Coastal Pelagic Species
Coastal Pelagic Species are the six species composing the Coastal Pelagic Species Fishery Management Plan (CPS FMP). These are the northern anchovy, market squid, pacific sardine, pacific (chub) mackerel, jack mackerel, and krill.
In 1978, the Pacific Fishery Management Council adopted the Northern Anchovy Fisheries Management Plan. In 1995, the Council expanded the scope of the plan to include a wider range of coastal pelagic finfish and market squid for the west coast. Their goal was to promote efficiency and profitability in the fisheries, including the sustainability of catch, while providing for adequate forage for potential predators. In 2006, the plan was amended (Amendment 12) to prohibit the harvest of all krill species. This action was in recognition of krill's importance as forage and to ensure the preservation of this key trophic relationship between fished and unfished elements in the California Current ecosystem.
For more information on Coastal Pelagic Species, contact Joshua Lindsay at Joshua.Lindsay@noaa.gov or 562.980.4034.
For more information or questions on permits, contact our Permits Coordinator at 562.980.4238.
Latest News
- Changes to Tribal Usual and Accustomed Fishing Area Boundaries
303kb - Closure of directed non-tribal commercial fishing for Pacific sardine for the fishing season of July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2017
- Prohibition on Directed Fishing for Unfished Forage Fish
