Asking NOAA to Increase Protections for Chinook and Southern Resident Killer Whales

August 2, 2021

In partnership with the National Fisheries Conservation Center (NFCC), PCC submitted comments to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) urging stronger protections for Chinook salmon and Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW) in their proposed amendments to the Pacific Coast Fishery Management Plan.

The Pacific Fisheries Management Council submitted Amendment 21 to the Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery Management Plan (FMP), which if approved, would set up an annual Chinook salmon abundance threshold with the aim to limit impacts on the availability of Chinook salmon as prey for SRKW.

Because PCC is a Pacific Northwest grown co-op and led by our members, sound stewardship of marine and terrestrial food systems is a top priority. The health of SRKW and Chinook salmon populations has become a top priority to address through both our advocacy work and product sustainability standards. In 2020, PCC launched the robust and protective PCC Chinook Sourcing Standard developed by experts at NFCC.

PCC has continued working with NFCC to advocate for better policy protections for Chinook and SRKW, such as the proposed Amendment 21. The attached comments support the efforts of the Pacific Fishery Management Council and NOAA but encourage them to construct a more robust analysis and apply a climate-informed approach in the policy as it evolves in the future.

Read our full comments here.