• Contact Us
  • Subscribe

North Pacific Fishery Management Council

Managing our Nation's Fisheries off the Coast of Alaska

  • Home
  • Meetings
    • Council Meetings
      • Agenda Platform – All meetings
      • Current (or next) Council Meeting
      • Future Council Meetings
      • Archive of Council Meetings
      • Three Meeting Outlook
      • Calendar
  • About
    • Overview
      • FAQ
      • Recognition Awards
      • Management Policies
      • Navigating the Process
      • Staff
      • fisherycouncils.org
      • List of Acronyms
    • Engagement topics
      • Halibut Subsistence
      • Northern Bering Sea Research Area
      • Community Quota Entity Program
  • Membership
    • Council and Committee Members
      • Council Members
      • Scientific and Statistical Committee
      • Advisory Panel
    • Committees
      • List of Committees
      • Bering Sea FEP Climate Change Taskforce
      • Bering Sea FEP LKTK Taskforce
      • Charter Halibut Management Committee
      • Community Engagement Committee
      • Cook Inlet Salmon Committee
      • Ecosystem Committee
      • Enforcement Committee
      • Fishery Monitoring Committees
      • Halibut ABM Stakeholder Committee
      • Halibut Management Committee
      • IFQ Committee
      • Joint Protocol Committee
      • Legislative Committee
      • PNCIAC
    • Fishery Management Plan Teams
      • Overview
      • Groundfish Plan Teams
      • Salmon FMP
      • Scallop Plan Team
      • BSAI Crab Plan Team
      • Social Science Planning Team
  • Fisheries
    • Halibut
      • Halibut Subsistence
      • Charter Halibut Management
        • Charter Halibut Management Committee
        • Halibut Charter Stakeholder Committee
      • Halibut Bycatch Overview
    • Groundfish
      • Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska Groundfish
      • Groundfish Plan Teams
      • BSAI Groundfish FMP Doc
      • BSAI FMP Appendix
      • GOA Groundfish FMP Doc
      • GOA FMP Appendix
    • Crab and Scallop
      • BSAI Crab Plan Team
      • BSAI Crab FMP Doc
      • Scallop Plan Team
      • Scallop FMP Doc
    • Other FMPs
      • Salmon
      • Arctic
  • Current Issues
    • Habitat Protections
      • Overview
      • Bering Sea Canyons
      • Essential Fish Habitat (EFH)
      • Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (HAPC)
        • HAPC Proposals
      • Northern Bering Sea Research Area
      • Gear Modifications
    • Protected Species
      • Overview
      • Steller Sea Lions
      • Seals
      • Seabirds
      • Walrus
      • Whales
    • Catch Shares Allocation
      • AFA Pollock Cooperatives
      • Amendment 80 Program
      • BSAI Crab Rationalization
      • CDQ Program
      • Community Quota Entity Program
      • Cooperative Reporting
      • Economic Data Reporting
      • GOA Rockfish Program
      • Halibut/Sablefish IFQ Program
      • Pacific Cod Allocations
    • Other Conservation Issues
      • Alaska Marine Ecosystem Forum
      • Aleutian Islands Fishery Ecosystem Plan
      • Bering Sea Fishery Ecosystem Plan
      • Non Target Species Management
      • Observer Program
  • Bycatch Controls
    • Salmon Bycatch
      • Overview
      • BSAI Salmon Bycatch
      • GOA Salmon Bycatch
    • Crab Bycatch
      • Overview
      • BSAI Crab Bycatch
      • GOA Crab Bycatch
    • Halibut Bycatch
      • Overview
      • BSAI Halibut Bycatch
      • GOA Halibut Bycatch
    • GOA Trawl Bycatch
      • GOA Trawl Bycatch Management
  • Publications
    • Publications
      • Research Priorities
      • Scientific Papers
      • Summary Reports
      • NPFMC Newsletters
      • SAFE (Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation) Reports
    • Resources
      • Plan Teams
      • Related Links
      • Meeting Minutes
      • Council Mailings
      • NOAA Fisheries Policy Directives
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe

How do I get involved?

You are here: Home » How do I get involved?

One of the keys to successful fishery management is incorporating diverse views into decision making through a transparent public process. The Council system was designed so that fisheries management decisions were made at the regional level to allow input from affected stakeholders.

Council meetings are open, and public testimony – both written and oral – is taken on each and every issue prior to deliberations and final decisions.  Public comments are also taken at all Advisory Panel and Scientific and Statistical Committee meetings. Written comments can be submitted up through 12:00 noon on Friday prior to the Council meeting week. The preferred method is through comment links on the Agenda. However, if necessary they can be mailed to the Council office at 605 West 4th Ave, #306, Anchorage, AK 99501, or faxed to 907-271-2817.

If you have an issue you want to be discussed at a Council meeting, it would be best to familiarize yourself with the members of the process; both the Council staff and the Council members. There is historical information throughout this site which would be beneficial, and a great resource are the newsletters which are a summary of each meeting and can get you up to speed on what actions have already been taken. While there is not a formal “call for proposals,” you are welcome to draft a letter to the Council which will be put in the Council notebooks. Most likely, if it’s a new issue, it will be addressed at the end of the meeting under an agenda item called “Staff Tasking.” The public will be given a chance to comment, and this would be a good time to address the issue during the meeting.

Each Council decision is made by a recorded vote in the public forum after public comment. Final decisions then go to NMFS for a second review, public comment, and final approval. Decisions must conform with the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, and other applicable law including several executive orders.

Regulatory changes may take up to a year or longer to implement, particularly if complex or contentious, but the Council makes every attempt in being open and transparent throughout the process.

If you have questions or want for information on how to get started, call the office.

Upcoming Meetings

View Calendar →

Recent Updates

Current (or next) Council Meeting

Archive of Council Meetings

Halibut/Sablefish IFQ Program

Charter Halibut Management

Future Council Meetings

Photo Stream

More Photos →

Newsletters

All →

Subscribe to our Agenda/Newsletter:

Contact Info

View Map →

North Pacific Fishery Management Council
1007 West Third, Suite 400
Anchorage, Alaska 99501-2252
Phone: (907) 271-2809

Return to top of page
Copyright © 2021. North Pacific Fishery Management Council. All Rights Reserved. · Website by Sundog Media LLC · Login