2017-2018 harvest specifications and management measures (including Amendment 27)

The Council recommended changes to the FMP during the development of the 2017-2018 harvest specifications and management measures. Amendment 27 FMP reclassified big skate from an ecosystem component species to “in the fishery,” list deacon rockfish in Table 3-1, and revised Chapter 5.5 to describe a new inseason process in California. The new inseason process […]

Groundfish FMP Amendment 27: Changes related to the 2017-2018 biennial management process

FMP changes related to the biennial management process Amendment 27 to the Groundfish FMP was developed as part of the 2017-2018 harvest specifications and management measures process. It reclassified big skate from an ecosystem component species to “in the fishery,” listed deacon rockfish as a management unit species, and added a description of a new […]

Allow fixed-gear and trawl joint registration

In April 2012, the Council recommended allowing a fixed gear permit and a trawl permit to be registered to the same vessel at the same time.

Commercial Sablefish Regulations and Electronic Fish Tickets

In September 2013, the Council initiated the limited entry fixed gear (LEFG) sablefish permit stacking program review. The review was finalized in June 2014 and at the same time, the Council recommended the use of electronic fish tickets and changes to the own-and-control rules.  A regulatory amendment in 2016 implemented these two recommendations along with […]

Quota share divestiture rule

By November 30, 2015, anyone who controls trawl quota shares was required to be within the quota share control limits (including the aggregate non-whiting quota share control limit) with respect to all of their holdings—except for widow rockfish quota shares, which continues to be under a transfer moratorium. In April 2015, the Council recommended that […]

Set-asides for the at-sea whiting co-ops

In September 2016, the Council took action to change management of the at-sea whiting sector allocations of darkblotched rockfish and Pacific ocean perch to set-asides, while maintaining the allocation formulas in the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for these two stocks to determine the set-aside amounts. This change required an Amendment to the […]

Initiative 2: Coordinated Ecosystem Indicator Review

Te Council embarked on this initiative to help it develop recommendations to refine and improve the ecosystem indicators presented the Annual State of the California Current Ecosystem Report. Throughout 2015 and 2016 the Council’s Ecosystem Working Group, the Integrated Ecosystem Assessment Team, and the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) Ecosystem Subcommittee assessed the overall performance […]

Initiative 1: Protecting Unfished and Unmanaged Forage Fish Species

This initiative, which the Council completed in 2015, focuses on preventing new commercial fishing of forage fish that are currently unmanaged and unfished until the Council can assess the scientific information relating to any proposed fishery and consider impacts to existing fisheries, communities, and the marine ecosystem. This action recognizes the importance of these forage […]

Vessel movement monitoring

In April 2016, the Council took final action on a package of recommendations related to the monitoring of vessel movements. The package includes: providing fishermen a choice between increasing their vessel’s satellite vessel monitoring system (VMS) ping rate, using electronic discard monitoring in conjunction with their VMS unit; allowing vessels declared into the whiting mothership fishery […]

Groundfish FMP Amendment 25: Unfished and unmanaged forage fish protections

In September 2015, the Council approved new protections for forage fish species that are currently unfished and unmanaged. The purpose of the action is to prohibit new directed commercial fishing in Federal waters on unmanaged, unfished forage fish species until the Council has had an adequate opportunity to both assess the scientific information relating to […]