The Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission

Formed by Congress more than 60 years ago, the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) helps resource agencies and the fishing industry sustainably manage our valuable Pacific Ocean resources in a five-state region. Established in 1947, PSMFC is one of only three Interstate Commissions in the United States today.

Primary Goals:

PSMFC’s primary goal is to promote and support policies and actions to conserve, develop, and manage our fishery resources in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska. We accomplish this through coordinating research activities, monitoring fishing activities, and facilitating a wide variety of projects. We work to collect data and maintain databases on salmon, steelhead, and other marine fish for fishery managers and the fishing industry.

Activities: 

PSMFC has no regulatory or management authority. Instead, we serve a number of other vital functions that include:

• Providing for collective participation by the Pacific States to work on mutual concerns.
• Serving as a forum for discussion regarding our vital fisheries resources.
• Working for coast-wide consensus in cooperation with state and federal authorities.
• Addressing issues that fall outside state or regional management council jurisdiction.
• Acting as a primary contractor on grants and projects for states and other organizations.
• Dispersing monetary assets from the variety of federal, state, and other resources.
• Coordinating research and management projects related to interstate fisheries, and making these data available. For a list of PSMFC fisheries projects, please click here.
• Participating as a non-voting member of the Pacific Fishery Management Council and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

PSMFC and Project Funding:

PSMFC's activities are funded through federal grants, special contracts, and dues from its member states. Since 1978, PSMFC has maintained a low overhead rate of 15%. PSMFC regularly serves as a primary contractor on grants, projects, and contracts for states and other organizations in large part due to our low overhead and our proven management ability. The Commission does not exert programmatic or policy control over these projects, but provides administrative support in the form of payroll, procurement, accounting, travel arrangements, and contract monitoring.