The Pacific Fishery Management Council on June 20 adopted a final package of changes to its limited‑entry fixed‑gear program that allows vessels holding limited‑entry fixed‑gear permits to harvest their quota with any legal non‑trawl gear while specifically excluding entangling nets, such as set, gill and trammel nets.

The reforms are intended to give permit holders more flexibility to respond to market, safety and bycatch concerns and to reduce administrative burdens. The council also adopted regulatory edits to the Fishery Management Plan and directed that cost‑recovery fees for the sablefish tier program be billed to vessel owners or their authorized representatives rather than permit holders.

Council staff, advisory bodies and industry discussed several scenarios the analysis used to estimate potential shifts in gear and the likely effect on protected species. The council adopted the staff‑recommended alternative that would allow any legal non‑trawl gear but would exclude entangling nets coast‑wide. Staff and advisory panels told the council the analysis shows a range of possible outcomes and that changes in vertical line hours — the primary driver of entanglement risk — would be vessel‑specific and depend on soak time, sets per trip, catch per unit effort and trip frequency.

Jesse Waller, council staff, reviewed the five action areas considered by the council: gear endorsements, removal of an obsolete “base permit” designation, removal of noon start/end times in regulations, permit sale price reporting and the cost‑recovery approach. Advisory bodies and staff recommended removing the permit sale price reporting requirement because the data are limited, often bundled with vessel sales, and would be confidential in many cases.

The council adopted the recommended Fishery Management Plan edits to remove outdated language and clarify how limited‑entry and open‑access opportunity are treated. Council members and advisory panels emphasized that the action is intended to expand legal options for participants, not to force a wholesale gear transition. The final motion also specifies that, should the National Marine Fisheries Service develop a sablefish tier cost‑recovery program, bills should be sent to vessel owners or their authorized representatives to align with common practice in the fishery.

The motion was moved by Heather Hall and seconded by Lynn Mattis. The council passed the measure unanimously; no roll‑call vote was recorded.

What happens next: NMFS will prepare the implementing rule and the council’s adopted FMP language will be transmitted for regulatory review. Staff and NMFS have agreed to continue monitoring observer, logbook and ticket data to quantify any changes in vertical line hours and protected‑species interactions if and when gear switching occurs.