September 30, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries, American Samoa’s Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources, and local fishermen recently completed a groundbreaking bottomfish survey in American Samoa! As the management of these important species evolves, we are building strong partnerships with local communities to build up our understanding of bottomfish life history.
The waters of American Samoa are home to a diverse array of marine wildlife, but few species are as commercially and culturally significant as the region’s bottomfish complex. Bottomfish are deep-water species that live at or near the ocean floor. They’re one of the primary sources of protein for residents of American Samoa, where grocery stores can be few and far between.
Historically, scientists have assessed American Samoa’s bottomfish species together as a multi-species complex to determine population health and fishing limits. Following an independent peer review in 2023, the assessment shifted toward assessing the following six key species individually:
- Etelis coruscans (Palu-loa, also known as onaga or longtail red snapper)
- Etelis carbunculus (Palu-malau, also known as ehu or ruby snapper)
- Etelis boweni (Palu-malau, also known as giant ehu or giant ruby snapper, and often not differentiated from Etelis carbunculus)
- Aphareus rutilans (Palu-gutusiliva, also known as lehi or silverjaw snapper)
- Pristipomoides flavipinnis (Palu-sina, also known as goldeneye snapper)
- Pristipomoides zonatus (Palu-ula, also known as gindai or oblique-banded snapper)
The 2023 independent review also highlighted the need for more species-specific biological information to support future assessments of key species in the bottomfish complex. Developing species-specific assessments requires information on reproduction, age, growth, and other life-history components. Collecting these data improves our scientific understanding of these important fish and provides better information to support sustainable fisheries management.