PFMC Approves Experimental Gillnet, Longline Permits in California Waters

Despite receiving thousands of emails in opposition, at its March meeting, the PFMC has approved experimental permits for longlines and gillnets.

From the website:

Exempted Fishing Permit for Drift Gillnet Fishery: In November 2005, the PFMC developed three options to re-open a time-area closed zone (August 15-November 15 from a line off of Newport to Monterrey Bay in California shore to 200 miles) currently closed to drift gillnet fishing. The closure is to protect endangered turtles from drift net bycatch. The proposal before the council is to allow for an exempted fishing permit research study in this closed area to demonstrate if a fishery can be re-instituted. Options included no action (continued the drift gillnet area closure) and various sized areas within the closed zone that would open for the research fishery. Therefore the Council had two decisions: whether to allow a limited EFP fishery, and the size/location of the time-area closure zone. Significant public correspondence and testimony objected to re-opening this area to a gill net fishing EFP. The Council was charged with adopting a preferred alternative which would undergo review by NMFS under the ESA laws with a goal of final amendment regulations in August of 2006.

The Council approved a limited drift gillnet EFP off of CA and OR (up to cape Lookout). The EFP limits the fishery to a total of 300 sets (Alternative 3.7). It would include full observer coverage, plus would establish a hard cap (i.e., EFP would end if one of the following occur): serious injury or death of 2 sea turtles, or one serious injury or mortality of any of the following whale species: sperm, fin, grey, humpback or minke whales. The fishery would be conducted in the existing time-
area closure (no change in boundaries) zone and would be exempt from the August 15- through November 15, 2006 closure. NMFS spoke in favor of the Council pursuing future research on other gear types with lower bycatch rather than drift gill net gear.

Exempted Fishing Permit for a Long-line Fishery off of CA:
This is a proposal to allow a limited long-line fishery experiment to demonstrate if it can be a better (less turtle bycatch) alternative to drift gillnets while targeting swordfish. The application is for one participant taking four longline trips using circle hooks and shallow set long-line gear. The EFP would have full observer coverage. The Council approved this EFP. An environmental assessment would need to be developed before final Council approval in April or June.