Saving Seafood

NOAA Fisheries Adopts New Plan for West Coast Ecosystem Science and Management

June 18, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

When an unusually strong marine heat wave warmed the ocean off the West Coast from late 2014 to 2016, the effects reverberated through the marine ecosystem.

One of the telltale changes was in copepods, tiny crustaceans that provide essential food for juvenile salmon as they first enter the ocean. Instead of energy-rich copepods that help the fish grow quickly, leaner copepods with less energy began to dominate. That left young salmon facing tougher odds in the ocean.

In the following years, salmon returns fell to some of their lowest levels in a decade.

Deciphering, and even anticipating such ecosystem-level effects is a goal of a new plan produced by NOAA Fisheries’ West Coast Region. The Western Regional Implementation Plan for Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management provides steps for helping West Coast fishermen and fisheries managers make sustainable business and conservation decisions that maximize the value of fisheries while protecting the ecosystems they depend on.

Read the full release here

PFMC: Ad Hoc Southern Resident Killer Whale Workgroup to Meet July 2 and July 23-24

June 11, 2019 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) Ad Hoc Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) Workgroup will convene two meetings, which are open to the public. The first meeting, to be held via webinar, will convene on Tuesday, July 2, 2019, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), or until business for the day has been completed. The second meeting, to be held in-person, will convene Tuesday, July 23, 2019, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.PDT, or until business for the day has been completed. It will continue on Wednesday, July 24, 2019, from 9 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 July 2019 meeting notice on the Council’s website for full details(both the July 2 webinar and the July 23-24 in-person meeting).

For further information:

PFMC: June 2019 Briefing Book online

June 3, 2019 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Briefing Book for the June 19-25, 2019 Council meeting has been posted to the Council’s website on the “June 2019 Briefing Book” webpage. The Briefing Book contains the meeting agenda, “situation summaries” (brief summaries that provide background for each agenda item), reports and materials for each agenda item, and public comment submitted to our e-portal. Advisory body and committee agendas and memos are also available.

For further information:

Killers and kings: West Coast group intervenes in orca lawsuit

May 31, 2019 — On Wednesday, May 29, the federation, the West Coast’s largest trade organization of small-scale commercial fishermen, filed its opposition to the lawsuit filed in a Seattle federal court lawsuit on April 3, by the Wild Fish Conservancy and the Center for Biological Diversity.

The suit was reportedly filed to protect endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales which eat primarily king salmon, by arguing that their food supply is not well managed. This orca subgroup migrates from California’s coastal waters to Washington’s Puget Sound and into British Columbia. West Coast salmon fisheries outside of state waters are managed by the Pacific Fishery Management Council, which prioritizes sustainability and replenishment.

The suit claims that federally managed ocean salmon fisheries are allowing commercial harvest of the orcas’ food supply, which is contrary to NMFS data and management standards that commercial salmon fisheries have little or no impact on the whales. For many years the council has managed West Coast salmon fisheries to minimize any potential competition between orcas and fishermen, including through a NMFS-approved 2009 biological opinion, which contains various required mitigation measures that further minimize and mitigate impacts to the endangered whales.

“Seafood lovers on the West Coast should be proud of their fisheries management system, which is among the best in the world,” said Noah Oppenheim, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations. “The Center for Biological Diversity and Wild Fish Conservancy lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service is naïve, counterproductive, and unnecessary. By suing, these two groups instead undermine the extraordinary coalition of scientists, managers, commercial fishermen, and conservationists that has come together to identify the strategies that will be used to recover the Southern Resident Killer Whale population.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

PFMC: SSC’s Economics Subcommittee to Hold Webinar Tuesday, June 4, 2019

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

The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Council) Scientific and Statistical Committee’s Economics Subcommittee (Economics Subcommittee) will hold a webinar on Tuesday, June 4, 2019, which is open to the public. The webinar will begin at 1 p.m. (Pacific Daylight Time) and is expected to end at 4 p.m. or when business for the day is complete.
Please see the June 4, 2019 SSC Economics Subcommittee webinar notice on the Council’s website for the purpose of the webinar and participation details.

A listening stations will also be provided at the following location:

Pacific Fishery Management Council
7700 NE Ambassador Place, Suite 101
Portland, OR 97220-1384
503-820-2280
Driving Directions

For further information:

  • Please contact the Pacific Fishery Management Council staff officer for SSC matters, Mr. John DeVore at 503-820-2413; toll-free 1-866-806-7204.
  • See the Council’s SSC webpage for information about the SSC and a listing of SSC Ecosystem Subcommittee members

PFMC: June 19-25, 2019 PFMC Meeting Notice and Agenda

May 16, 2019 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and its advisory bodies will meet June 19-25, 2019 in San Diego, California, to address issues related to groundfish, coastal pelagic species (CPS), salmon, Pacific halibut, highly migratory species, enforcement, habitat and administrative matters. The meeting of the Council and its advisory entities will be held at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Mission Valley, 7450 Hazard Center Drive, San Diego, CA 92108; telephone, 619-297-5466.

Please see the June 19-25, 2019 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:

  • Adopt Final Pacific mackerel Harvest Specifications and Management Measures for the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 Fisheries
  • Review Salmon Rebuilding Plans and Consider Adopting Final Plans for Sacramento River and Klamath River Fall Chinook and Preliminary Plans for Strait of Juan de Fuca, Queets River, and Snohomish River Coho for Public Review
  • Adopt Final Mitigation Measures for Seabird Interactions in Groundfish Fisheries Pursuant to the 2017 United States Fish and Wildlife Service Biological Opinion
  • Initial Scoping of Issues and Adoption of a Process for Developing Groundfish Harvest Specifications and Management Measures for 2021-2022 Fisheries
  • Adopt Final Groundfish Inseason Adjustments for 2019 as Necessary to Achieve but Not Exceed Annual Catch Limits and Other Management Objectives
  • Final Adoption of Criteria for Triggering Allocation Reviews

PFMC: Highly Migratory Species Management Team to Hold Webinar June 6, 2019

May 14, 2019 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

Pacific Council Highly Migratory Species Management Team (HMSMT) will hold a webinar, which is open to the public. The webinar will be held on Thursday, June 6, 2019 from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Pacific Daylight Time, or when business for the day is completed.

Please see the June 6, 2019 HMSMT webinar notice on the Council’s website for the purpose of the webinar, and participation details.

PFMC: Groundfish Management Team to Hold Webinar June 12, 2019

May 13, 2019 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Council) Groundfish Management Team (GMT) will convene a webinar meeting to discuss items on the Council’s June 2019 meeting agenda. The webinar will be held Wednesday, June 12, 2019 from 1 p.m. until 5 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 June 12, 2019 GMT webinar notice on the Council’s website for the purpose of the webinar, and participation details.

PFMC: Ad Hoc Climate and Communities Core Team in-person meeting May 2019

May 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, which is open to the public. The meeting will be held on Thursday, May 30 and Friday, May 31, 2019, from 9 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time until the completion of business on each day.

Please see the May 30-31, 2019 CCCT meeting notice on the Council’s website for the purpose of the meeting, and location details.

Notice of a Public Meeting Ad Hoc Groundfish Electronic Monitoring Policy and Technical Advisory Committees to Hold Webinar May 29, 2019

May 8, 2019 — The following was published by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) Ad Hoc Groundfish Electronic Monitoring Policy Advisory Committee and Groundfish Electronic Monitoring Technical Advisory Committee (Committees) will hold a meeting via webinar, which is open to the public. The webinar meeting will be held Wednesday, May 29, 2019, from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. (Pacific Daylight Time) or when business for the day has been completed.

For further information:

Please contact Pacific Fishery Management Council staff member, Mr. Brett Wiedoff at 503-820-2424; toll-free 1-866-806-7204, ext. 424.