Saving Seafood

Rep. Amata highlights American Samoa’s fishing needs with Sec. Bernhardt

May 22, 2019 — The following was released by The Office of Congresswomen Aumua Amata (R-American Samoa):

Last week, Congresswoman Aumua Amata and the Natural Resources Committee conducted a budget and policy hearing with Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt, and she placed a focus on American Samoa’s fishing needs.

In her questioning of the Secretary of the Interior, Congresswoman Amata asked if there would be any changes to the recommendation by his predecessor, former Secretary Ryan Zinke, regarding reopening portions of the marine monuments to American Samoa’s fishing.

In his response, Secretary Bernhardt said the Department’s prior recommendation stands. That response is good news for this policy pursuit for American Samoa, as it means the recommendation to allow much-needed restoration of American Samoa’s fishing waters is not being withdrawn or changed under a new Secretary.

“It’s important to know that the Department of Interior has no plans to pull back the prior recommendation which would allow for restoration of American Samoa’s fishing waters,” said Aumua Amata. “During Secretary Bernhardt’s confirmation process, I repeatedly stressed that American Samoa benefits from a consistent vision in the leadership of the Department of Interior, and I’m pleased that the transition will not interrupt or reduce this policy priority. As it stands, there is a clear recommendation on the books that would allow for restoration of some of American Samoa’s waters.”

Read the full release at Samoa News

Rep. Amata co-sponsors bills that would benefit future of local fishing industry

May 13, 2019 — The following was released by The Office of Congresswomen Aumua Amata (R-American Samoa):

Congresswoman Aumua Amata is an original co-sponsor of two fishing-related bills examined in a Natural Resources Committee hearing, and co-sponsored another Pacific bipartisan bill on education policy. The hearing of the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife is an important step in advancing these bills forward for a vote.

Congresswoman Amata is an original co-sponsor (one of two Republicans and two Democrats) of the bipartisan Young Fishermen’s Development Act, H.R. 1240, which would strengthen the future of fishing in American Samoa, and promote the development of the next generation of commercial fishermen with federal grant support.

For the first time ever, this legislation would create a national grant program through the Department of Commerce that would improve training, education, and workplace development for the next generation of commercial fishermen.

“Fishing is the backbone of our economy in American Samoa,” said Aumua Amata. “This program will help ensure that our young fishermen are equipped and prepared for the dynamic 21st century world. This effort can assist young commercial fishermen in overcoming challenges, by providing resources and emphasizing training for better-paying jobs.”

Additionally, she is an original co-sponsor of the American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act, HR 1218, which would add options for research and development grants related to fisheries. Also, this bill would clarify more balanced representation for the region on the American Fisheries Advisory Committee, leading to better input from the Pacific region.

Finally, Congresswoman Amata also cosponsored a bipartisan bill, the National Sea Grant College Program Amendments Act of 2019, HR 2405, introduced by Chairman Jared Huffman (D-CA) of the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife. This effort promotes studies, courses and educational programs related to ocean and marine topics.

Read the full release at Samoa News

Amata-Cosponsored Fishing Bills Examined In Committee

May 9, 2019 — The following was released by The Office of Congresswomen Aumua Amata (R-American Samoa):

Wednesday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata is an original cosponsor of two fishing-related bills examined in a Natural Resources Committee hearing, and cosponsored another Pacific bipartisan bill on education policy. The hearing of the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife is an important step in advancing these bills forward for a vote.

Congresswoman Amata is an original cosponsor (one of two Republicans and two Democrats) of the bipartisan Young Fishermen’s Development Act, H.R. 1240, which would strengthen the future of fishing in American Samoa, and promote the development of the next generation of commercial fishermen with federal grant support.

For the first time ever, this legislation would create a national grant program through the Department of Commerce that would improve training, education, and workplace development for the next generation of commercial fishermen.

“Fishing is the backbone of our economy in American Samoa,” said Aumua Amata. “This program will help ensure that our young fishermen are equipped and prepared for the dynamic 21st-century world. This effort can assist young commercial fishermen in overcoming challenges, by providing resources and emphasizing training for better-paying jobs.”

Additionally, she is an original cosponsor of the American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act, HR 1218, which would add options for research and development grants related to fisheries. Also, this bill would clarify more balanced representation for the region on the American Fisheries Advisory Committee, leading to better input from the Pacific region.

Finally, Congresswoman Amata also cosponsored a bipartisan bill, the National Sea Grant College Program Amendments Act of 2019, HR 2405, introduced by Chairman Jared Huffman (D-CA) of the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife. This effort promotes studies, courses and educational programs related to ocean and marine topics.

The Young Fishermen’s Development Act was introduced in February by the Dean of the House, Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) and Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), Rep. Aumua Amata (American Samoa) and Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Massachusetts).

It would authorize up to $200,000 in competitive grants through NOAA’s Sea Grant Program to support new and established local and regional training, education, outreach, and technical assistance initiatives for young fishermen. These programs, workshops and services include seamanship, navigation, electronics, and safety; vessel and engine care, maintenance, and repair; innovative conservation fishing gear engineering and technology; entrepreneurship and good business practices; direct marketing, supply chain, and traceability; financial and risk management, including vessel, permit, and quota purchasing.

Read the full release here

Fisheries Hearing: Amata’s Amendment and a cosponsored bill passed by Committee

May 7, 2019 — Last week, Congresswoman Aumua Amata and the Natural Resources Committee conducted hearings and voted on a series of bills, including passage of an amendment by Rep. Amata, along with a bill affecting the Territories on which she was an original cosponsor.

The Water, Oceans and Wildlife Subcommittee held a hearing examining the condition of U.S. fisheries.

“Fishing is the backbone of our economy in American Samoa, and a part of life in the islands,” said Amata. “The health and longevity of our fisheries is an important topic, and I respect the testimony of the witnesses. I also appreciate the insight of the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, which most directly affects American Samoa. It’s important for Congress in setting policy to understand the stewardship role of fishery management and the differences in oversight of U.S. and international vessels.”

In other action, the full Committee on Natural Resources voted on a series of bills that were introduced recently, including passage of the bipartisan H.R. 1809, on which Rep. Amata is an original cosponsor. This bill would amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act and the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act, to provide parity for United States Territories, and is an effort to ensure equitable funding.

Read the full story at Samoa News

StarKist Fined by EPA For Failing to Comply With 2018 Settlement

April 19, 2019 — StarKist will have to pay $84,500 in penalties for violating the terms of a 2018 settlement, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The 2018 settlement was related to deficiencies in environmental compliance at StarKist’s tuna processing facility in American Samoa. StarKist initially paid a $6.5 million penalty to resolve the violations of federal environmental laws. The company had also agreed to make upgrades to reduce water pollution and the risk of releases of hazardous substances, in addition to providing American Samoa with $88,000 in emergency equipment for responding to chemical releases.

The EPA reports that StarKist violated the terms of the settlement on “multiple occasions” when they made unauthorized discharges from the facility to Pago Pago Harbor. A reported 80,000 gallons of wastewater was dumped into the inner harbor in one incident. The company also “violated the consent decree terms on 27 days when wastewater was routed around one of the required treatment measures to bypass a step in the wastewater treatment process.”

“EPA will continue to work closely with StarKist to ensure the needed safety and pollution control upgrades are realized, per our agreement,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Stoker. “With our American Samoa EPA partners, we will protect Pago Pago Harbor and the marine environment of American Samoa.”

This story was republished with permission from SeafoodNews.com

Fishermen Identify Projects to Improve Fisheries Development in the U.S. Pacific Islands

March 20, 2019 — SEAFOOD NEWS — Projects to develop fisheries topped the list of needs identified by fishermen from Hawai’i, American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands during their March 15 and 16 meeting in Honolulu. The group, which constitutes the Advisory Panel of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, also highlighted the importance of fishing to the communities of each of the island areas.

Advisory panel members said the social and economic value of the local and regional fisheries also needs to better communicated.

“The Council welcomes the ideas and contributions of the Advisory Panel,” Council Chair Archie Soliai said in a press release. “This is a challenging time for fisheries, and the AP has a lot of work to do.”

The Council will consider the AP recommendations when it meets this weaek at the YWCA Fuller Hall in Honolulu.

Some of the suggested projects and activities from the AP include:

  • fishery demonstration projects;
  • expanded use of technology to collect fishery data;
  • characterization of existing fisheries in Hawai’i; and
  • improved fishing opportunities in Guam and the CNMI through improved fish aggregation devices, fishery access and reduction of shark depredation.

AP members include representatives from diverse fisheries, such as spearfish, longline, bottomfish, charter boat, subsistence and the fishery media. The AP is mandated by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the Council said in the release.

This story originally appeared on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

Rep. Aumua Amata Urges Congress to Reform Marine Monuments

March 15, 2019 — The following was released by the office of Rep. Aumua Amata (R, American Samoa):

Congresswoman Aumua Amata gave a statement in the Committee on Natural Resources to make the case in Washington, D.C. that much-needed reforms are needed for the marine monuments on behalf of American Samoa. This full Committee Oversight Hearing was titled, Forgotten Voices: The Inadequate Review and Improper Alteration of Our National Monuments.

The text of her speech is as follows:

Talofa lava. Thank you, Chairman Grijalva and Ranking Member Bishop for holding this hearing today. The topic of today’s hearing is a bipartisan issue I have been strongly advocating for since I was first elected to Congress.

On January 6th, 2009, President Bush established the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument and the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument with Proclamation 8337 and Proclamation 8336. On September 29th, 2014, President Obama expanded the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument with Proclamation 9173. The American Samoan Government and its people were barely consulted before these monuments were established or expanded. As a result, our local fishermen were barred from accessing the waters that Samoans have been visiting for over a millennium.

The monuments serve a good purpose, and I fully support that effort, but not without local input, and not at the expense of access to our people who have utilized these areas for centuries, long before any relationship with the United States.

Many island economies are often heavily reliant on a single industry and in our case it’s the fishing industry.  Our tuna cannery is the dominant economic force in our community. American Samoa’s economy depends on access to our own EEZ. The establishment or expansion of the monuments and the restriction of all local fishing has had a major negative impact on American Samoa. We have lost two out of three of our canneries in the last decade alone.

Our fishermen are the most responsible and regulated in the world. As it stands currently, these fish swim through the monuments and are then caught by nations with little to no environmental regulations…that is not helping the sustainability for the future stock. Using the Antiquities Act to close U.S. waters to domestic fisheries is a clear example of federal overreach and regulatory duplication and obstructs well managed, sustainable U.S. fishing industries in favor of their foreign counterparts, especially when the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument was arbitrarily expanded to over six times its size. It is now half a million square miles or an area the size of three California’s that now is off limits to U.S. domestic fishing.

Congress has already passed laws that ensures the protection and conservation of ecosystems and the species contained therein including the Magnuson-Stevens Act. The Department of Interior has asked the President to restore regulated fishing in the monuments because of the protections put in place by the Magnuson-Stevens Act, protections that the Antiquities Act does not have. Limited commercial fishing can be done without harm to fish stock sustainability or the environment because Congress has already passed and continues to update laws to ensure it.

The Rose Atoll and Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monuments are just two local examples, and the establishment and alteration of our national monuments remains a bipartisan issue affecting the whole country. We need to be looking at the Antiquities Act, because any President from either party should not be permitted to establish or alter a declared monument without input from the public. To that end I am proud to cosponsor Mr. Bishop’s Monument Reform Bill again this Congress, and I want to make it clear that I will welcome legislation from either side of the isle that addresses this oversight.

The unilateral use of an executive order when declaring sites for a national monument designation is not the right way to go about protecting our lands and waters. American Samoans and the other indigenous and local groups represented here today should not have had their way of life so easily threatened by the establishment and alterations of monuments without their input.  We must ensure that all parties involved have a say, and I look forward to working with the committee on addressing what I hope remains a bipartisan issue.

Read the release here

Trump’s National Monument Changes Return to Spotlight

March 13, 2019 — As Democrats in Congress prepare to scrutinize President Donald Trump’s review of 27 national monuments, most of the recommendations made by ex-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke remain unfinished as other matters consume the White House.

Trump acted quickly in December 2017 on Zinke’s recommendations to shrink two sprawling Utah monuments that had been criticized as federal government overreach by the state’s Republican leaders since their creation by Democratic Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

But in the 15 months since Trump downsized the Utah monuments, the president has done nothing with Zinke’s proposal to shrink two more monuments, in Oregon and Nevada, and change rules at six others, including allowing commercial fishing inside three marine monuments in waters off New England, Hawaii and American Samoa.

Zinke resigned in December amid multiple ethics investigations — and has joined a Washington, D.C. lobbying firm. Trump has nominated as his replacement Acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, a former lobbyist for the oil and gas industry and other corporate interests.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at U.S News and World Report

Fishery Council Announces Recommendations for Hawaiʻi Fisheries

November 5, 2018 — After a four-day meeting last week, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council announced their recommendations for nearshore fisheries in Hawai’i and Guam. Under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976, the council has authority over fisheries throughout Hawai’i, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and the US Pacific Remote Islands.

During the meeting, the Council prepared an amendment to the Hawai’i Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP) to revise the precious corals essential fish habitat (EFH) document. The council specifically recommended revising existing seabeds and designating new seabeds as EFH for deepwater precious corals. The council also decided that the geographic extent and habitat characteristics for shallow-water precious corals should be updated.

The council recommended that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) set the MHI non-Deep 7 bottomfish ACL at 127,205 pounds and MHI deep-water shrimp ACL at 250,773 pounds for fishing years 2019-2021. The council also recommended that the NMFS set the MHI Kona crab ACL at 3,500 pounds for fishing year 2019.

For precious corals, the council recommended that the ACLs for 2019-2021 be set to 5,512 pounds for ‘Au’au Channel black coral, 2,205 pounds for Makapu’u Bed pink coral, 55 for Makapu’u Bed bamboo, 489 pounds for 180 Fathom Bank pink coral, 123 pounds for 180 Fathom Bank bamboo coral, 979 pounds for Brooks Bank pink coral, 245 pounds for Brooks Bank bamboo coral, 148 pounds for Ka’ena Point Bed pink coral, 37 pounds for Ka’ena Point Bed bamboo coral, 148 pounds for Keahole Bed pink coral, 37 pounds for Keahole Bed bamboo coral, and 2,205 pounds for precious coral in MHI exploratory area.

Read the full story at Maui Now

Western Pacific Council Makes Recommendations to Keep US Pacific Island Fisheries Viable

October 26, 2018 — SEAFOOD NEWS — The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council concluded its two-day meeting in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) this week with recommendations regarding pelagic, international and American Samoa fisheries.

Council discussion centered around keeping healthy, sustainable U.S. Pacific Island fisheries viable amid an accumulation of U.S. regulations and international negotiations.

Billfish Conservation Act and Bigeye Tuna

The Council expressed dismay over the recent amendment to the Billfish Conservation Act of 2012, which bans the interstate commerce of billfish (excluding swordfish) landed by U.S. fishermen in Hawaii and the US Pacific Islands. The billfish stocks caught by Hawaii and U.S. Pacific Island fisheries are healthy, unlike the billfish in the Atlantic, the Western Pacific Council said in a press release.

The bill to amend the Act was introduced and promoted by Congressional delegates and sports fishing organizations from Florida. Recent guidelines from the National Marine Fisheries Service say the billfish landed in the US Territories and Hawaii are also prohibited from being sold in foreign markets. The Council directed staff to develop a list of questions and issues associated with amendment compliance and send them to NMFS for a response.

The Hawaii deep-set longline fishery catches billfish incidentally when targeting bigeye tuna. The amount of bigeye in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) the fishery may retain annually is developed by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), an international regional fishery management organization to which the U.S. is a party.

The Council endorsed recent WCPFC’s Permanent Advisory Committee to advise the U.S. commissioners (PAC) majority recommendation to obtain a longline bigeye quota of 6,000 metric tons (mt) at the upcoming WCPFC meeting in December in Honolulu. This amount is slightly less than the amount of bigeye caught in the WCPO in 2016 by Hawaii longline vessels, including those vessels operating under agreements with U.S. Participating Territories. The Council said it will communicate this recommendation to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. The Hawaii longline fleet is the sole fishery that utilizes the U.S. quota, which is currently set at 3,554 mt.

South Pacific Albacore

The Council also endorsed the PAC recommendation that the U.S. position generally be in support of adopting a South Pacific albacore target reference point. The reference point is a catch target that supports economically viable operations and healthy stock biomass. The American Samoa longline fishery, which harvests this stock, has been in decline since 2011. The Council asked NMFS to provide economic evaluations of the fleet’s performance at various target reference points in advance of WCPFC15.

Hawaii Longline Fishery

Among other pelagic and international fishery matters, the Council recommended initial action be taken that would require electronic reporting in the Hawaii longline fishery. The Council will ask NMFS to continue to develop electronic reporting in the Hawaii longline fishery and to work with Hawaii longline participants and Council staff to address several implementation issues and report back to the Council at its March 2019 meeting.

The Council intended to take action regarding the management of loggerhead and leatherback sea turtles in the Hawaii shallow-set longline fishery, which targets swordfish. However, action was postponed as a draft biological opinion due from NMFS on Oct. 1 has not been completed. The Council will reconvene its Scientific and Statistical Committee Working Group when the draft opinion is available. The Council may convene an interim Council meeting, if needed, to review the draft opinion and consider revisions to its June 2018 recommendations, including a possible specification of individual trip limits for leatherback sea turtle interactions.

American Samoa Fisheries

Regarding American Samoa fisheries, the Council recommended an annual catch limit (ACL) of 106,000 pounds for the American Samoa bottomfish species complex for fishing year 2019. The Council noted the next benchmark assessment, which is scheduled for review in February 2019, will provide new information to set the ACLs for fishing years 2020 to 2022. The Council also directed its staff to work with the Council’s American Samoa Advisory Panel to develop a plan for outreach and education, preferably in cooperation with Territory’s Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources, to educate communities on various fisheries and fisheries-related issues.

The Council will reconvene at 11 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 26, at the Hilton at Tumon, Guam.

This story originally appeared on Seafood News, it is republished here with permission.