Saving Seafood

PFMC: Ad Hoc Southern Resident Killer Whale Workgroup to hold webinar on February 6, 2020

January 14, 2020 — 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 (Workgroup) will meet via webinar, and this meeting will be open to the public.  The  webinar meeting will be held on Thursday, February 6, 2020, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific Standard Time (PST), or until business for the day has been completed.  This is a public meeting and not a public hearing.  Public comments will be taken at the discretion of the Workgroup co-chairs as time allows.

Please see the SRKW Workgroup Webinar Notice on the Council’s website for participation details.

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: Request for nominations for several advisory body vacancies

January 10, 2020 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) is seeking qualified candidates to consider for several advisory body vacancies at its March 2020 meeting. Successful candidates will serve out the remainder of the 2019-2021 Council advisory body term. To ensure consideration, nominations should be received at the Council office no later than 5 p.m. Monday, February 10, 2020.

Please see the Council’s Advisory Body Vacancy webpage for full details on the available positions, including the vacancy announcements and how to apply.

The Council is committed to the principle of diversity and is particularly interested in receiving nominations from a broad spectrum of people. Eligibility or selection for these positions will not be based on race, color, national origin, handicap, age, religion, or sexual orientation.

If you have further questions, please contact Mr. Mike Burner at 503-820-2280; toll free 1-866-806-7204.

Groundfish Methodology Review Meeting to be held February 4-6 in Santa Cruz, CA

January 10, 2020 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) will hold a groundfish methodology review meeting February 4 through 6, 2020, in Santa Cruz, California.  This meeting is open to the public.

Please see the groundfish methodology review February 4-6, 2020 meeting notice on the Council’s website for full details.

For further information:

  • Please contact Pacific Fishery Management Council staff officer Todd Phillips at 503-820-2426; toll-free 1-866-806-7204.

Coastal Pelagic Species Management Team to Hold Meeting February 4-6, 2020 in La Jolla, CA

January 8, 2020 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) will convene a meeting of the Coastal Pelagic Species Management Team (CPSMT), February 4 through 6, 2020, in La Jolla, California.  This meeting is open to the public.

Please see the CPSMT February 4-6, 2020 meeting notice on the Council’s website for full details.

For further information:

  • Please contact Pacific Fishery Management Council staff officer Kerry Griffin at 503-820-2409; toll-free 1-866-806-7204.

PFMC: STT and the SSC’s Salmon Subcommittee to Hold Joint Meeting January 22 via Webinar

January 7, 2020 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) Salmon Technical Team (STT) and Scientific and Statistical Committee’s Salmon Subcommittee (SSCSC) will hold a joint meeting via webinar on Wednesday, January 22, 2020, which is open to the public.  The webinar will begin at 10:30 a.m. and will continue until 12 p.m., or when business for the day has been completed.

Please see the STT and SSC’s Salmon Subcommittee January 22, 2020 webinar notice on the Council’s website for participation details.

For further information:

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

REMINDER: Ad Hoc Southern Resident Killer Whale Workgroup to meet January 8-9, 2020

January 7, 2020 — 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 (Workgroup) will hold a two-day meeting that is open to the public.  The meeting will begin Wednesday, January 8, 2020, at 10 a.m. Pacific Standard Time and recess at 5 p.m.  It will continue at 9 a.m. Thursday, January 9, and will end at 2 p.m. The meeting times are an estimate; the meetings will adjourn when business for the day is complete.

Please see the SRKW Workgroup meeting notice on the Council’s website for further details.

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 Technical Team to Hold Work Sessions for 2020

January 6, 2020 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

Salmon Technical Team Work Sessions

The Salmon Technical Team (STT) will hold two work sessions to draft documents relating to the 2020 ocean salmon fishery management process. View the STT work sessions announcement on the Council’s website.

2020 Public Hearings on Salmon Management

The sites and dates of public hearings to review the Council’s proposed ocean salmon fishery management alternatives have been set. Please view the 2020 Salmon Management Public Hearings Notice for more details.

2020 Process and Schedule Details

See the Council’s preseason management schedule to read the detailed process for developing 2020 ocean salmon fishery management measures. This schedule was adopted by the Council at their November 2019 meeting.

For further information:

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

West Coast fisheries took steps to protect whales, turtles in 2019

January 6, 2020 — West Coast fisheries cleaned up their act in 2019, with new rules to promote sustainable fishing practices and new alliances to protect ecological and economic interests.

The changes include approval of new gear that reduces unwanted catch, safeguards for delicate bottom habitat, and guidelines for managing whole ocean ecosystems, instead of handling species separately.

Those regulations reflect input from regulators, conservationists and fishermen and represent unprecedented compromises among groups that often have been at odds.

In September, the Pacific Fisheries Management Council approved new “deep set buoy” gear for swordfish, to avoid snaring turtles, marine mammals and other unintended catch. Swordfish have typically been caught using vast drift gillnets set overnight, which often ensnare other fish species, sharks, and marine mammals. The new method allows fishermen to drop hooks into deeper waters where swordfish forage during the day, catching the prized fish without ensnaring other animals.

Then, in November, the body voted to uphold an existing ban on longline fisheries on the open ocean off the West Coast. That fishery had been closed to West Coast fishermen since 1989 because of the high numbers of non-target fish and other animals that were caught.

Read the full story at the Los Angeles Times

PFMC and The Nature Conservancy to host 2-day Workshop January 22-23, 2020 in Garden Grove, CA

January 3, 2020 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and The Nature Conservancy are co-sponsoring a two-day workshop: Developing Future Scenarios for Climate Change in the California Current Ecosystem, which is open to the public.  The workshop will be held on Wednesday, January 22 and Thursday, January 23, 2020, from 8 a.m. until the completion of business on each day.

Please see the Developing Future Scenarios for Climate Change in the California Current Ecosystem January 22-23, 2020 workshop notice on the Council’s website for full details.

For further information:

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

PFMC: Reminder: Area 2A Pacific Halibut Manager’s Webinar Meeting to be held on January 7, 2020

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

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) will host a webinar meeting of the Area 2A Pacific halibut governmental management entities on Tuesday, January 7, 2020 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, or until business for the day is completed. No management actions will be decided by the attendees.  The webinar will be open to the public, and the agenda, which will be posted on the Pacific Council website prior to the meeting, will provide for a public comment period.

Please see the Area 2A Pacific Halibut Manager’s webinar notice on the Council’s website for participation details.

For further information:

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