An Update From September’s Pacific Fishery Management Council Meeting

ASA’s Larry Phillips attended the meeting in Boise, Idaho.

Earlier in September, I attended the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) meeting in Boise, Idaho. Due to the COVID pandemic, this was the first council meeting in Idaho since 2019, and it was great to get back out there.

September’s Council meeting was quiet and fortunately, there weren’t any major hot-button issues or difficult decisions that the council needed to announce. Despite the relatively quiet nature of the meeting, there were several important items on the agenda that have some long-term implications for the fishing industry.

Halibut Catch Sharing Plan 

The Council adopted for public review the 2022 Pacific Halibut Catch Sharing Plan’s (CSP’s) annual regulation changes for the 2023 season. These updated annual regulations will permit Washington and Oregon to have greater flexibility regarding the number of days the fishery is open to recreational fishing per week. Additionally, the Council also gave Oregon the option to allow anglers to harvest up to two halibut per day.

The Council also considered a second proposal in Oregon that will allow anglers to participate in the long-leader rockfish fishery on Halibut days.

The Council is scheduled to adopt final changes to the Pacific Halibut Catch Sharing Plan and regulations for recreational and commercial fisheries for the 2023 season at the Nov. meeting in Garden Grove, CA.

Trawl Catch Share Program and Inter-Sector Allocation Review 

The Council also announced that it will commence its trawl catch share program and inter-sectoral allocation review process. At the June 2023 meeting, the Council will use updated analytical documents, that will be built using the data collected, and hearings as the basis for determining how to proceed with the trawl catch share program.

ASA plans to engage in this process to ensure that catch sharing is consistent with NOAA’s National Standards Guidelines, namely sections 4 and 5, which relate to allocations and efficiency. Current catch-sharing agreements are based on trawl catch data that was developed when fisheries were permitted to target rocky structures.

In more recent years, trawl fisheries are limited to areas of soft bottom structure, which limit the catch of species such as lingcod.  Our hope is that the review will result in a sharing agreement that supports additional opportunities for several species.  Specifically, trawl fisheries have not caught close to their total allowable catch (TAC) limit of lingcod, however, the recreational fisheries have been restricted to stay within their allocated TAC.

ASA and the entire recreational fishing community look forward to these conversations. 

Non-Trawl Rockfish Conservation Area  

The council finalized its action purpose and needs statement for the non-trawl Rockfish Conservation Area (RCA) and adopted a final range of alternatives for review. California has proposed reopening much of the RCA to fishing but would restrict some fishing in Essential Fish Habitat Conservation Areas (EFHCA). California’s proposal would limit bottom contact fishing gear, including hook and line fishing, in EFHCA’s. The state’s justification for the proposal was that this approach would be “equitable” to all fishing methods. There is currently information available regarding the impacts to critical habitats from hook and line fishing.

ASA is concerned that this proposal could lead to similar restrictions in other locations, including National Marine Sanctuaries or conservation areas. We believe more information is needed to better understand the potential impacts from bottom contact terminal tackle before decisions are made to restrict fishing.

The next Council meeting is scheduled for early November and will be held in Orange County, California. For more information about the Pacific Council, contact Larry Phillips at lphillips@asafishing.org or visit the Council’s website.