PFMC adopts initial 2025 salmon management alternatives; NMFS, states and tribes urge conservative approach

The Pacific Fishery Management Council on March 6 adopted initial coastwide salmon management alternatives for the 2025 season, directing the Salmon Technical Team (STT) to compile and model the Salmon Advisory Subpanel (SAS) proposals and related modifications. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), state agencies and tribal representatives urged conservative management because of low forecasts for several California and Columbia Basin stocks.

The council’s actions followed extensive reports from the Pacific Salmon Commission, NMFS, state co‑managers, tribal representatives and the SAS. Angela Fristall, council staff, opened the agenda item and said the council’s task was to identify management elements and alternatives for STT to collate into coastwide options for public review, and that any alternatives departing from the salmon FMP may require emergency rule implementation.

Why it matters: NMFS highlighted serious constraints for several stocks — including Sacramento River fall Chinook and Klamath River fall Chinook — and recommended conservative preseason alternatives. Tribes and state managers repeatedly urged caution and emphasized treaty and trust responsibilities; the council adopted alternative packages for non‑Indian fisheries, South‑of‑Cape‑Falcon fisheries and treaty tribal ocean fisheries and asked the STT to run the models.

What the council adopted

- Non‑Indian ocean alternatives (motion by Kyle Laddix): The council adopted the SAS’ proposed initial alternatives for non‑Indian ocean fisheries with specific edits: added marked‑coho quotas (Alternative 1: 130,000 marked coho; Alt. 2: 115,000; Alt. 3: 100,000), corrected commercial troll TACs and catch limits for Alternative 3, and added several short June Chinook‑only recreational subarea openings in specific subareas. The motion passed unanimously.

- South‑of‑Cape‑Falcon alternatives (motion by Marcy Remco): The council adopted SAS‑recommended south‑of‑Cape‑Falcon alternatives and directed staff to proceed; the motion passed unanimously. The motion also incorporated regulatory text work in progress and emphasized precautionary application of new coastal Chinook management measures and in‑season controls.

- Treaty (tribal) ocean alternatives (motion by David Sones): The council adopted initial treaty ocean alternatives to be modeled as: Alternative 1 — 55,000 Chinook and 50,000 coho; Alternative 2 — 45,000 Chinook and 37,500 coho; Alternative 3 — 35,000 Chinook and 20,000 coho. The motion passed unanimously.

Agency and advisory input that shaped the decision

- NMFS guidance: Susan Bishop read NMFS’ detailed guidance on consultation standards under the Endangered Species Act and Pacific Salmon Treaty commitments. NMFS told the council that fisheries affecting Sacramento River fall Chinook should be managed to target escapement at or above the lower end of the escapement goal (122,000 spawners), and that Klamath River fall Chinook fisheries should be managed consistent with the rebuilding plan (a maximum allowable exploitation rate of 10% and expected natural escapement of 18,687 in 2025). NMFS also recommended a buffered pre‑season age‑4 harvest rate (7.7%) for California coastal Chinook to address prior exceedances, and reiterated requirements for Sacramento winter‑run, Puget Sound Chinook objectives and other ESA constraints.

- Pacific Salmon Commission and panels: Phil Anderson, a PSC commissioner, and several panel members described the treaty negotiation framework and how commission forecasts and AABM/ISBM catch limits feed into the council’s preseason process. PSC work will continue in advance of the 2028 treaty chapter renegotiations.

- State and tribal reports: California Department of Fish and Wildlife emphasized persistent over‑forecasting for Sacramento indices and the poor status of Sacramento and Klamath stocks, urging consideration of a no‑harvest alternative south of Cape Falcon; Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and treaty co‑managers provided Puget Sound management objectives and cautioned that inside waters will impose tight constraints on ocean fisheries. Columbia River tribes asked the council to be cautious and called attention to tribal treaty rights and restoration work.

Adoption process and next steps

- The council approved motions adopting SAS alternatives and directed the STT to compile and run preseason analyses and model coastwide alternatives for public review. Angela Fristall confirmed the STT will begin modeling based on the adopted alternatives.

- Council members emphasized this is an initial package for public review; members noted the need for further refinements as STT outputs and updated stock forecasts become available. NMFS and states will continue to provide updated biological information to inform any emergency rules and in‑season management.

Votes and formal actions (at a glance)

- Motion to adopt non‑Indian SAS alternatives with edits (mover: Kyle Laddix; second: Butch Smith). Outcome: approved unanimously (record: “Motion passes unanimously”; roll‑call tally not provided in transcript). Notes: added marked coho quotas to alternatives and corrected commercial TACs and recreational subarea June openings.

- Motion to adopt south‑of‑Cape‑Falcon alternatives (mover: Marcy Remco). Outcome: approved unanimously.

- Motion to adopt treaty ocean alternatives (mover: David Sones; second: Virgil Moore). Outcome: approved unanimously.

Quotes from participants

- “The golden mussel is an invasive freshwater brackish bivalve native to China and Southeast Asia,” Dr. Scott Hapelle said during the habitat report, summarizing risks from the October detections. (Habitat report)

- “Council fisheries in 2025 should be managed to not exceed a 10% de minimis exploitation rate” on Klamath River fall Chinook, Susan Bishop (NMFS) said when describing the harvest control rule and rebuilding requirements. (NMFS guidance)

- “We urge you to be cautious when determining what the fishery management alternatives should be in 2025,” Cindy Marchand, councilwoman for the Colville Tribes and chair of their fisheries committee, said during tribal testimony. (Tribal testimony)

Why the council moved now

- Timing and process: The council must adopt a set of coastwide management alternatives at its March meeting so the STT can prepare coastwide model runs and provide the analyses necessary for public review and for potential emergency rulemaking. Several constraints — treaty exploitation rate caps, NMFS biological‑opinion standards, and updated state forecasts — all require preliminary action now to allow modeling and stakeholder review.

What to watch next

- STT modeling outputs, updated stock forecasts and NMFS analyses that will be presented at the April meeting; potential emergency rule considerations if any adopted alternatives deviate from the salmon FMP; and state and tribal in‑river regulatory decisions that must be coordinated with the council’s ocean alternatives.

Ending: Council staff said the STT will begin compiling and running the adopted alternatives for the council’s April review; the council framed the March package as an initial set of options for public comment and further refinement.