Pacific Fishery Management

Council• Jurisdiction

– 3 miles to 200 miles– 4 states (includes Idaho)

• Members -- appointed– State governments– Federal Agencies

• NMFS

• USFWS

– Tribes– Industry– Public

• “Quasi-governmental”– advisory to NMFS

Salmon catch areas

Decision making process

Department of Commerce (DOC)

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)

Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC)

Public Scientific Regulatory

Final approval

Prepare final regulations

Proposed regulations

What fisheries do they want?

What are biological limitations?

What are legal limitations?

Annual Process• Stocks predicted• STT

– Reviews last year’s fisheries– compiles stock predictions and calibrates models

• User groups scope out possibilities for the year• PFMC meets in March

– first cut proposed regulations– initial modeling– public input– three options

• high, medium, low

• Public meetings for input• PFMC meets in April

– public input– STT modeling– pick final option

• NMFS Northwest Region -- April– Prepare proposed final regulations based on final option from PFMC– Submit to DOC

• DOC– Review proposed final regulations– May – approve fishery regulations

PFMC Advisory Committees• Salmon Technical Team (STT)

– Members – Scientists from 4 states, Tribes, Federal Government– Reviews methodologies (with SSC)– Compiles data– Runs models based on PFMC input– Produces 4 reports each year

• Review of Fisheries• Preseason Report 1

– predictions• Preseason Report 2

– 3 proposed options• Preseason Report 3

– final option with analysis

• Salmon Advisory Subpanel– Members – Public representatives of commercial, sport, processor, environmental, tribal groups from 4

states– Negotiate desired seasons– Comment on Council proposals

• Scientific and Statistical Committee– Members – Scientists from State and federal agencies and academic institutions– Review methodologies used in fishery management– Review science behind fishery management plans– All Council fisheries, not just salmon

Management Principles• Mixed-stock management

– In the ocean many stocks are mixed together– Ability to “target” stocks is limited

• Ability to avoid stocks is limited

• Weak Stock Management– Manage ocean fisheries to meet management targets of ALL stocks.

• ESA– Sacramento Winter– Northern California Coast– Lower Columbia– Snake River Fall– Puget Sound

• Management targets– Escapement goals– harvest rates

• Overfishing– must meet minimum every year– if minimum not met for 3 years in a row then stock is overfished

• Ocean catch prohibited• Triggers a rebuilding process

Chinook Stocks• Central Valley (CA)

– Sacramento fall Chinook– Sacramento winter (endangered) – Sacramento Spring Chinook– San Joaquin River fall Chinook

• Northern California Coast Chinook (threatened)

• Klamath River Fall Chinook• Oregon Coast Chinook

– North migrating– South migrating– Coastal hatchery

• Columbia River Basin– Lower Columbia River (threatened)

• Lower River Hatchery• Lower River wild

– Spring Creek Hatchery– Upriver bright

• Snake River Fall (endangered)– MId-Columbia bright

• Washington Coastal– Willapa Bay– Gray’s Harbor– Quinault River– Queets River– Hoh River– Quillayute River

• Puget Sound (threatened)

Different stocks are “constraining”in different years.

•Sacramento River fall •Klamath Fall

•indicator for Northern Calif. Coast•Snake River fall•Lower Columbia River

Permits

• We can sample in open areas without any special permits

• If we want to sample in closed times and areas we need a Scientific Research Permit– Each boat will carry a permit letter– We are working on making this process as

easy as possible – for all of us!

Research Plan

• We need a research plan to get a permit

• Our research plan must be developed with full participation of the PFMC– impacts are accounted for during the pre-

season process

Sampling Design

• Ideal design –– Sample 240 fish for each week and area,

open or closed, from Cape Flattery to Point Sur over the full season

– Obviously, we’re not going to be able to do that in the near future

Less ambitious designs for 2009

All non-retention fishingOregon• Learn how “fishery independent” surveys could work

– 10 boats, 1 month• 5 in normal commercial fishing• 5 in statistical test fishing• Test at-sea data entry and oceanic data loggers

California• Repeat 2007 experiment to define Klamath distribution

within SF area– San Francisco Area North and South– May and June

Least ambitious plan

Oregon

• Test at-sea data entry systems and oceanic data loggers

• Up to five boats

• No terminal gear in the water

• Zero impacts

Next Steps

• Talk about these alternatives tomorrow at OCZMA meeting

• Present these plans to the Council (March)

• Support these plans at the March and April Council meetings– Salmon Advisory Subpanel– Public comment– Individual conversations