The Council is more than an organization – it is a public process. Although the Council staff are located in Portland, the Council process spans the entire West Coast, including five major meetings a year where fishery management decisions are made.
If you are already involved in the Council process, you may want to see our travel page, advisory groups, staff, meeting locations, current briefing book, past Council decisions, or fishery management plans.
If you are new to the process and are trying to figure out how it works, please learn about the Council, learn how to get involved, sign up for our newsletters, and plan to attend a meeting. You are welcome here.
Backgrounders
This collection of backgrounders provides the basic facts on a wide array of Council-related topics.
- Acronyms and definitions
- Advisory bodies
- Annual catch limits and other management thresholds
- Coastal pelagic species
- Communities
- Council meetings 101
- Council testimony
- Electronic monitoring
- Exempted fishing permits
- Fishery Ecosystem Plan
- Getting involved
- Groundfish: Geography of rockfish
- Groundfish: The basics
- Groundfish: Trawl catch shares
- Habitat
- Highly migratory species
- Magnuson-Stevens Act
- Marine reserves
- National Environmental Policy Act
- Overfishing and rebuilding
- Pacific halibut
- Powerpoint tips
- Public comment and the e-Portal
- Salmon
- Salmon: Geographic points
- Salmon: Common terms used in salmon management
- Tribes