tuna, some shark species, and billfish—species that range widely through the ocean, often crossing international borders. These pelagic species live in the water of the open ocean, although they may spend part of their life cycle in nearshore waters. HMS are harvested by U.S. commercial and recreational fishers and by […]
NOAA Fisheries is seeking nominations for the Permanent Advisory Committee established under the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Convention Implementation Act. The Committee, composed of individuals from groups concerned with the fisheries covered by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Convention, will be given the opportunity to provide input to the United States Commissioners to […]
Exempted fishing permits (EFPs) allow for fishing activities that are exempt from the usual fishing regulations. They are a way for people and organizations involved in the fishery to experiment with new gears or techniques. The Council recommends EFPs to National Marine Fisheries Service, which is responsible for granting them. Examples of past projects supported […]
The Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Subcommittee of the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council’s) Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will hold an online meeting to advise on a best scientific information available (BSIA) determination by National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) on the use of new stock assessments to determine management limit reference points and status determination criteria (SDC) for managing bigeye and yellowfin tunas.
The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) Highly Migratory Species Advisory Subpanel (HMSAS) and HMS Management Team (HMSMT) will conduct online meetings, which are open to the public. The HMSMT will hold an online meeting on Friday, January 15, 2021, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time. The HMSMT and HMSAS will meet jointly from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., or until business is completed, on the same day.
Highly migratory species advisory bodies to review options on deep-set buoy gear limited entry program NMFS briefed the Council on elements of its final preferred alternative for the deep-set buoy gear limited entry program that require clarification, including the qualification criteria for a limited entry permit. The highly migratory species advisory bodies will review options […]
Washington State announced on December 8 that it has submitted a draft plan for how to distribute $50 million in Federal relief funding to members of Washington’s commercial seafood, shellfish and charter industries to NOAA Fisheries for review and approval. Under Section 12005 of the CARES Act, Congress provided $300 million to states to distribute […]
NOTE: The Council does not administer fisheries assistance for COVID-19. Please see the links below for resources, or contact the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. Recent news California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife posts a CARES Act page for fisheries participants and communities (June 23) How CARES Act funds are allocated (May 14) The Midwater […]
Nineteen exempted fishing permits for deep-set buoy gear forwarded At its September meeting the Council reviewed 20 exempted fishing permit (EFP) applications to use standard and linked deep-set buoy gear, and recommended that National Marine Fisheries Service issue all but one. Four of the applications proposed using deep-set buoy gear at night, but the Council […]
On August 10, 2020, NMFS announced its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, to analyze the potential short- and long-term impacts of the proposed action to issue an Exempted Fishing Permit, on the human (biological, physical, social, and economic) environment. This notice of intent to […]