Fisheries Off West Coast States; Coastal Pelagic Species Fisheries; Annual Specifications; 2026-2027 Annual Specifications and Management Measures for Pacific Sardine
Key claim: For July 2026 through June 2027, NOAA will keep most commercial Pacific sardine fishing closed off Washington, Oregon, and California, allowing only limited live-bait, incidental, minor directed, and exempted harvest under a 2,200-metric-ton annual catch limit.
Abstract
(Rule · Commerce Department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) NMFS is implementing annual harvest specifications and management measures for the northern subpopulation of Pacific sardine (hereafter, Pacific sardine), for the fishing year from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. This rule prohibits most directed commercial fishing for Pacific sardine off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California. Pacific sardine harvest is allowed for use only as live bait, in minor directed fisheries, as incidental catch in other fisheries, or as authorized under exempted fishing permits (EFPs). The incidental harvest of Pacific sardine will be limited to 20 percent by weight of all fish per trip when caught with other stocks managed under the Coastal Pelagic Species (CPS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP), or up to 2 metric tons (mt) per trip when caught with non-CPS stocks. The harvest specifications for 2026-2027 include an overfishing limit (OFL) of 4,645 mt, an acceptable biological catch (ABC) of 3,613 mt, an annual catch limit (ACL) of 2,200 mt, and an annual catch target (ACT) of 2,100 mt. This final rule is intended to conserve, manage, and rebuild the Pacific sardine stock off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California.
Why this matters
The Pacific sardine stock has remained below the overfished threshold for years, and NMFS’s annual specifications translate that scientific status into concrete commercial constraints on West Coast fleets and processors. Finalizing a 2,200-metric-ton cap and keeping the directed fishery closed signals that rebuilding is still the operative posture, even as broader federal policy pushes to expand Pacific commercial fishing.