March 16, 2020 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:
Due to public health concerns regarding COVID-19, the Pacific Fishery Management Council will be conducting its April 4-10 Council and Advisory Body meetings and its March salmon public hearings by Webinar Only.
Please see the March 13, 2020 News Release for related information.
Council staff will be releasing updated meeting and hearing information next week.
March 12, 2020 — Forecasts for many Chinook and coho stocks on the West Coast are low — lower than last year and some nearing historic lows. Regardless, the Pacific Fishery Management Council and its advisory bodies developed alternatives for sport and commercial ocean salmon fisheries when it met last week in Rohnert Park, Calif.
The alternatives now go out for public review before the Council makes a final decision on salmon seasons at its meeting in Vancouver, Wash., on April 5-10.
March 12, 2020 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:
The Pacific Fishery Management Council met March 4-9, 2020 in Rohnert Park, California. The March 2020 Council Meeting Decision Summary Document contains the highlights of significant decisions made at that meeting. Results of agenda items that do not reach a level of highlight significance are typically not described in the Decision Summary Document.
March 10, 2020 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:
The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) will convene a webinar meeting of its Ad Hoc Sablefish Management and Trawl Allocation Attainment Committee (SaMTAAC). The meeting is open to the public. The webinar meeting will be held Wednesday, April 1, 2020 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. The scheduled ending time for the SaMTAAC webinar is an estimate, the meeting will adjourn when business for the day is completed.
Please see the SaMTAAC April 1, 2020 webinar notice on the Council’s website for full details.
For further information:
March 6, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
Burgeoning populations of anchovy and a healthy crop of California sea lion pups reflected improved productivity off parts of the West Coast in 2019. However, lingering offshore heat worked against recovery of salmon stocks and reduced fishing success, a new analysis reports.
The California Current Ecosystem Status Report explains that ocean conditions off the West Coast remain unusually variable. This has been the case since the arrival of a major marine heatwave in 2014 known as “The Blob.” NOAA Fisheries’ two West Coast laboratories, the Northwest Fisheries Science Center and Southwest Fisheries Science Center, issue the report each year to the Pacific Fishery Management Council.
“There is not a real clear picture here,” said Chris Harvey, co-editor of the report developed by the two laboratories’ Integrated Ecosystem Assessment approach. The approach integrates physical, biological, economic, and importantly social conditions of the California Current marine ecosystem into the decision-making process. “On the one hand, we have a lot of anchovy out there. On the other hand, we also have a lot of warm water. That is not usually a sign of improved productivity.”
March 3, 2020 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:
The March Council meeting will be conducted as planned.
There are no Federal restrictions for domestic travel related to COVID-19; the CDC has issued guidelines which we will monitor for updates.
For further information:
See the March 3-9, 2020 Council meeting webpage for additional details/updates.
February 28, 2020 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:
This is the second report in an annual series of four reports prepared by the Salmon Technical Team of the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) to document and help guide ocean fishery salmon management off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California. The report focuses on Chinook, coho, and pink salmon stocks that have been important in determining Council fisheries in recent years, and on stocks listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) with established National Marine Fisheries Service ESA consultation standards. This report will be formally reviewed at the Council’s March 2020 meeting in Rohnert Park, California.
Please visit the Council’s website to download Preseason Report I: Stock Abundance Analysis and Environmental Assessment Part 1 for 2020 Ocean Salmon Fishery Regulations (Published March 2020).
For further information:
February 27, 2020 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:
The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Groundfish Management Team (GMT) will convene a webinar meeting to discuss items on the Pacific Council’s April 2020 meeting agenda. The webinar will be held Tuesday, March 24, 2020 from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. The webinar end time is an estimate, the meeting will adjourn when business for the day is completed. This meeting is open to the public.
Please see the Groundfish Management Team webinar notice on the Council’s website for participation details.
For further information:
February 26, 2020 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:
The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Council) Ad Hoc Climate and Communities Core Team (CCCT) will hold a webinar, which is open to the public. The webinar will be held Friday, March 20, 2020, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time, or when business for the day has been completed.
Please see the CCCT webinar notice on the Council’s website for participation details and the purpose of the webinar.
For further information:
February 20, 2020 — 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 3-9, 2020 in Rohnert Park, California, to address issues related to groundfish, salmon, Pacific halibut, highly migratory species, ecosystem, habitat, and administrative matters. The meeting of the Council and its advisory entities will be held at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Sonoma Wine Country, One Doubletree Drive, Rohnert Park, CA 94928: telephone, 707-584-5466.
Please see the March 3-9, 2020 Council meeting notice on the Council’s website for meeting detail, schedule of advisory body meetings, our new E-Portal for submitting public comments, and public comment deadlines.
Key agenda items for the meeting include Council considerations to:
For further information:
Please contact Pacific Fishery Management Council staff at 503-820-2280; toll-free 1-866-806-7204.