• Fact Sheet: Fishery Ecosystem Plan

    The purpose of the Council’s Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP) is to enhance species-specific management with more ecosystem science, broader ecosystem considerations, and policies that coordinate management across the Council’s fishery management plans and the California Current Ecosystem (the California Current affects the entire West Coast). The FEP helps the Council consider policy choices and tradeoffs…

  • Ad Hoc Southern Oregon Northern California Coast Coho Workgroup to hold online meeting March 25, 2021

    The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) Ad Hoc Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast (SONCC) Coho Workgroup (Workgroup) will host an online meeting that is open to the public.

  • Current Federal legislation

    A list of legislation the Council is tracking is provided below. This list is updated monthly. Use the search field to find sponsors, topics, specific bill numbers, etc. For more information, search Govtrack.us or Congress.gov.

  • Fact Sheet: National Environmental Policy Act

    NEPA, or the National Environmental Policy Act, was enacted in 1970. NEPA is a major environmental law which applies whenever Federal funds (your tax dollars) are used on a proposed project, such as removing a dam. Conservation and management of a renewable resource (for example, managing a fishery) must also abide by NEPA rules. NEPA…

  • NOAA seeking advisory committee nominations for the NOAA HSRP Federal Advisory Committee for 2022

    The NOAA Hydrographic Services Review Panel (HSRP), is a Federal Advisory Committee that advises the NOAA Administrator.   The next HSRP public (virtual) meeting is March 3-4, 2021, and information is available at:  https://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/hsrp/hsrp.html The NOAA Hydrographic Services Review Panel (HSRP) announces the 2022 Call for Nominations and notes the information is published in a Federal Register Notice: –  Federal Register Notice for HSRP…

  • Fact sheet: Halibut

    The fish Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) are large flatfish found on the continental shelf from California to the Bering Sea. Halibut have flat, diamond-shaped bodies, can weigh up to 500 pounds, and can grow to eight feet long. The oldest halibut on record, both male and female, is 55 years old.  The stock status of…

  • Fact Sheet: Coastal pelagic species

    The fish Coastal pelagic species (CPS) are schooling fish that range from the shore to the open ocean. They are found near the surface or as deep as 1,000 meters. They are generally small, even as adults, ranging from about four inches (anchovies) to 24 inches (Pacific mackerel). CPS are sold for human consumption, bait…

  • Request for Proposal – Sablefish Management Strategy Evaluation Facilitator

    Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) is soliciting proposals from a qualified person or group to facilitate a three-day webinar-based workshop scheduled for April 27-29, 2021 to solicit stakeholder recommendations for fishery objectives, performance metrics for assessing the attainment of fishery objectives, and alternative management strategies to be evaluated via a management strategy evaluation (MSE) of…

  • Fact Sheet: Highly migratory species

    “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…

  • Fact Sheet: Common terms used in salmon management

    Acceptable biological catch (ABC). A scientific calculation of the sustainable harvest level of a fishery, used to set the upper limit of the annual total allowable catch. Accountability measure (AM). A management control (such as a harvest limit) designed to prevent annual catch limits from being exceeded. Anadromous. Fish that spend their adult life in…

  • Pre-Assessment Workshop for Lingcod and Vermilion/Sunset Rockfishes to be held online March 29, 2021

    The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) and the National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest and Southwest Fisheries Science Centers will hold an online workshop to review data and analyses proposed to inform new assessments for lingcod and vermilion/sunset rockfishes scheduled to be conducted this year.  The workshop is open to the public.

  • Groundfish Management Team to hold online meeting March 26, 2021

    The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) will convene a webinar meeting of its Groundfish Management Team (GMT) to discuss items on the Pacific Council’s April 2021 meeting agenda. This meeting is open to the public. The online meeting will be held Friday, March 26, 2021 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time.

  • Fact Sheet: Salmon

    Salmon species The Council manages Chinook and coho salmon. In odd-numbered years, the Council may manage pink salmon near the Canadian border. Sockeye, chum, and steelhead are rarely caught in the Council’s ocean fisheries. Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) (“king” or “tyee”) are the largest and most highly prized of the Pacific salmon. Like all salmon,…

  • Fact Sheet: How to get involved

    Why get involved? Many different types of people are concerned about fisheries, including commercial fishermen, fishing families, recreational fishers, processors and suppliers, environmentalists, tribal members, chefs, diners, scientists, the tourism industry, and local communities. Whatever their background or motivations, these groups share the common desire to ensure the health of fish populations and the marine…

  • IPHC now accepting applications for Area 2A Halibut licenses (2021)

    The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) is now accepting applications for Area 2A Halibut licenses (2021). Please see the IPHC website for further information. You may contact the IPHC Secretariat at: secretariat@iphc.int, should you have any questions or require assistance.

  • Habitat Committee to hold online meeting February 24, 2021

    The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) will hold an online meeting of its Habitat Committee (HC) to consider information on marine planning and offshore development activities.  This meeting is open to the public.  The online meeting will be held Wednesday, February 24, 2021, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, or until business…

  • Fact Sheet: Advisory bodies

    The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s advisory bodies (including technical and management teams, advisory subpanels, committees, and work groups) prepare and review information and provide input to help the Council make decisions. All advisory body meetings are open to the public, but the advisory subpanels offer the best opportunity for public involvement in the process. Scientific…

  • Fact Sheet: Trawl catch shares

    The Council has created two catch share programs in the limited entry nontribal commercial groundfish fishery: a fixed gear sablefish program implemented in 2002, and a trawl catch share program implemented in 2011.  This fact sheet focuses on the trawl catch share program. The trawl fishery makes up a large proportion of the groundfish fishery,…

  • Fact Sheet: Exempted fishing permits

    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…

  • Fact sheet: Habitat and essential fish habitat

    Habitat is the environment where an animal lives, feeds, reproduces, and grows. Many fish move through different habitats during their lives. For example, a fish might spawn in the surf zone, but live as an adult in open water; or might move seasonally into different depths or substrates. Fish move into different habitats for feeding,…

  • Fact Sheet: Annual catch limits and other management thresholds

    The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires annual catch limits and other management thresholds for all actively managed stocks and stock complexes. The terms and reference points used in the Pacific Council’s harvest management frameworks are described below.  Common acronyms MSY      Maximum sustainable yield. A long-term average yield usually estimated in a stock assessment. OY         Optimum yield. Long-term…

  • Fact Sheet: Overfishing and rebuilding

    Currently the Council is rebuilding one groundfish stock: yelloweye rockfish. The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Management and Conservation Act, or MSA (the primary legislation that governs fishery management) requires that every Council end overfishing and rebuild overfished stocks. Therefore, if a Council-managed species is overfished or is being overfished, the Council must reduce catches to a level…

  • Fact Sheet: National Environmental Policy Act

    NEPA, or the National Environmental Policy Act, was enacted in 1970. NEPA is a major environmental law which applies whenever Federal funds (your tax dollars) are used on a proposed project, such as removing a dam. Conservation and management of a renewable resource (for example, managing a fishery) must also abide by NEPA rules. NEPA…

  • Fact Sheet: Marine Reserves

    Marine Protected Areas Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are broadly defined as ocean, estuarine, or (in some cases) freshwater areas that have been designated to provide protections for natural or cultural resources. In the fisheries world, this typically means an MPA is designed to protected important habitat features, or to provide a refuge for marine species.…