Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings

AGENCY:

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION:

Notice of public meetings.

SUMMARY:

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and its advisory bodies will meet April 1-7, 2023 in Foster City, CA and via webinar. The Council meeting will be live streamed with the opportunity to provide public comment remotely. The following groups will meet in person in Foster City: Budget Committee, Legislative Committee, Model Evaluation Workgroup, Salmon Technical Team, Salmon Advisory Subpanel, Coastal Pelagic Species Advisory Subpanel, and the Coastal Pelagic Species Management Team. The Enforcement Consultants, Habitat Committee, Groundfish Management Team, Groundfish Advisory Subpanel, and the Scientific and Statistical Committee will meet by webinar only.

DATES:

The Pacific Council meeting will begin on Sunday, April 2, 2023, at 9 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), reconvening at 8 a.m. on Monday, April 3, 2023 through Friday, April 7, 2023. All meetings are open to the public, except for a Closed Session held from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., Sunday, April 2, 2023 to address litigation and personnel matters. The Pacific Council will meet as late as necessary each day to complete its scheduled business.

ADDRESSES:

Meeting address: The meetings of the Pacific Council and its advisory entities will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1221 Chess Drive, Foster City, CA; telephone: (650) 570-5700. Specific meeting information, including directions on joining the meeting, connecting to the live stream broadcast, and system requirements will be provided in the meeting announcement on the Pacific Council's website (see www.pcouncil.org ). You may send an email to Mr. Kris Kleinschmidt ( kris.kleinschmidt@noaa.gov) or contact him at (503) 820-2412 for technical assistance.

Council address: Pacific Fishery Management Council, 7700 NE Ambassador Place, Suite 101, Portland, OR 97220-1384.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Merrick Burden, Executive Director, Pacific Council; telephone: (503) 820-2418 or (866) 806-7204 toll-free, or access the Pacific Council website, www.pcouncil.org, for the proposed agenda and meeting briefing materials.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The April 1-7, 2023 meeting of the Pacific Council will be streamed live on the internet. The broadcasts begin initially at 9 a.m. PDT Sunday, April 2, 2023, and 8 a.m. PDT Monday, April 3, 2023 through Friday, April 7, 2023. Broadcasts end when business for the day is complete. Only the audio portion and presentations displayed on the screen at the Pacific Council meeting will be broadcast. The audio portion for the public is listen-only except that an opportunity for oral public comment will be provided prior to Council Action on each agenda item. Additional information and instructions on joining or listening to the meeting can be found on the Pacific Council's website (see www.pcouncil.org ).

The following items are on the Pacific Council agenda, but not necessarily in this order. Agenda items noted as “Final Action” refer to actions requiring the Council to transmit a proposed fishery management plan, proposed plan amendment, or proposed regulations to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, under Sections 304 or 305 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Additional detail on agenda items, Council action, and advisory entity meeting times, are described in Agenda Item A.3, Proposed Council Meeting Agenda, and will be in the advance April 2023 briefing materials and posted on the Pacific Council website at www.pcouncil.org no later than Tuesday, March 21, 2023.

A. Call to Order

1. Opening Remarks

2. Roll Call

3. Agenda

4. Executive Director's Report

B. Open Comment Period

1. Comments on Non-Agenda Items

C. Habitat Issues

1. Current Habitat Issues

D. Pacific Halibut Management

1. Incidental Catch Limits for the Salmon Troll Fishery—Final Action

E. Salmon Management

1. National Marine Fisheries Service Report

2. Tentative Adoption of 2023 Management Measures for Analysis

3. Clarify Council Direction on 2023 Management Measures

4. Methodology Review Preliminary Topic Selection

5. Sacramento and Klamath River Fall Chinook Conservation Objectives Scoping

6. Improvements to Southern Oregon/Northern California Coho Ocean Fishery Exploitation Rate Forecasts

7. Southern Resident Killer Whale Chinook Threshold and Other Fishery Management Plan Clarifications—Scoping

8. Further Direction on 2023 Management Measures

9. Klamath Dam Removal Update

10. 2023 Management Measures—Final Action

F. Administrative Matters

1. Regional Implementation of the National Equity and Environmental Justice Strategy

2. Council Meeting and Process Efficiencies

3. North Pacific Fisheries Commission (NPFC) Update

4. Marine Planning

5. Legislative Matters

6. Membership Appointments and Council Operating Procedures

7. Future Council Meeting Agenda and Workload Planning

G. Groundfish Management

1. National Marine Fisheries Service Report

2. Trawl Cost Recovery Annual Report

3. Trawl Catch Share Cost Project—Update

4. Inseason Adjustments—Final Action

5. Sablefish Gear Switching—Check-in and Refine the Range of Alternatives

6. Considerations for a Sablefish Assessment Update

H. Coastal Pelagic Species Management

1. National Marine Fisheries Service Report

2. Exempted Fishing Permits for 2023-2024—Final Action

3. Fishery Management Plan (FMP) Housekeeping—Final Action

4. Sardine Harvest Specifications and Management Measures for 2023-24—Final Action

5. Coastal Pelagic Species Essential Fish Habitat Amendment

Advisory Body Agendas

Advisory body agendas will include discussions of relevant issues that are on the Pacific Council agenda for this meeting and may also include issues that may be relevant to future Council meetings. Proposed advisory body agendas for this meeting will be available on the Pacific Council website, www.pcouncil.org, no later than Tuesday, March 21, 2023.

Although non-emergency issues not contained in the meeting agenda may be discussed, those issues may not be the subject of formal action during these meetings. Action will be restricted to those issues specifically listed in this document and any issues arising after publication of this document that require emergency action under section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, provided the public has been notified of the intent to take final action to address the emergency.

Special Accommodations

Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Mr. Kris Kleinschmidt ( kris.kleinschmidt@noaa.gov; (503) 820-2412) at least 10 business days prior to the meeting date.

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.