Thank you to Newport

Boat tour during the pelagic trawl gear demonstration.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council would like to extend its thanks to the many residents, businesses, and organizations that helped make the recent meeting in Newport, Oregon a success: with strong public participation, a warm welcome, and community hospitality. Newport is also within the traditional lands of the Yaquina (Yaqo’n) and Alsea (Wusi’n) Tribes, whose tribal descendants are represented by the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. The Council honors the Indigenous Peoples who have stewarded the land across generations and continue to do so.

This was the first time the Council has held a meeting in Newport, which is homeport to many of the Oregon vessels that participate in the federal fisheries off Alaska for pollock, cod, rockfish, and crab. The Council, as a manager of Federal fisheries, is required under statutory and operating guidelines to hold its meetings in areas where issues being heard affect fishermen of that area, and as a long-standing practice has held one of its five meetings a year in the Pacific northwest, with the remaining meetings all occurring in Alaska. Council attendees had the opportunity to attend a reception and a pelagic trawl gear demonstration, which provided an opportunity for meeting attendees to board catcher vessels and observe pelagic trawl gear to learn more about its use in the fishery and innovations underway. The reception was sponsored by industry partners in the North Pacific region, and local vendors catered a variety of regional foods. We thank the Midwater Trawlers Cooperative for organizing and hosting both of these events, and welcoming the Council during our visit to Newport.

Budget Concerns and Effects on Future Council Meetings

The North Pacific Council will hold its October 2025 meeting by webinar, rather than in person, due to uncertainty regarding the funding of its federal grant. To date, the Council has received only 46% of its operating grant funding from NOAA for 2025, which is not typical. Although the Council anticipates receiving another installment of its grant in the coming weeks, that amount is uncertain and it may not be enough to fully fund Council operations through the end of 2025. Additionally, it is highly uncertain whether the Council will ultimately receive its full funding for 2025, necessitating that the Council be frugal with existing funds. The Council is taking the action to hold the October meeting virtually to prioritize the ability to hold the December meeting in person as scheduled.

Other Council activities are also affected by funding uncertainty. All travel continues to be limited to mission critical only. Thus, the September meetings of the Council’s Joint Groundfish and Crab Plan Teams will be held by webinar, rather than in-person. A decision about the November Joint Groundfish Plan Teams will be made later this year.

Staff contact is David Witherell.

Executive Order 14276: Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness

The Council discussed information about the recent Executive Order 14276 Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness and other related administration priorities, and identified a list of recommended actions to respond to the Secretary of Commerce’s request for input. The Council had the opportunity to consider information shared at the recent national meeting of regional fishery management Council leadership, to review a discussion paper prepared by NMFS regional office staff about responsive ongoing or potential future actions, and to ask questions of Sam Rauch, the NMFS headquarters Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs.

The Council received public testimony about potential actions in response to the Executive Order, and also encouraged the public also to submit comments directly to the Secretary once a Federal Register request for public comment is published. Staff will develop and submit a workplan around the Council’s initial recommendations before the September 30th deadline, but the Council noted that it will also consider additional recommendations during the B reports in October, for a supplementary submittal if warranted.

Staff contact is David Witherell.

U.S. Coast Guard Announcement regarding Bering Sea foreign vessel activities

In the summer of 2025, the Coast Guard in Alaska expects continued presence in the Bering Sea and Arctic from strategic competitors, adversaries, and allies. Operation Frontier Sentinel is an operation designed to meet presence with presence when strategic competitors operate in and around U.S. waters. The Coast Guard’s presence strengthens the international rules-based order and promotes the conduct of operations in a manner that follows international law and norms. The Coast Guard actively patrols our maritime border in the Bering Sea, Bering Strait, and Chukchi Sea with our largest and most capable cutters and aircraft to protect U.S. sovereign interests, U.S. fish stocks, and to promote international maritime norms. The Coast Guard encourages U.S. mariners to report the presence of foreign vessels in and around U.S. waters. The Coast Guard will continue to provide notifications throughout the maritime and fishing industry by all available means of any activities forecasted to impact U.S. interests or commerce in the maritime environment around Alaska.

Please contact the Coast Guard with any questions. https://www.pacificarea.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/District-17

Observer Program Annual Report for 2024

The Council received a presentation from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) on the Draft 2024 Observer Program Annual Report and provided recommendations for the development of the 2026 Annual Deployment Plan (ADP), which will be reviewed this fall.

The annual report covers full coverage fisheries, which account for the majority of harvest in the North Pacific, and partial coverage fisheries, which are primarily the halibut and sablefish IFQ fleet and the groundfish fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) that are not in a catch share plan. Because full coverage fisheries are straightforward in terms of coverage rates, much of the annual report focuses on the monitoring that occurred in the partial coverage fisheries in the previous year compared to the deployment expectations laid out in the ADP. In addition to evaluating whether deployment expectations were met in the previous year, the annual report also includes information describing the monitoring program and changes in the past year, enforcement trends, outreach efforts, and agency recommendations for the 2026 Draft ADP.

The Council also received a report from the Fishery Monitoring Advisory Committee (FMAC) on the recommendations and discussion coming out of the recent committee meeting. The FMAC supported NMFS’ recommendations for the 2026 Draft ADP. The FMAC report included additional information provided at the committee meeting, including a budget update from NMFS and an update on the pilot phase and next steps for implementing electronic monitoring in the GOA Rockfish Program.

The Council appreciated the Draft 2024 Observer Program Annual Report and highlighted that the North Pacific is the only region that receives such a report. The Council supported the NMFS recommendation to use the same allocation and stratification methods for the draft 2026 ADP as was recommended and implemented for the 2025 fishing year. Several other recommendations related to future annual reports and the Draft 2026 ADP were included in the Council’s motion.

The Council will again be sending a letter to the Department of Commerce/NOAA Office of Management and Budget expressing its concern about the delays in receiving observer fee revenue that has not been transferred and is not currently available for partial coverage observer deployment. Delays have been caused by the Commerce Department financial system and exacerbated by changes in staffing across the Agency.

Lastly, the Council approved Terms of Reference for both of its monitoring committees (FMAC and PCFMAC).

Staff contact is Sara Cleaver.

BSAI Crab Specs

The Council received an overview of the 2025 stock assessment fishery evaluation (SAFE) report chapter for Aleutian Island golden king crab (AIGKC), and set AIGKC specifications (motion). The Council adopted SSC recommendations of an OFL of 3,166 metric tons with an ABC of 2,374 metric tons for the 2025/26 fishing year. Results from the SAFE report indicate that the AIGKC is not overfished. Overfishing determination for this stock based on a final total catch will occur at the October 2025 Council meeting.

The Council also reviewed model scenarios for six stocks: Eastern Bering Sea (EBS) snow crab, Bristol Bay red king crab, Eastern Bering Sea Tanner crab, Norton Sound red king crab, Pribilof Island blue king crab, Pribilof Island red king crab. Final SAFE documents for these stocks using the proposed model runs will be presented at the October 2025 Council meeting, with the exception that Norton Sound red king crab is scheduled to be presented at the December 2025 Council meeting.

The Council also reviewed general updates to Ecosystem and Socioeconomic Profile (ESP), crab risk table guidelines, and several other topics from the May 2025 Crab Plan Team Report.

Staff contact is Anita Kroska.

Pelagic Trawl

Gear Definition

The Council received and reviewed an Initial/Final Review Analysis analyzing changes to the Federal regulatory definition of pelagic trawl gear at this meeting. After reviewing information from the analysis, recommendations from the Advisory Panel, and public testimony, the Council took final action to recommend a proposed revision to the regulatory definition of pelagic trawl gear.

The Council’s preferred alternative would clarify the regulatory definition of the components of pelagic trawl gear to allow the continued use and innovation of bycatch excluder devices, instrumentation necessary to monitor net performance, and remove unnecessary outdated text. Public testimony and Advisory Panel recommendations highlighted variations on modern gear configurations, including the importance of metallic components during net deployment, that the Council took under advisement when modifying the considered measures and selecting a preferred alternative.

Within the preferred alternative, the Council recommended revising the definition of pelagic trawl gear by modifying the following limits: 1) remove outdated text related to parallel line trawls, 2) remove limits on use of flotation, 3) remove reference to metallic components, and 4) prohibit the use of metal chains in the middle section of the net, other than short lengths of chain used to prevent twisting. Additionally, the Council’s preferred alternative clarified that the following components are not limited and/or subject to limits specified in the pelagic trawl gear definition: 1) the codend, 2) bycatch excluder devices, and 3) sensors and instruments that function in an observational capacity, and instruments that are designed to exclude bycatch or adjust the gear (including instruments that minimize seafloor contact).

Staff contact is Taylor Holman.

Innovation initiative, and development

The Council received research updates and reviewed a discussion paper to inform options to incentivize pelagic trawl gear innovation, and identified a timeline for receiving the final research results and considering potential management measures.

The Council’s interest in pelagic trawl gear innovation is to encourage modifications that can be expected to minimize bycatch, impacts to sensitive seafloor habitat and unobserved mortality, and improve gear efficiency and effectiveness. The staff discussion paper highlighted the current state of knowledge, including ongoing research, limitations to innovation, regulatory processes for gear revision, and management tools. The Council also received two presentations with updates on ongoing collaborative research under the Gear Innovation Initiative: first, from the FAST Lab at Alaska Pacific University, reviewing aspects of the Fishing Effects Model and updates on the academic, analytical portion of the Initiative; and second, from the Pelagic Trawl Industry Working Group with an update on the gear configurations, vessel information, and fishing practices the group has provided to the FAST Lab for analysis. The Council requested that staff develop a webpage on the Council’s website to consolidate information and updates about ongoing research.

The Council intends to use the gear innovation research and other ongoing research to better quantify and understand current bottom contact by pelagic trawl gear types. The Council will use that to evaluate management measures to further minimize the impacts of pelagic trawl gear in areas that are currently closed to nonpelagic trawl gear and to address potential unobserved crab mortality, unless the industry can document, as described below, limited seafloor contact and/or impacts.

2026 Measures for Dynamic Spatial Closures in the Bering Sea: The Council requested the Bering Sea pollock industry to provide a report in December 2025 about their plans for using dynamic spatial closures for the 2026 pollock A season, to protect Bristol Bay red king crab while still avoiding salmon bycatch.
Gear Innovation and other Research: The Council identified a specific timeframe of April 2026, to hear reports back on the progress with the Gear Innovation Initiative. During the same meeting, the Council also requested updates on Bering Sea Fisheries Research Foundation crab research and an EFP to test modifications to the footrope of pelagic trawl gear.
Fishing Effects Model: the new baseline information on bottom contact estimates from Alaska fishing gears should be integrated into the peer-reviewed Fishing Effects model that the Council uses to assess the effects of commercial fishing on essential fish habitats.
Potential management measures: Once the research is available, and specifically in 2026, the Council highlighted its intent to use the gear research and the updated bottom contact estimates in the Fishing Effects Model to develop options to revise the performance standard for pelagic trawl gear operations, or other appropriate measures.

Staff contact is Anita Kroska.

Crab Arbitration and IFQ/ IPQ Withdrawal

At this meeting, the Council considered an Initial Review Analysis analyzing changes to the Bering Sea Aleutian Islands Crab Rationalization Program. The Council recommended moving the analysis forward for consideration of possible final action the next time it is reviewed. The purpose and need statement is unchanged, which highlights an interest in limited revisions to the crab arbitration system and the crab quota application process to increase transparency, provide flexibility, and reduce program costs and burdens for participants without changing the overall program structure and objectives.

The Council identified a preliminary preferred alternative (PPA) which includes:

removing the requirement that the arbitrator can only select a remedy proposed by one side (i.e., remove the requirement for ‘last best offer’ arbitration; Alternative 2, Option 1),
remove the requirement for a market report (Alternative 2, Option 3), and
allow IPQ or IFQ to be withdrawn after being accepted by NMFS any time before BSAI crab rationalization species TACs are announced and within 48 hours after the TACs are announced (Alternative 3, Option 2)

In addition, the Council updated Alternative 2, Option 2 to consider requiring a written report and rationale from the arbitrators to the parties to the arbitration. This option was amended from the Initial Review alternatives which considered providing a public report in addition to a report to the parties to the arbitration, as a public report raises concerns around confidential data and anti-trust issues. The Council also added an option to consider streamlining the information submitted to NMFS in the Annual Arbitration Organization Report (Alternative 2, Option 5). These options were not included as part of the PPA because they had not been directly included in the Initial Review Analysis, but they could be adopted with the final preferred recommendations, as could any of the analyzed options when the analysis returns to the Council for consideration of final recommendations.

Staff contact is Sarah Marrinan.

AFA Program Review Report

The Council received an AFA Program Review report, as required every seven years for Limited Access Privilege Programs under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. This comprehensive review is also intended to comply with the NOAA Fisheries procedural guidance to periodically review allocations. The Council approved the review as final and complete after staff incorporate revisions as recommended by the AP and Council to the extent practicable. After these changes are made to the document, a final version of the document will be posted on the Council’s webpage for Program and Allocation reviews and noted in a future Executive Director report when available.

Staff contact is Kate Haapala.

Central GOA Rockfish Program Review Report

The Council received a Review of the Central Gulf of Alaska Rockfish Program as required every seven years for Limited Access Privilege Programs under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The Council approved the review as final and complete after the incorporation of revisions as recommended by the Council and AP as practicable, however there were no specific revisions recommended. After non substantive, editorial changes are made to the document, a final version of the document will be posted on the Council’s webpage for Program and Allocation reviews and noted in a future Executive Director report when available.

Staff contact is Anna Henry.

Blackspotted/rougheye rockfish Accountability Measures Review

The Council received a report on potential Accountability Measures (AMs) to be considered in a discussion paper for the fall 2025 groundfish specifications cycle for the blackspotted rougheye rockfish (BSRE) complex in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI), and focused staff work on specific options.

The stock-wide annual catch limit (ACL) for the BSRE complex, which is equal to the acceptable biological catch (ABC), has been exceeded for three of the past four years. While accountability measures (AMs) are specified in the BSAI Fishery Management Plan, they have not prevented catch from exceeding the ACL. The overfishing limit (OFL), however, has not been exceeded in any of these years. The National Standard 1 guidelines require that the system of ACLs and AMs be reevaluated and modified if necessary when an ACL is exceeded more than once in a four-year period. At this meeting, the Council streamlined the AMs under consideration to include:

potentially reducing Total Allowable Catch (TAC) in the Pacific ocean perch directed fishery in 2026; and
modifying in-season management authority to allow NMFS the flexibility to close areas or directed fisheries where blackspotted and rougheye are caught when the annual catch limit (ACL) is reached, similar to the authority NMFS has when an overfishing limit is reached.

Additional information on these AMs as well as the stock status for the complex and other Council requests will be provided in an expanded discussion paper scheduled for October.

Staff contact is Diana Stram.

SSC Harvest Control Rules Workshop and Next Steps

The SSC hosted a workshop to discuss and gather input on potential adjustments to the Tier levels used in the Groundfish and Crab FMP harvest specifications, as well as the resulting harvest control rules (HCRs) used to determine the OFL and ABC, in order to adapt to the changing environment. The SSC provided recommendations (beginning p. 21) on developing a workplan and scope of work for a technical working group to continue to advance these issues. The Council has not yet formed a workgroup, but reiterated its support for continued consideration of HCR adjustments and asked that staff provide presentations to the Groundfish and Crab Plan Team meetings in the Fall to solicit their input.

Staff contact is Diana Stram.

Staff Tasking / B reports

Following review of agency reports and staff tasking materials, the Council discussed the relative priority and scheduling of previously-tasked projects, and identified new tasking. The revised 3 meeting outlook reflects this guidance. In addition, the following highlights additional Council discussions or actions.

Scheduling

The Council noticed the public that because the Council has not yet received its full installment of funding from NMFS for the approved 2025 budget, which would typically have been distributed by now, the October 2025 meeting will be virtual in order to prioritize the opportunity for an in-person December Council meeting and to maintain the Council’s operational status. Additionally, Council leadership will adjust either the dates or agenda items for the December meeting in the next few weeks, once there is more certainty about funding. The current 3 meeting outlook will be updated and information will be publicized as soon as those decisions are made, especially regarding the timing for final action on the Council’s chum salmon bycatch analysis.

Discussions and action

The Council passed a motion to not schedule review and recommendations for Cook Inlet salmon harvest specifications for the 2026 fishery, and requested NMFS to implement specifications under its Secretarial authority.
The Council also identified a list of recommended actions to respond to the Secretary of Commerce’s request for input to the Executive Order 14276 Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness, and directed staff to develop and submit a workplan around these recommendations before the September deadline (see separate newsletter article).
The Council approved revisions to its Statement of Operations, Procedures, and Practices (SOPP), a track changes-draft of which was posted to the eAgenda under Staff Tasking. The final version, along with updates to the Council’s SSC and AP handbooks, will shortly be available on the Council website.

Additionally, various Council members acknowledged testimony received during staff tasking about new projects (including fishing halibut with pots in the GOA, a NSRKC permit recency proposal, a new fishery for Majister squid, and a framework agreement for emergency relief for crab fisheries). Council members noted their potential interest in considering these projects in future, but cited current budget uncertainties as a reason to defer action at this time.

Advisory Groups

Appointed Dr. Meaghan Bryan to the GOA Groundfish Plan Team.
Appointed Dr. Caitlin Stern to the BSAI Crab Plan Team.
Adopted Terms of Reference for the Fishery Monitoring Advisory Committee, and its Partial Coverage subset.
Noticed the public of upcoming Council advisory group meetings and approved draft agendas (see also Upcoming meetings newsletter article)
Announced that a call for nominations for 2026 AP and potentially SSC members will be forthcoming over the summer, but noted that Council leadership is considering budget implications regarding the size of those groups as balanced against the importance of including a diversity of perspectives and experience.

As a reminder, the Council still has an open call for nominations for the Ecosystem Committee through July 11th. Committee appointments will likely be considered at the October Council meeting, and the Committee would not meet before that time.

Postponed agenda items – BSAI Pcod LAPP and groundfish subarea apportionments

Council was scheduled to take up two items that were postponed to a later meeting due to time constraints: BSAI Pacific cod pot gear LAPP (discussion paper and Advisory Panel report on eAgenda under item D3) and Guidance for subarea apportionments (report on eAgenda under D5, also SSC comments in their meeting report). The Council is tentatively scheduled to review the LAPP discussion paper in October 2025. Staff will continue to work with Council and SSC leadership to develop a proposal for handling subarea apportionments of ABC within the groundfish harvest specifications process. The Council is expected to review any proposal during the Groundfish Proposed Harvest Specifications agenda item in October. The SSC and Groundfish Plan Teams will review and discuss the proposal and/or changes to the current process as needed at upcoming meetings.

Council Oral History Project

At this meeting, the Council received an update on the oral history project commemorating 50 years of the Magnuson-Stevens Act and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. Previously, the Council has documented history through written accounts in the 30^th and 40^th MSA anniversary publications. Capturing history through oral history interviews allows us to go beyond written words, connecting the experiences and reflections of people and place them in a broader historical context. Ultimately, the interviews will be co-located in the NOAA Voices Oral History Archives as well as the UAA/APU Consortium Library Archives and Special Collections. Additionally, the intention is to create a compilation video combining quotes from many different interviews around a single theme. So far, 20 interviews with experts in the Council process have been completed, from SSC members to nonprofit advocates to industry members, ensuring a diverse range of voices and representation from different parts of the Council process. Interviews explore the backgrounds of individuals from growing up through today, the impacts of and changes to our North Pacific fisheries, reflections on the Council process, and any other thoughts given their specific experience within the process. Hopefully, this will be the beginning of capturing much more of the history of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council through the voices of the people who make it what it is. Check back on the Council website to find the interview audio/video, written transcripts, and video compilation. The project is to be completed by the end of September and will include a guide/template on how to contribute in the future for those interested.

Staff contact is Alaina Plauché.

Upcoming Meetings

Charter Halibut Management Measures: December, exact dates TBD (virtual or Anchorage, AK)
Crab Plan Team: Sept. 8-12th, 2025 (virtual)
Joint Groundfish Plan Teams: Sept. 16-19th, 2025 (virtual)
PCFMAC, FMAC: September, exact dates TBD, likely 1 day (Anchorage, AK/Seattle, WA)
Charter Halibut Management Measures: October, exact dates TBD (half day, virtual)
Crab Plan Team, NSRKC specs: Nov. 6th, 2025 (half day, virtual)
Joint Groundfish Plan Teams: Nov. 10-14th, 2025 (virtual or Seattle, WA)

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