Saving Seafood

Fishery managers worry about effects of NOAA cuts

March 4, 2025 — The long term impacts of recent staff cuts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are still unknown, but fishery managers on the West Coast called the situation troubling.

On Thursday, NOAA laid off more than 800 workers as the Trump administration continues its push to reduce the federal workforce.

West Coast lawmakers have warned that the cuts — and the potential for more layoffs in the future — could endanger lives and threaten maritime commerce and the fishing industry. NOAA manages federal tribal, commercial and recreational fisheries and includes the National Weather Service, which provides weather forecast data.

For West Coast fisheries, the firings have created uncertainty for fishery management now.

This week, the Pacific Fishery Management Council, a quasi-governmental body that recommends management measures for a number of fisheries on the West Coast, will meet to begin — among other things — the process of setting summer and fall salmon fisheries.

Read the full article at KMUN

Pacific Fishery Management Council approved three options for ocean salmon season

May 16, 2024 — The Pacific Fishery Management Council has approved three options for ocean salmon seasons starting May 16, 2024.

“The level of fish that the council that measures all the fish that are out in the ocean and in the river system, so those numbers didn’t add up to the level that’s needed to have a healthy sustainable fishery,” said California Department of Fish and Wildlife Public Information Officer, Steve Gonzalez.

Read the full article at KRCR

Annual Banquet to be held November 3, 2023 in conjunction with the November Council Meeting

October 12, 2023 — The following was released by Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Annual Banquet will be held (in conjunction with the November 1-8, 2023 Council meeting) on Friday, November 3, 2023, at the Hyatt Regency Orange County in Garden Grove, California.

The Banquet honorees are Dave Hanson, Caren Braby, Wayne Heikkila, Brett Wiedoff, and Terrie Klinger.  Please join us in thanking them for their contributions to West Coast fisheries management through their work for the Pacific Fishery Management Council.

See the Council’s website for the banquet RSVP form and additional details. If you plan on attending, please RSVP today!

Questions? Please contact Ms. Renee Dorval at 503-820-2420.

Pacific fishery council calls for new start to offshore wind planning

March 13, 2023 — Proposed offshore wind energy areas off the Oregon coast must be set aside and the planning process started anew, using more planning tools “to minimize siting impacts to fisheries and ecosystem resources,” according to the Pacific Fishery Management Council.

At its meeting in Seattle, the council voted Thursday to recommend the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management do a complete reset on outlining “call areas” off the Oregon coast, an early step in planning for future wind power leases to gauge potential developers’ interest.

A motion approved by the council calls for rescinding the Brookings and Coos Bay call areas previously outlined by BOEM. The council further “requests that BOEM restart the process to identify call areas and consider all water off Oregon from 12 miles and beyond, including waters that are greater than 1,300 meters in water depth, and using marine spatial planning tools to minimize siting impacts to fisheries and ecosystem resources.

“Exclude from further consideration all offshore banks and seamounts and require an adequate buffer zone surrounding them as determined by collaborative work” among the council and state and federal agencies.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

PFMC: Notice of a Public Online Meeting

June 15, 2022 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

Reminder! Groundfish Subcommittee of the SSC to hold online workshop June 21-23, 2022

The Groundfish Subcommittee of the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council’s) Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will hold a workshop to develop methods for constructing abundance indices based on hook-and-line surveys.  Additionally, the SSC Groundfish Subcommittee will review the Species Distribution Model in Template Model Builder.  The workshop and methodology review meeting will be held Tuesday, June 21, 2022 through Thursday, June 23, 2022 beginning at 8 a.m. and continuing until 5 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time or until business for the day has been completed.  Both the workshop and methodology review meeting sessions are open to the public.

For further information:

•Please see the meeting notice on the Pacific Council’s website.

•Questions? contact Pacific Fishery Management Council staff officer John DeVore at 503-820-2413; toll-free 1-866-806-7204.

 

Pacific Fishery Management Council to Hold a Meeting June 2022 to Adopt Management Measures for Ocean Fisheries, Including Final Measures for 2023-2024 Groundfish Fisheries

May 11, 2022 —  The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

Notice of availability: June 2022 Council meeting notice and agenda (meeting to be held hybrid online/in-person)

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC or Council) and its advisory bodies will meet June 8-14, 2022 in Vancouver, Washington with live streaming and remote participation options. Most of the meetings will be held in-person. The Council and groundfish Advisory Body meetings will have a hybrid of remote and in-person participation. The Scientific and Statistical Committee will meet by webinar only. The Council is scheduled to address issues related to groundfish, coastal pelagic species, highly migratory species, and administrative matters.

Please see the June 2022 Council meeting webpage for details regarding the agenda, webinar participation, our E-Portal for submitting public comments, and the public comment deadline.

For further information:

•Please contact Pacific Fishery Management Council staff at 503-820-2280; toll-free 1-866-806-7204.

•Visit the June 2022 Council meeting webpage

March 2022 Briefing Book available online (March 2022 PFMC meeting)

February 18, 2022 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC or Council) and its advisory bodies will meet March 8-14 in a hybrid format with the Council and its salmon Advisory Bodies meeting in San Jose, California with live streaming and remote participation options. All other ancillary meetings will be held by webinar only. The Council is scheduled to address issues related to salmon, groundfish, highly migratory species, Pacific halibut, ecosystem, and administrative matters.

Briefing materials for the hybrid format Council meeting are available on the Council’s March 2022 briefing book webpage. .

For further information:

•Visit the March 2022 briefing book webpage

•Please contact Council staff

•See the March 2022 Council meeting webpage

 

Pacific Fishery Management Council to Hold a Meeting in March 2022 to Adopt Management Measures for Ocean Fisheries and Review the Status of the California Current Ecosystem

February 14, 2022 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC or Council) and its advisory bodies will meet March 8-14 in a hybrid format with the Council and its salmon Advisory Bodies meeting in San Jose, California with live streaming and remote participation options. Public participation and all other ancillary meetings will be held by webinar only. The Council is scheduled to address issues related to salmon, groundfish, highly migratory species, Pacific halibut, ecosystem, and administrative matters.

Please see the March  2022 Council meeting webpage for details regarding the agenda, webinar participation, our E-Portal for submitting public comments, and the public comment deadline.


The meeting of the Council general session will be streamed live on the internet. The broadcast will begin at 9 a.m. Pacific Standard Time (PST) Wednesday, March 9, 2022. The meeting will continue daily at 8 a.m. through Monday, March 14th. Broadcasts end daily at 5 p.m. or when business for the day is complete.  Instructions for how to connect to the online meeting will be posted on the Council’s March 2022 meeting webpage prior to the first day of the meeting.

For further information:

CPSMT and CPSAS to hold a joint online meeting March 1, 2022

February 8, 2022 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) Coastal Pelagic Species Management Team and Coastal Pelagic Species Advisory Subpanel will hold a joint public meeting. The online meeting will be held Tuesday, March 1, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific Standard Time or until business for the day as been completed.

For further information:

•See the March 1, 2022 CPSMT-CPSAS meeting notice on the Council’s website

•Contact Pacific Fishery Management Council staff officers Jessi Doerpinghaus at 503-820-2415; or Kerry Griffin at 503-820-2409.

 

PFMC: California Current Ecosystem Assessment online briefing Wednesday, March 2, 2022

February 3, 2022 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

Drs. Chris Harvey and Toby Garfield of National Marine Fisheries Service will provide a briefing on the 2022 California Current Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (CCIEA) Ecosystem Status Report to interested Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) members, advisory body members, and the public. This online briefing will be held Wednesday, March 2, 2022, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Pacific Standard Time or until business for the day has been completed.

•Please see the CCIEA briefing notice on the Council’s website for additional details.

•Questions? Please contact Pacific Fishery Management Council staff officer Dr. Kit Dahl at 503-820-2422; toll-free 1-866-806-7204