What is an exempted fishing permit?
An exempted fishing permit (EFP) is a permit issued by NOAA Fisheries Service to allow fishing activities that would otherwise be prohibited under regulations for groundfish fishing off Washington, Oregon and California. These permits are issued for limited purposes to support projects that could benefit the groundfish fishery and the environment. Examples of past Groundfish EFPs include the development of more selective fishing gear and the shoreside monitoring of unsorted whiting catches.

Who can apply for an EFP?
EFPs can be issued to federal or state agencies, marine fish commissions, or other entities, including individuals. An EFP applicant need not be the owner or operator of the vessel(s) for which the EFP is requested.

What is the application process?
EFP applications must be submitted to the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) for consideration prior to the PFMC's June meeting each year. For mandatory application information, protocols, and timelines, see the PFMC Operating Procedures - #19: Protocol for Consideration of Exempted Fishing Permits for Groundfish Fisheries. The PFMC reviews EFPs by the November meeting, and provides its findings on those EFPs to NMFS, and makes recommendations (if any) to the applicants on the completeness of their applications. The applicant must then send the NOAA Fisheries Regional Administrator a letter of request with the revised EFP application attached. NOAA notifies the public of approved EFPs in the Federal Register; links to the agency's approval notices are available on our Groundfish Regulations Web page. Applicants should anticipate that review and determination on their EFP will take at least six months from the initial date of submission.

Still have questions?
Please call Groundfish Management staff at 206-526-6140 for questions about EFP application submission.