Two Coastal Pelagic Species Exempted Fishing Permits Forwarded
In November the Council adopted two proposals to extend current exempted fishing permits for public review.
The California Wetfish Producers Association proposes aerial survey work in southern California, in cooperation with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. They also plan to work cooperatively with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) acoustic-trawl survey team to extend acoustic sampling into nearshore waters that are too shallow for the NOAA vessel. The West Coast Pelagic Conservation Group, in collaboration with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and NOAA, proposed acoustic sampling survey work and biological sampling in the Pacific Northwest, also in nearshore waters. Both proposals are aimed at complementing the NOAA survey work to get more accurate estimates of CPS biomass.
The Council is scheduled to give final approval at the April 2020 meeting.
Management Process for Central Population of Northern Anchovy Considered
At its November meeting, the Council considered a report on a potential framework for a more regular review and evaluation of available information, which then could lead to adjustments in harvest reference points and stock assessments for the central subpopulation of northern anchovy (CSNA). Currently the CSNA is classified as a “monitored” stock. This means the Council tracks trends in landings and compares them to available abundance data, but there are no regular stock assessments or adjustments to target harvest levels. Members of the coastal pelagic species advisory bodies and the Scientific and Statistical Committee’s Coastal Pelagic Species Subcommittee met with the Southwest Fisheries Science Center to discuss these issues in October.
The Coastal Pelagic Species Management Team is considering the process for revisiting management reference points for the CSNA, and will report back to the Council at the April 2020 meeting to recommend a schedule for further consideration of the draft framework.