Saving Seafood

PFMC: Salmon Technical Team and Model Evaluation Workgroup to Hold Webinar August 29, 2019

August 2, 2019 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Salmon Technical Team (STT) and Model Evaluation Workgroup (MEW) will hold a joint meeting to discuss and make recommendations on issues on the Council’s September 2019 meeting agenda. This meeting will be held via webinar, which is open to the public. The webinar will be held on Thursday, August 29, 2019, at 9 a.m. (Pacific Time) and will end when business is completed for the day.
Please see the STT & MEW August 29, 2019 webinar notice on the Council’s website for participation details.

A public listening station will be provided at the Council office in Portland, Oregon.

For further information:

Please contact Pacific Fishery Management Council staff officer Ms. Robin Ehlke at 503-820-2410; toll-free 1-866-806-7204.

PFMC: Salmon Advisory Subpanel to Hold Webinar August 14, 2019

July 31, 2019 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Salmon Advisory Subpanel (SAS) will hold a meeting to discuss and make recommendations on issues on the Council’s September 2019 meeting agenda.  This meeting will be held via webinar, which is open to the public.  The webinar will be held on Wednesday, August 14, 2019,  at 2 p.m. (Pacific Time) and will end when business is completed for the day.

Please see the SAS August 14, 2019 webinar notice on the Council’s website for participation details.

A public listening station will be provided at the Council office in Portland, Oregon.

For further information:

  • Please contact Pacific Fishery Management Council staff officer Ms. Robin Ehlke at 503-820-2410; toll-free 1-866-806-7204.

California coasts recovering, but more marine heatwaves like ‘The Blob’ expected

July 26, 2019 — The effects of the marine heatwave off the California coast from 2014 to 2016, better known as The Blob, that led to a decrease in Chinook salmon and virtually shut down the Dungeness crab industry are finally starting to wear off.

The heatwave led to major shifts in the marine ecosystem, with species of fish migrating to different regions where the temperature was more favorable. It caused declines in certain species and increases in others. A type of algae that produces the neurotoxin domoic acid also outcompeted other forms of algae, leading to huge blooms that poisoned a variety of sea life, such as Dungeness crab.

“It wasn’t about (a lack of) abundance,” said Noah Oppenheim, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations. “It was about destabilized ecosystems.”

The ecosystem is still recovering from the marine heatwave, slowly cooling down, but conditions are improving enough to have led to a 12.3% increase in West Coast fishery revenues, primarily “driven by Pacific hake, Dungeness crab and market squid,” according to the 2019 California Current Ecosystem Status Report prepared by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Jennifer Gilden, the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s staff officer for outreach, habitat and legislation, said the ocean conditions are improving, though the Chinook salmon population has yet to fully recover.

“This year won’t be great,” Gilden said, “but conditions will be improving over the next few years.”

Read the full story at Mercury News

PFMC: Scientific and Statistical Committee Groundfish Subcommittee to Meet in Seattle, WA August 20-21, 2019

July 25, 2019 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Groundfish Subcommittee of the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council’s) Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will hold a public meeting to review new benchmark and update assessments and catch-only update assessment projections to inform new 2021 and 2022 groundfish harvest specifications.  This meeting will be held August 20-21, 2019 in Seattle, Washington.  This meeting will also occur via webinar.

Please see the SSC’s Groundfish Subcommittee August 20-21, 2019 meeting notice with webinar option on the Pacific Council’s website for participation details.

For further information:

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

New Area 2A Halibut Season-Setting Process Begins in September

July 19, 2019 — SEAFOOD NEWS — The Pacific Fishery Management Council, in an effort to reach out to non-Indian commercial fishermen, is requesting public comment on structuring the Area 2A (West Coast) commercial halibut fishery for the upcoming year at the September and November Council meetings.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife also plans to hold public meetings to discuss the issue.

The process is part of the transition from International Pacific Halibut Commission management to the Council.

In June, the Council committed to working closely with the IPHC and stakeholders on the transition, according to a Council press release. The Council will focus on a smooth transfer of management authority for the commercial directed fishery, and will rely on the IPHC to continue to issue licenses for this fishery in the near-term. The Council intends to maintain the current management structure, but may consider changes to vessel poundage limits and open periods.

At its September and November 2019 meetings, when the Council typically considers changes to its halibut Catch Sharing Plan, it will also make management recommendations for the 2020 directed commercial halibut fishery trip limits and fishing periods. These meetings will provide an opportunity for public, agency, and advisory body comment. The Groundfish Advisory Subpanel meetings held in conjunction with the September and November Council meetings will also provide an opportunity for public comment on this issue. As always, public comment will be accepted through the Council’s e-portal (pfmc.pcouncil.org) before the meetings, the statement said.

The September meeting will be held September 11-18 at the Riverside Hotel in Boise, Idaho. The November meeting will be held November 13-20 at the Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa in Costa Mesa, California.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will hold public meetings August 5-8 to discuss fishing periods and trip limits for the 2020 directed commercial halibut fishery. Meeting dates and locations will be posted online at http://tinyurl.com/y58ccqn3; information is also available at (541) 867-4741.

Currently, the Departments of Fish and Wildlife for Washington and California do not have public meetings scheduled to discuss the non-Indian commercial directed halibut fishery season structure for 2020.

This story was originally published on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

PFMC: Southern Resident Killer Whale Workgroup to Hold Webinars August 6 and September 4, 2019

July 17, 2019 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Council)  Ad Hoc Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) Workgroup (Workgroup) will convene two webinars, which are open to the public.  The first meeting, to be held via webinar, will convene on Tuesday, August 6, 2019, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), or until business for the day has been completed. The second meeting, to be held via webinar, will convene Wednesday, September 4, 2019, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. PDT, or until business for the day has been completed.  These are public meetings and not public hearings.  Public comments will be taken at the discretion of the Workgroup co-chairs as time allows.

Please see the SRKW Workgroup August 5 and September 4, 2019 webinar notice on the Council’s website for participation details.

A public listening station will be provided at the Council office in Portland, Oregon.

For further information:

Highly Migratory Species Management Team to Meet in Long Beach, CA August 7-8, 2019

July 12, 2019 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Council’s) Highly Migratory Species Management Team (HMSMT) will hold a meeting, which is open to the public, Wednesday, August 7, and Thursday, August 8, 2019, and will start at 8:30 a.m. and continue until business is concluded on each day.

Please see the HMSMT August 7-8, 2019 meeting notice on the Council’s website for participation details.

For further information:

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

See the roster for a listing of HMSMT members

Ad Hoc Climate and Communities Core Team to Hold Webinar August 8, 2019

July 9, 2019 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) Ad Hoc Climate and Communities Core Team (CCCT) will hold a meeting via webinar, which is open to the public.  The webinar will be held Thursday, August 8, 2019, from 9 a.m. until 11:30 a.m, Pacific Daylight Time.  The webinar time is an estimate; the meeting will adjourn when business for the day is complete.

Please see the CCCT August 8, 2019 webinar notice on the Council’s website for participation details.

A listening station is available at the Pacific Fishery Management Council office in Portland, Oregon.

For further information:

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

Pacific Council Slows Process on U.S. Management of Area 2A Commercial Halibut Fishery

July 1, 2019 — SEAFOOD NEWS — After a couple years of exchanging ideas with the International Pacific Halibut Commission about management of the non-Indian commercial halibut fishery in Area 2A — Washington, Oregon and California — the Pacific Fishery Management Council plans to take incremental steps to take over management of the fishery.

Commercial fishermen have gone to IPHC meetings and pushed for individual quota systems and the IPHC has gone to the Council to propose longer seasons than single 10-hour openings. The Council and its advisory bodies have struggled with how to transition from IPHC management to U.S. management.

The Council decided last week when it met in San Diego to continue to work closely with the IPHC and stakeholders. And instead of a workshop, the Council will fold ideas into its traditional two-meeting catch-sharing plan discussion that takes place during September and November meetings. At the next Council meetings, in Boise, Idaho in September and in Costa Mesa, Calif., in November, the Council will consider small changes for the 2020 season.

Fishermen will likely see little change to the fishery in the next two years as the Council, NMFS and the IPHC work on background issues to support a management transition.

The Council also decided that:

– for 2020-2021, and maybe beyond, the Council would request IPHC continue to issue commercial licenses for the Area 2A fishery while NMFS works on development of new permitting regulations;

– it will request the IPHC and NMFS/Council share data regarding the 2A licensing system and commercial logbook data;

– it will reach out to fishery participants to let them know the Council’s intent to not consider major changes to the fishery for the next few years.

This story was originally published on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

PFMC: June 2019 Council Decision Summary Document Online

June 28, 2019 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Council met June 20-25, 2019 in San Diego, California. The June 2019 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.