Pacific council renews EFPs, adopts widow rockfish harvest rule and 2027–28 groundfish limits

The Pacific Fishery Management Council on Tuesday set 2027–28 limits for West Coast groundfish, approved two exempted fishing permit renewals and endorsed a revised approach for managing widow rockfish.

Councillors adopted harvest specifications and related management measures that largely confirmed the preliminary preferred alternatives set in April, with the council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) recommending an updated operational approach for widow rockfish. The SSC explained its recommendation for the widow total allowable catch on the basis that newer assessment outputs support an OFL derived using a B40% proxy, a method NOAA technical guidance allows when BMSY is better represented by a B40% proxy than by direct model estimates.

Ryan Wolf, NMFS, told the council the agency had received multiple permit applications for deep-set buoy gear and had reissued several exempted fishing permits (EFPs) following council guidance. He also flagged that 100 percent observer coverage remains a term of many EFPs and that the agency is exploring electronic monitoring (EM) pilots to bolster coverage and resilience in future years. "We received 26 new permit applications in tier 9 during the last period," Wolf said, characterizing activity under the limited-entry program.

The council voted to renew two EFPs. The West Coast Seafood Processors Association and Oregon Troll Commission’s year-round midwater-troll EFP was renewed pending its integration into federal regulations. The council also approved a California Department of Fish and Wildlife EFP to collect fishery-dependent biological data. Lori Steele, who manages the troll EFP, said the permit has produced useful bycatch and fishery performance data and urged the council to allow continued testing south of 40°10' to complete the three years of data NMFS needs for formal review. "This has been a success and will hopefully continue to be for all vessels and processors engaged in it," Steele said.

On the controversial widow rockfish question, the SSC recommended an OFL of 6,239 metric tons for 2027–28 and advised that ABC and ACL be phased in consistent with NOAA guidance. The council accepted the SSC’s analysis and adopted the corresponding limits after discussion of the trade-offs. Some council members expressed concerns about the narrow margin between the OFL and the ACL under one alternative, urging caution. Others noted the council’s robust in-season management tools and the non-trawl set-aside that reduce the likelihood of exceeding ACLs.

States and advisory bodies supported most of the PPA items, and managers from California, Oregon and Washington detailed a series of localized regulatory changes, including removal of some area-based restrictions and modest changes to seasonal sub-bag limits for recreational rockfish that managers said will improve safety and access while meeting conservation goals.

The council also removed the quillback and yelloweye rockfish rebuilding plans from the FMP after assessment results showed those stocks rebuilt above the statutory thresholds. "These are significant steps for coastal communities and should help stabilize seasonal fishing access," said Jeremy Brown, a commercial albacore fisherman during public comment.

What happens next: NMFS and council staff will complete the final rule drafting and technical edits; the council asked staff to make routine technical revisions without needing additional full-council action. The council will monitor stock assessments and in-season catch, and NMFS said it will continue to explore EM pilots and refine EFP implementation timelines.

Audience: This decision affects commercial and recreational fishermen, processors, and coastal communities that rely on West Coast groundfish and highly migratory species regulations.

"These changes will take the handcuffs off and give us more responsible fishing access while continuing to meet conservation goals," said Dana Point charter operator Donna Kales during public comment, praising removal of some area restrictions that had limited safety and access.