NMFS finalizes 2026–27 Pacific sardine specs; directed fishing stays shut

Most directed commercial fishing for Pacific sardine stays closed off Washington, Oregon, and California. National Marine Fisheries Service published the final 2026–27 harvest specifications on Oct. 2, 2026, effective that day, for the fishing year that runs July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. The rule is meant to conserve and rebuild the northern subpopulation.

The age-1-plus biomass estimate is 30,158 metric tons. From that, the overfishing limit is 4,645 metric tons, the acceptable biological catch is 3,613 metric tons, the harvest guideline is zero, the annual catch limit is 2,200 metric tons, and the annual catch target is 2,100 metric tons.

Sardine can still be taken as live bait, in minor directed fisheries, as incidental catch, or under an exempted fishing permit. Incidental landings are capped at 20 percent by weight of all fish on a trip when sardine comes in with other coastal pelagic species, or at 2 metric tons per trip when it comes in with non-coastal-pelagic species, until the annual catch limit is reached. The fishery is a West Coast stock; this brief is filed under California, where the live-bait and research landings are concentrated.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: Federal Register — 2026–2027 annual specifications and management measures for Pacific sardine (final rule, Oct. 2, 2026).