Joint resource management plans are described in the final 4(d) rules issued by NOAA Fisheries Service. They're a mechanism for applying 4(d) rule limits to resource management plans developed jointly by the states and the tribes under the jurisdiction of United States v. Washington or United States v. Oregon. Such a plan would be developed and reviewed under the government-to-government processes outlined in the final 4(d) rule for Tribal Resource Management Plans.

Joint resource management plans (JRMPs) are evaluated against the criteria of 4(d) rule limits 4 (Fishery Activities) and 5 (Artificial Propagation). Before any joint plan receives a limit on the take prohibitions, the Secretary of Commerce must, after taking into account any public comment on the Northwest Region's evaluation of the plan, determine that it will not appreciably reduce the likelihood of the listed species' survival and recovery.

You can get specific guidance on how to use joint resource management plans to qualify for limitation of take prohibitions under Section 4(d) in the pertinent sections of the Northwest Region's Citizen's Guide and Implementation Binder. This includes how to apply, whether 4(d) is the most appropriate route for your plan, and what other mechanisms are available for addressing fisheries under the Endangered Species Act.