Southern Oregon / Northern California Coast Coho Working Group

NOAA Fisheries announces formation of a Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) joint workgroup assessing the impacts of Council-area salmon fisheries on Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast (SONCC) coho salmon. 

The workgroup also includes representatives of West Coast tribes, the states of Oregon and California, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The public is welcome at all workgroup meetings. The workgroup will re-examine the PFMC’s salmon harvest management measures and the potential impacts on SONCC coho.

Purpose and Goals

The workgroup will re-examine the PFMC’s salmon harvest management measures and the potential impacts to SONCC coho. The workgroup’s findings will inform NMFS’ potential need for reinitiating consultation under the ESA, wherein NMFS will determine whether the fisheries jeopardize the continued existence of SONCC coho in light of new information about any potentially newly proposed control rules for governing their limitations in fisheries where they are encountered.

Opportunities for Public Involvement

Every meeting of the workgroup is open to the public. The workgroup may provide time for public comments at its meetings at the discretion of the workgroup chair, as time allows, and will also provide opportunities for written input. To be of most value to the workgroup, public input should specifically address the issue of salmon fisheries’ effects on SONCC coho and possible management actions to limit those impacts.

Membership

The workgroup includes representatives from West Coast tribes; the states of California, Oregon, the PFMC; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and NMFS’ West Coast Region, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, and Southwest Fisheries Science Center.

Background

At the March 2020 Council meeting, NMFS provided a report on a Stipulated Agreement and Motion to Stay Case reached between the Hoopa Valley Tribe and NMFS. In 2018, the Hoopa Valley Tribe filed suit alleging a failure by NMFS to reinitiate Endangered Species Act (ESA) consultation regarding the impacts of ocean salmon fisheries on SONCC coho salmon.

As stated in the agreement, the stay on the case will continue if:

1. NMFS proposes a process and timeline to develop the SONCC coho harvest control rule (control rule) to the Council for consideration its April 2020 meeting, 
2. the Council decides by May 31, 2020, to consider a process to develop the control rule, and 
3. the Council approves a control rule by November 30, 2021, and NMFS initiates ESA consultation, as warranted, by December 15, 2021.

At the April 2020 Council meeting, NMFS proposed a process and timeline for Council consideration to develop a control rule and the Council established an ad-hoc technical workgroup (Workgroup) in response to the NMFS proposal. A draft Terms of Reference provided by NMFS was reviewed by the Council and forwarded to the Workgroup to finalize at their first meeting on June 9, 2020.

The workgroup will conduct a review of the fisheries and report back with recommendations at futures PFMC meetings.

Amendment 23

The Pacific Fishery Management Council has submitted Amendment 23 to the Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery Management Plan (FMP) to the Secretary of Commerce for review. If approved, Amendment 23 would amend the FMP harvest control rule for Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast coho.  

Both Amendment 23 and the associated Environmental Assessment were made available for public review and comment. (Public comment on Amendment 23 closed on October 17, 2022. The public comment period for the associated Environmental Assessment closed on October 3, 2022.)

For more information and to access the Amendment and associated Final Environmental Assessment and FONSI, visit our website. 

Meeting Schedule

The workgroup will hold regular meetings that, in some cases, may be in conjunction with Council meetings. Some meetings will take place outside of the Council meetings.

Supporting materials for upcoming meetings will be posted here in advance of each meeting, categorized by agenda item. We will add presentations from meetings once they become available.

Past meetings and materials

• June 9, 2020 »
  • See meeting page for more information.
• August 6-7, 2020 »
  • See meeting page for more information. 
• October 6-7, 2020 »
  • See meeting page for more information.
• November 13, 2020 »
  • On-line meeting. See meeting page for more information.
• January 5, 2021 »
  • On-line meeting. See meeting page for more information.
• March 25, 2021 »
  • On-line meeting. See meeting page for more information.
• April 6-13, 2021 »
  • See meeting page for more information.
• May 12, 2021 »
  • On-line meeting. See meeting page for more information.
• June 2021
  • In person at Council office.
• July 7, 2021 »
  • On-line meeting. See meeting page for more information.
• August 10, 2021 »
  • On-line meeting. See meeting page for more information.
• September 2021. On-line meeting.
• October 13-14, 2021 »
  • On-line meeting. See meeting page for more information.
• January 21, 2022 »
  • On-line emergency meeting. See meeting page for more information

More Information

• Biological opinion: Effects of the Pacific Coast Salmon Plan on the Southern Oregon / Northern California Coast Coho ESU (pdf)
• Terms of reference establishing timelines for Workgroup (June 16, 2020) (pdf)
• Briefing: Klamath Basin Coho Salmon Fishery Management (pdf)
• Brief Summary of Rogue River Coho Salmon Management (pdf)
• SONCC fishery management framework (pdf)
• Harvest control rule and risk assessment (pdf)