Reporting Requirements for the Ocean Salmon Fishery off the Coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California

This request is for a revision of a previously approved information collection. Timely and accurate accounting of salmon catch data for a regulatory area subject to quota management is necessary for quota assessment. Requirements to land salmon within specific time frames and in specific areas may be implemented to aid in the catch monitoring process. However, if unsafe weather conditions or mechanical problems prevent compliance with landing requirements, salmon fishermen are exempt, provided the appropriate notification is made as specified annually in the preseason regulations. Therefore, the annual management measures will include provisions to exempt commercial salmon fishermen from compliance with the landing requirements when they experience unsafe weather conditions or mechanical problems at sea, so long as the appropriate notifications are made by, for example, at-sea radio and cellular telephone, and information on catch and other required information is given, under this collection of information. The annual management measures will specify the contents and procedure of the notifications, and the entities receiving the notifications (e.g., U.S. Coast Guard). The purpose and benefit of the collection are to manage salmon quotas while providing for safety at sea. The scope of the collection is landing data that would normally be reported directly to the appropriate state. NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is proposing to implement measures to keep fishery impacts within conservation objectives for the California Coastal (CC) Chinook salmon. The information collection would assist in the management of the landing and possession limits for the California commercial salmon troll fishery. The State of California requires that fish tickets with the number of Chinook salmon landed be entered into the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) electronic landing database. Based upon the final ruling of RIN 0648- BM68 “Fisheries Off West Coast States; West Coast Salmon Fisheries; Measures To Keep Fishery Impacts Within the Conservation Objective for the California Coastal Chinook Salmon” NMFS would require that this be completed within 24 hours of landing. Public reporting burden for fish ticket submission is estimated to average 0 hours because the California Code of Regulations will already require the submission.

The latest form for Reporting Requirements for the Ocean Salmon Fishery off the Coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California expires 2026-11-30 and can be found here.