Saving Seafood

Voices from the Sea: Shaping the Future of Fishing in American Samoa

June 23, 2025 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is coming to American Samoa to hear directly from the people who know the ocean best—the local fishermen. Through a series of community meetings, the Council aims to gather first-hand insights about the changes being seen in local waters and the real-life challenges faced by the fishing community. This effort is part of a two-year initiative to build stronger partnerships and support the future of fishing in American Samoa.

Key Discussion Topics: Shark depredation; Seasonal changes in fish spawning; Juvenile fish abundance; Barriers to sustaining fishing livelihoods; Access and harbor issues; Market challenges; and Executive Order 14276 – Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness: Among other provisions, directs NOAA to review marine national monuments, including Rose Atoll, to ensure alignment with national seafood priorities

Meeting Schedule:

Manu‘a Residents on Tutuila Island – Tues, June 24, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. (SST)

Sadie’s by the Sea Conference Room, Goat Island Cafe, Utulei Village

Ofu & Olosega Islands Residents – Wed, June 25, 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. (SST)

Conference Room at EOB, Ofu Village

Ta‘u Island Residents – Thurs, June 26, 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (SST)

ASG Building by the High School, Faleasao Village

Tutuila & Aunu‘u Residents – Fri, June 27, 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. (SST)

DYWA Conference Room, Tafuna Village

In addition, the American Samoa Council Advisors meeting will also be held Saturday, June 28 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. (SST) at the Flying Fox Gastropub, Pava‘ia‘i Village.

The American Samoa Regional Ecosystem Advisory Committee meeting will be held Monday, June 30 from 9 a.m. to noon (SST) at the Sadie’s by the Sea Conference Room, Utulei Village.

Major agenda items for both meetings include an overview of the Council’s community consultation efforts; fishery issue discussions on deep-sea mining, shark depredation, marine national monuments and recent executive orders, and climate change impacts in American Samoa.

You can provide public comments on EO 14276 at these meetings, and you can also send comments to the Council office at info@wpcouncil.org by July 15, 2025. Would you like to see the boundary of the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument reduced from 50 nm offshore? Your voice matters as we work together to navigate changes and enhance the fishing community’s future.

The monument prohibits all commercial fishing and other extractive activities within its boundaries. However, subsistence fishing by local communities and recreational fishing are allowed and subject to certain restrictions and regulations. For example, recreational fishing is allowed for pelagic species such as tuna and billfish, but is prohibited for bottomfish and other reef-associated species.

For more information, contact Felix Penalosa (felix.penalosa@wpcouncil.org) or Nate Ilaoa (pavafox684@gmail.com), and visit www.wpcouncil.org/marine-spatial-management.

About the Council

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional councils established under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to manage fisheries in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The Council is responsible for developing and implementing fishery management plans for waters surrounding Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, the CNMI and U.S. Pacific Remote Island Areas. The Council works to promote sustainable fisheries, protect marine ecosystems and support the livelihoods of fishing communities through science-based decision-making and stakeholder engagement.

WPRFC approves mandatory electronic monitoring of longline vessels

June 13, 2025 — The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Council (WPRFC) has authorized mandatory electronic monitoring of all commercial longline vessels operating in the Hawai‘i and American Samoa fisheries.

With the number of human observers dwindling due to limited funding, the council determined that it was necessary to adopt electronic monitoring in order to adequately track the fisheries’ operations and ensure compliance with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Policymakers to Reauthorize the Young Fishermen’s Development Act

June 11, 2025 — Representatives Seth Moulton (D-MA), Nick Begich (R-AK), Jill Tokuda (D-HI), Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-American Samoa), and Jared Golden (D-ME) have introduced a bill to reauthorize the Young Fishermen’s Development Act for an additional five years.

The Young Fishermen’s Development Act’s national competitive grant program supports the training and education of the nation’s next generation of commercial fishermen. The program authorizes grants of up to $200,000 per year (for up to three years per project) through NOAA’s Sea Grant Program to support new and established local and regional training, education, outreach, and technical assistance initiatives for young fishermen.

The program, which was signed into law in 2021, is currently authorized through 2026. Congressmen Moulton and Begich’s bipartisan bill would extend the authorization of the program for another five years, to 2031.

Read the full article at ECO Magazine

Bipartisan bill strengthening South Pacific Tuna Treaty passes in House

May 16, 2025 — Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is welcoming bipartisan passage by the U.S. House of Representatives of a bill she sponsored, with Congressman Ed Case (D-HI) as the original cosponsor, the South Pacific Tuna Treaty Act, H.R. 531.

The bipartisan legislation provides congressional direction to fully implement the South Pacific Tuna Treaty, which has been diplomatically negotiated among the U.S. and 16 Pacific Islands nations. Amata’s bill was passed by the House in 2024 but had not yet passed the Senate as the 118th Congress closed out later that same year. In contrast, in the current 119th Congress, the House is passing the bill much earlier in the two-year Congressional session.

“As the representative of the beautiful islands of American Samoa in the South Pacific, a marine economy which depends on fishing, I welcome broad support in Congress for implementing our treaty with our regional friends and neighbors in the South Pacific,” said Congresswoman Uifa’atali. “This bill implements U.S. international diplomacy to help ensure that our tuna agreements improve operations and flexibility for our fleet – America’s last true distant water fishing fleet. I especially appreciate working with Chairman Bruce Westerman and Congressman Case on this priority.”

Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) said, “Not only does this bill provide regulatory certainty for fisheries, but it also formalizes what is currently a Memorandum of Understanding, further cementing the strength of the South Pacific Tuna Treaty. I thank Rep. Radewagen for her work on this important piece of legislation.”

Read the full article at Samoa News

Fishing industry says Trump’s Pacific monument order is about fairness, economy

April 23, 2025 — When President Donald Trump signed an executive order allowing commercial fishing in the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument last week, a familiar face stood to his left in the Oval Office.

The executive director of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council was there. Kitty Simonds has served on the council for decades. She’s the first Native Hawaiian woman to lead the agency.

Simonds said she attended at the invitation of American Samoa U.S. House Delegate Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen, who had been writing to the administration about the plight of the territory’s fishing industry.

Speaking to The Conversation on Tuesday morning, Simonds shared the viewpoint of the commercial fishers who will now be allowed to operate in waters at least 50 miles offshore.

Opponents fear the order will hurt conservation efforts. Simonds said it’s about fairness for U.S. longliners in Hawaiʻi, Guam and American Samoa.

Read the full story at Hawaii Public Radio

A monumental win for American Samoa’s tuna industry on the 125th Anniversary of Cession

April 22, 2025 — Governor Pulaalii Nikolao Pula today [April 17, 2025] issued a statement of strong support and appreciation following President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order amending the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument to allow commercial fishing between 50 and 200 nautical miles.

The decision restores access to historic U.S. fishing grounds in the central Pacific—areas critical to the continued operation of the American Samoa-based U.S.-flagged purse seine fleet and vital to the economic security of the Territory.

“Today is a monumental day for the people of American Samoa,” said Governor Pula. “On the 125th anniversary of the Deed of Cession, when our forefathers chose to join the American family; President Trump has reaffirmed that partnership by honoring his commitment to support American industry and stand with small, remote communities like ours.”

Read the full story at Samoa News

 

Hawai’i fishermen, environmentalists react to Trump’s executive order to reopen waters in the Pacific

April 21, 2025 — Fishermen and conservationists are clashing over President Donald Trump’s executive order on Thursday to reopen protected waters in the Pacific to commercial fishing.

The decision, aimed at boosting American Samoa’s economy, would allow access to the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument. U.S. flagged ships would be authorized to fish commercially within 50 to 2,000 nautical miles outside the monument’s boundaries.

Members of the Hawai’i Longline Association (HLA) released a statement explaining the “significance of the proclamation for Hawaii’s fishing industry.”

“This is recognition that sustainable fisheries and ocean protection can be achieved and balanced within U.S. national waters,” HLA Executive Director, Eric Kingma said.

Read the full story at Island News

Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Unleashes American Commercial Fishing in the Pacific

April 17, 2025 — The following was released by the White House:

UNLEASHING OPPORTUNITY IN THE PACIFIC: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed a proclamation to unleash American commercial fishing in the Pacific Ocean—a key component of the America First Fishing Policy.

  • The proclamation opens the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM) to commercial fishing, boosting the economy of American Samoa.
  • It allows U.S.-flagged vessels to fish commercially within 50 to 200 nautical miles of the PRIMNM’s boundaries.

EMPOWERING AMERICAN COMMERCIAL FISHERMEN: President Trump believes that removing unnecessary restrictions on American fishermen will strengthen the U.S. economy, support local communities, and restore fairness to an industry disadvantaged by overregulation and foreign competition.

  • The PRIMNM was first established by President Bush in 2009 and then expanded by President Obama, closing off over 400,000 square miles of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone in the Pacific.
  • The ban on commercial fishing within the PRIMNM did little to guard fish populations against overfishing, as tuna and other pelagic species are migratory in nature and do not permanently reside within the PRIMNM.
  • As a result of the prohibitions on commercial fishing, American fishing fleets have lost access to nearly half of the United States’ Exclusive Economic Zone in the Pacific Islands.
    • This has driven American fishermen to fish further offshore in international waters to compete against poorly regulated and highly subsidized foreign fleets, most notably from China.
    • By supporting honest American fishermen, we combat the rampant illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing by foreign fleets.
  • This disadvantages United States commercial fishermen and is detrimental for United States territories like American Samoa, whose private sector economy is dependent on the fishing industry.
    • American Samoa is home to the only Buy American-compliant tuna processing facility for U.S. military rations and school lunch programs.
    • This cannery is the largest employer on the island, providing about 5,000 jobs.  In fact, the cannery accounts for 99.5% of American Samoa’s exports and 84% of the private employment in the territory.

ADVANCING U.S. ECONOMIC INTERESTS: President Trump’s actions to revitalize commercial fishing are part of his broader strategy to unleash the full potential of the American economy by prioritizing deregulation and cutting red tape.

  • President Trump launched a 10-to-1 deregulation initiative, ensuring every new Federal rule is justified by clear benefits and accompanied by much larger deregulatory measures.
  • President Trump established the National Energy Dominance Council to cut red tape, enhance private sector investments, advance innovation, and streamline the permitting process across all forms of American energy.
  • President Trump established the “Department of Government Efficiency” to examine how to streamline the operations of the Federal Government, eliminate unnecessary programs and wasteful spending, and reduce bureaucratic inefficiency.
  • President Trump has already reduced unnecessarily large governmental entities and terminated numerous harmful Biden expansions of governmental authority.

Rep from American Samoa calls for opening protected Pacific waters to tuna fishing

March 21, 2025 — U.S. Congresswoman Amata Radewagen, who represents American Samoa, has urged the Trump administration to reopen most of an enormous marine protected area in the Central Pacific Ocean to industrial fishing while also recommending the reopening of other Pacific MPAs.

In a Jan. 23 letter to President Donald Trump, Radewagen called for his administration to open the vast majority of the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument (PIH) to commercial tuna fishing. PIH, which is larger than the U.S. state of Texas, is an area of exceptional biodiversity. Radewagen’s letter called reopening it an “immediate need” that would benefit the country’s economy and challenge “Chinese fishing dominance.” She also sent Trump a background document that, among other requests, called for an executive order to open all Pacific marine national monuments and national marine sanctuaries to tuna fishing and to withdraw the U.S. from efforts to develop large marine protected areas in international waters.

Some details of the letter and background document, which Radewagen’s office shared with Mongabay, have not previously been publicly reported.

Members of the PIH Coalition, an advocacy group based in Hawai‘i that includes scientists, fishers and Indigenous leaders, criticized Radewagen’s move.

“I think it’s foolish,” Rick Gaffney, a PIH Coalition member and fisheries expert, told Mongabay.

Gaffney said conservationists have been fighting to ensure a future for fisheries in the Pacific, which is why MPAs like PIH were created: “to be sure that these extremely remote and unique island areas are protected so that they continue to be productive.”

Read the full article at Mongabay

US regulators preparing to implement electronic monitoring on all Western Pacific longline vessels by 2027

March 20, 2025 — The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Council (WPRFC) is preparing to implement electronic monitoring on all commercial longline fishing vessels by 2027.

At the March meeting of the WPRFC’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), the Pacific Islands Regional Office (PIRO) outlined its plan to begin phasing in electronic monitoring to the U.S. longline fleet. According to the office, regulators plan to have all 161 Hawai’i and American Samoan longline vessels outfitted with electronic monitoring systems by 2027.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource