News & Events: Highly Migratory Species

The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) Highly Migratory Species Management Team (HMSMT) is holding a meeting, which is open to the public.

NOAA Fisheries announces the release of a draft environmental impact statement (EIS), in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, which includes an analysis of the potential short- and long-term impacts of the proposed action to authorize fishing with deep-set buoy gear (DSBG) in federal waters off the U.S. West Coast, on the human […]

The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Council) Highly Migratory Species Management Team (HMSMT) will hold an online meeting, which is open to the public.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Council) Highly Migratory Species Management Team (HMSMT) will hold an online meeting, which is open to the public.

“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 […]

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.