Council finalizes nearshore stock decisions, sets conditions for Oregon removals and asks NWFSC for widow rockfish projections

The Pacific Fishery Management Council on March 5 completed the second phase of its groundfish stock‑definition work and opened an analytic path for widow rockfish harvest policy.

Key actions on nearshore stocks: After weeks of deliberation and public comment, the council approved a conditional package to remove eight Oregon nearshore stocks from the West Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan but delayed any implementation until after a benchmark assessment for Oregon black rockfish and a no‑earlier‑than date (motion language called for not earlier than 2026/01/01; council discussion clarified 2030 timing and a requirement that specific assessments be completed). The motion also asked NMFS and the state of Oregon to develop memoranda of understanding or similar arrangements to preserve sampling, data collection, monitoring and funding coordination during the transition. Two species already acted upon earlier (Cabezon and kelp greenling) were excluded from that removal motion as previously finalized.

Washington species and ecosystem classification: In a companion motion, the council redesignated several Washington nearshore species (e.g., blue rockfish, China rockfish, copper rockfish, kelp greenling) as ecosystem‑component species that remain in the FMP but are not subject to federal harvest specifications; the council asked NMFS and WDFW to continue cooperative management and monitoring for those stocks. That motion passed with a small number of dissenting and abstaining votes.

Widow rockfish harvest‑control rule (HCR): The council opened D4 to consider alternatives to the default harvest policy because the 2025 assessment produced steep ACL reductions that advisory bodies warned would cause disproportionate socioeconomic impacts. The Scientific and Statistical Committee advised a set of projections the council requested: constant annual catch from 2029–2036 for comparison, calculation of annual probabilities the stock would fall below management thresholds, and runs under the base and low states of nature. The council adopted a motion directing the Northwest Fisheries Science Center to run the SSC’s requested projections and to report OFL/ABC recommendations for April. The GAP and GMT recommended a small set of alternatives (including constant‑catch ACLs for 2027–28 to stabilize markets and a 20% reduction scenario), with the SSC to determine OFLs/ABCs after the additional projections.

Why it matters: The nearshore stock decisions change which species are managed under federal FMP rules versus state or ecosystem‑component treatment, with explicit conditions to protect monitoring continuity; the widow rockfish HCR analysis will determine whether the council will depart from its default harvest policy for the 2027–28 specifications. Council members and advisory bodies repeatedly emphasized the need to balance precaution against the risk of severe socioeconomic consequences in processing hubs and midwater fleets.

Next steps: NMFS, the state of Oregon and the NWFSC will coordinate to: (1) deliver benchmark assessments and agreed implementation schedules, (2) develop written arrangements to preserve monitoring and data collection during transition, and (3) deliver the SSC‑requested widow rockfish projections for April to support OFL/ABC recommendations and the June specifications timetable.

Provenance: Stock‑definition motions and votes are recorded in council deliberations (Oregon removal motion and amendment: SEG 7234–7440; Washington EC redesignation: SEG 7740–7970). The widow HCR discussion, SSC recommendations and council motion requesting NWFSC projections appear at SEG 8050–9370.