Saving Seafood

WPRMFC gives Trump Administration suggestions to promote seafood

September 28, 2020 — The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRMFC) has suggested actions to the Trump Administration in order to “promote seafood competitiveness and economic growth and to provide regulatory relief to support economic recovery for the offshore fisheries of Hawai’i, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and eight Pacific Remote Islands (PRIAs),” according to a WPRFMC press release.

Two parties voted against the proposals: the council member representing the Hawai’i State Department of Land and Natural Resources, as well as the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Pacific Islands Regional Administrator.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

More Measures Proposed for Western Pacific Longliners as Managers Agree to Electronic Reporting

September 22, 2020 — The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council concluded its 2020 third-quarter meeting recently with actions related to electronic reporting for Hawaii longline fisheries, annual catch limits for grey snapper (uku) for years 2022-2025 and more.

Hawaii longliners and those greater than 50 feet long in the American Samoa longline fleet will have to use electronic logbook reporting by the middle of next year, the Council approved in an amendment to the fishery management plan. Under the amendment, vessel operators must record and submit logbook data within 24 hours after completion of each fishing day using an electronic logbook application certified by the National Marine Fisheries Service. In the event of technology malfunction, vessel operators would be required to submit the logbook data by paper or electronically within 72 hours of the end of each fishing trip. The recommended date for implementing mandatory electronic reporting is by July 1, 2021; the regulatory amendment is pending approval by the Secretary of Commerce.

Read the full story at Seafood News

WPRFMC: Federal Fishery Managers Agree to Longline Electronic Reporting, Preliminary Hawai’i Grey Snapper Limits

September 21, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Yesterday, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council concluded its 2020 third-quarter meeting with the following recommendations and actions, among others. The Council is mandated by Congress to manage the fisheries offshore of Hawai’i, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and the U.S. Pacific Remote Islands Areas. The complete list of actions taken by the Council at the three-day meeting will be posted at http://www.wpcouncil.org/event/183rd-council-meeting/.

Mandatory Electronic Reporting: The Council took final action on a regulatory amendment for mandatory electronic reporting for vessels operating under the Hawai’i longline limited entry permit and vessels larger than 50 feet in length (i.e., size classes C and D) operating under the American Samoa longline limited entry permit. Under the amendment, vessel operators must record and submit logbook data within 24 hours after completion of each fishing day using an electronic logbook application certified by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). In the event of technology malfunction, vessel operators would be required to submit the logbook data by paper or electronically within 72 hours of the end of each fishing trip. The recommended date for implementing mandatory electronic reporting is by July 1, 2021. This regulatory amendment is pending approval by the Secretary of Commerce.

Main Hawaiian Island Grey Snapper (Uku): The Council selected a preliminary annual catch limit (ACL) of 295,419 for main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) grey snapper for fishing years 2022 to 2025. This ACL corresponds to a 41% risk of overfishing. The Council also selected an annual catch target (ACT) at 36% risk of overfishing, which corresponds to annual catch of 291,010 pounds. The Council will work with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to develop accountability measures to ensure the catch does not exceed the ACL. The Council recommended that accountability measure options be considered that recognize the challenges with tracking catch from the noncommercial fishery. The Council may take final action on the ACL and accountability measures at its meeting in March 2021.

Seabird Mitigation in the Hawai’i Longline Fishery: Hawai’i longline vessels are required to mitigate interactions with seabirds. The Council will be considering including tori lines (also known as bird streamers or bird scare lines) at a future meeting as an additional option to measures already in place. The Council asked NMFS to support at-sea trials for winter 2020/spring 2021 through an Experimental Fishing Permit that would allow testing tori line efficacy without the use of blue-dyed bait when fishing north of 23° N.

North Pacific Striped Marlin: The Council will work with NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office (PIRO) to develop a proposed international measure to limit total catch of North Pacific striped marlin in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean from 2021 to 2024. The North Pacific population is considered to be overfished and subject to overfishing. The Council will work with NMFS PIRO to incorporate U.S. longline catch limits of North Pacific striped marlin at 457 metric tons, consistent with previous Council recommendations, into the proposed measure.

Oceanic Whitetip Sharks: The Council requested NMFS PIFSC to provide updates on its oceanic whitetip shark projects for the Council and Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) to consider at its December 2020 meetings. The species is considered overfished and subject to overfishing and is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The Council also recommended that the Oceanic Whitetip Shark Working Group proceed with analyzing longline mitigation measures and that updates be completed and reviewed by the Council’s Plan Team before the March 2021 SSC meeting.

Advisory Committees: The Council approved the membership of the Non-Commercial Fishing Advisory Committee to include the Hawai’i Marine Recreational Fishing Survey coordinator, NMFS PIRO recreational fishing coordinator,NMFS PIFSC recreational fishing coordinator,Saipan Fishermen’s Association representative,Pago Pago Gamefish Association Representative, Shut Up and Fish (Guam noncommercial), Hawaii Fishermen’s Alliance for Conservation and Tradition representative(s), Pacific Islands Fisheries Group representative(s) and Hawai’i fishing club representative(s).

The Council also approved the following proposed new members of the Fishing Industry Advisory Committee: Michael Goto (United Fishing Agency, Ltd., Hawai’i), Kerry Umamoto (Hilo Fish Company, Hawai’i), Josh Schade (Ahi Assassins, Hawai’i), Eric Kingma (Hawaii Longline Association, Hawai’i), Kenton Geer (commercial seamount fisherman, Hawai’i),Carlos Herrera (Hitman’s Tackle, Guam), Vince Haleck (Tautai O Samoa Association, American Samoa), Lino Tenorio (commercial bottomfish fisherman, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) and Dean Sensui (Hawaii Goes Fishing, Western Pacific Region).

Offshore Energy: The Council adopted an offshore energy policy that takes into account potential impacts of such developments to federal fisheries, habitat and ecosystem.

For more information, contact the Council at info@wpcouncil.org or at (808) 522-8220.

Council Identifies Priorities for US Pacific Island Fishery Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief

September 17, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, meeting virtually this week, recommended actions the Trump Administration could take to promote seafood competitiveness and economic growth and to provide regulatory relief to support economic recovery for the offshore fisheries of Hawai’i, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and eight Pacific Remote Island Areas (PRIAs). The Council member representing the Hawai’i State Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and the NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office (PIRO) voted in opposition.

The Council’s recommendations to the Administration respond to President Trump’s Executive Orders (EOs) 13921 and 13924 issued on May 7 and May 19, 2020, respectively. The purposes of EO 13921 include removing outdated and unnecessarily burdensome regulations and improving transparency and efficiency of environmental reviews, among others. Section 4 of EO asks for each of the nation’s eight regional fishery management councils to provide a prioritized list of recommended actions that would reduce burdens on domestic fishing and increase production within sustainable fisheries.

The Council’s list includes improving implementation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Under the current process, the Hawai’i shallow-set longline fishery has experienced three seasons of restricted fishing following a May 2018 lawsuit settlement that arbitrarily reduced the fishery’s allowable incidental catch of loggerhead turtles to 17. Nearly all of these sea turtles are released alive. The Council recommended that Reasonable and Prudent Measures (RPMs) developed to ensure the continued existence of an ESA-listed species should be indeed “reasonable” and commensurate with the relative impact to the ESA-listed population. According to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Pacific Islands Fishery Science Center (PIFSC), the Hawai’i shallow-set longline fishery has no discernable impact on the loggerhead population. The Council also recommended that ESA environmental reviews of fisheries be completed within the 135-day statutory timeline and that RPMs be developed with the councils and implemented under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). The Council also recommended that ESA listings be revised where populations are increasing and threats do not pose immediate danger of extinction. The North Pacific loggerhead sea turtle population, for example, has been increasing by more than 2.4% annually.

Another item on the Council’s list is removal of the fishing prohibitions in the four Marine National Monuments in the Pacific and returning management of federally regulated fisheries in monument waters to the MSA. The Pacific monuments comprise half of the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the region.

The Council also proposed exempting manmade and degraded environments, such as harbors, from being classified as essential fish habitat (EFH), i.e., waters and substrate necessary to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding or growth to maturity. The exemption would address lengthy delays and unreasonable conservation actions that hamper harbor improvements and maintenance as these waters are currently considered EFH.

Among other actions taken by the Council during the first half of this week’s meeting are the following:

  • Hawai’i Shallow-Set Longline Fishery: The Council requested that NMFS PIRO work with it and Hawai’i shallow-set longline industry representatives to establish communication procedures that would provide permit holders and vessel owners with timely turtle interaction updates based on observer data. This would ensure that the fleet has access to all available information for the purpose of minimizing interactions with loggerhead and leatherback turtles and complying with new trip limit regulations of two leatherback and five North Pacific loggerhead turtle interactions, which begin tomorrow.
  • Marianas Trench Marine National Monument: The Council requested PIRO and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to reconstitute the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument Advisory Council prior to the publication of the Draft
  • Marianas Trench Marine National Monument Management Plan to ensure comprehensive review of the plan.
    CNMI Fisheries Safety at Sea: The Council requested that the U.S. Coast Guard provide an automatic identification system transmitting beacon and navigational lights on Aguigan (Goat Island) and Anatahan to assist fishermen in identifying the island and to repair navigational lights on Rota and Tinian. The Council also asked NOAA to fix VHF Channel 2 (24-hour weather forecast) broadcasted from Saipan.
  • American Samoa Fisheries: The Council directed its staff to work with the Territory’s Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources to assist eligible fishery participants with completing the requirements to submit CARES Act funding applications and provide updates on the proposal status to the fishing community.
  • PRIA Marine Conservation Plan: The Council modified the objectives and projects in the plan to include longline considerations.

The meeting continues tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.(HST). The public is invited to participate and to provide comments. The meeting agenda, briefing documents and instructions on connecting to the virtual meeting can be found online at www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars or by contacting the Council at info@wpcouncil.org or at (808) 522-8220.

Recommendations Advance from Scientists to Federal Fishery Managers on Hawai’i Small Boat, Hawai’i Grey Snapper, Hawai’i and American Samoa Longline Fisheries

September 14, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council and its Standing Committees will meet virtually by web conference (Webex) Sept. 14-17, 2020, to discuss management of federally regulated fisheries in offshore waters surrounding Hawai’i, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and eight Pacific Remote Island Areas (PRIAs). The meeting agendas, briefing documents and instructions on connecting to Webex can be found online at www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars or by contacting the Council at info@wpcouncil.org or at (808) 522-8220. The Pelagic and International Standing Committee and Executive and Budget Standing Committee will meet noon to 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. (HST), respectively, on Monday. The Council will meet 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. In its deliberations, the Council will consider public comments and recommendations from its advisory bodies, including the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), which met virtually Sept. 9 and 10, 2020. Among the items to be considered by the Council are the following:

Hawai’i Small-Boat Fishery: The Council will explore options to require mandatory federal permits and reporting for small-boat vessels fishing in federal waters around Hawai’i (3 to 200 miles from shore). Small boat is defined as those vessels using fishing gear other than longline. The goal is to better understand the impact of fishing, particularly by noncommercial vessels, on federally managed species. Currently, only the commercial and bottomfish sectors of the Hawai’i small-boat fishery are required to have permits. Other than the commercial vessels, only the noncommercial bottomfish vessels operating in federal waters are required to provide catch reports.

CURRENT PERMIT & REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR HAWAI’I OFFSHORE FISHERIES

  • Commercial fishermen operating in state or federal waters must have a state-issued commercial marine license and report their catches.
  • Commercial and noncommercial fishermen targeting seven species of deep-water bottomfish in state or federal waters around Hawai’i must register their vessels with the State, but the noncommercial vessels operating solely in state waters are not required to provide reports. For the fishing year 2019-2020, which ended Aug. 31, a total of 934 main Hawaiian Islands Deep-7 bottomfish vessels were registered. Of these vessels, 280 were noncommercial.
  • Noncommercial vessels targeting Deep 7 bottomfish in federal waters are required to have a federal permit and report their catches. Currently, only two vessels are federally permitted and no reports have been provided recently.

The Council held public scoping meetings around the Hawaiian Islands in February 2020 and a virtual Fishers Forum that included a presentation and public discussion on the proposed action on Aug. 27, 2020. The SSC this week recommended that the Council consider a pilot mandatory permitting and reporting project for the Hawai’i small boat fishery to be conducted on a small-scale across on all island areas. The SSC reiterated its position that all fish caught in the fishery should be counted. However, it also noted that enforcement would be a major challenge. The pilot permitting project may provide an opportunity to promote buy-in from the noncommercial fishing community and data to inform a full-scale permitting and reporting scheme including catch-and-effort data for the noncommercial sector.

Grey Snapper Annual Catch Limits: Hawai’i grey snapper, known locally as uku, is managed federally under an annual catch limit (ACL). The fishing year for the species runs Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. The Council is set to recommend the uku ACL for fishing years 2022-2025. The ACL can be equal to the acceptable biological catch, which is determined by the SSC, or below it in consideration of social, economic, ecological and management uncertainties. At its meeting last week, the SSC set the acceptable biological catch at 135,000 metric tons (297,624 pounds), which equates to a 43% risk of overfishing.

Longline Mandatory Electronic Reporting: The Council is expected to take final action on mandatory electronic reporting for longline fisheries in the Western Pacific Region. The proposed measure would require vessel operators to record and submit logbook data electronically using an electronic logbook application certified by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). If the Council moves forward with the proposed measure, it will consider whether to apply it to the Hawai’i longline fishery alone or also to the American Samoa limited entry vessel size classes C and D (50 feet in length or greater).

Longline Seabird Interaction Mitigation: The Council will consider a preliminary report on demonstrations and field trials to evaluate the practicality and efficacy of tori lines (also known as streamer lines or bird scarring lines) for mitigating albatross interactions in the Hawai’i deep-set longline fishery. Preliminary results indicate that tori lines are effective in reducing albatross contacts on baited hooks when used in conjunction with existing seabird bycatch mitigation measures. Last week, the SSC reviewed the report and recommended that the Council consider including tori lines as an additional seabird mitigation option for all Hawai’i longline fisheries.

PRIA Marine Conservation Plan: In June 2020, the Council approved the Marine Conservation Plan (MCP) for the PRIAs and directed staff to transmit the document to the NMFS Regional Administrator for review, approval and publication in the Federal Register. Subsequently, Council staff found that the MCP objectives and activities were inconsistent with the longline fisheries for the region and should be updated. Council staff updated the objectives and included projects supporting the longline fisheries of the region. The Council will review and consider approving the revised MCP.

Summary of Proposed Action Items for the 183rd Meeting of the WPRFMC

August 31, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

  1. Specification of Annual Catch Limit and Accountability Measures for the Main Hawaiian Islands Uku Fishery for Fishing Year 2022-2025
  2. Mandatory Electronic Reporting in the Longline Fisheries
  3. Reasonable and Prudent Measures and/or Reasonable and Prudent Alternatives for the Deep-Set and American Samoa Longline Fisheries
  4. Modifications to Pacific Remote Island Area (PRIA) Objectives and Projects in the PRIA Marine Conservation Plan
  5. Options for Mandatory Permitting and Reporting for Hawai’i’s Small-Boat Fishery

The 183rd meeting of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council will convene Sept. 15-17, 2020, by web conference (WebEx). The WebEx link is https://tinyurl.com/183CouncilMtg and the password is: CM183mtg. Host sites will be available at the following locations (subject to local and federal safety and health guidelines regarding COVID-19; please check Council website for updates):

  • Cliff Pointe, 304W. O’Brien Dr., Hagatna, Guam;
  • Hyatt Regency Saipan, Royal Palm Ave., Micro Beach Rd., Saipan, CNMI; and
  • Department of Port Administration, Airport Conference Room, Pago Pago Int’l Airport, Tafuna Village, American Samoa.

The Council will consider and may take action on the issues summarized below (click here for copy), including any public comments on them. Written public comments on final action items should be received by the Council’s executive director by 5 p.m. (Hawai’i time), Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, by postal mail, fax or email as indicated below.

Instructions for connecting to the WebEx and providing oral public comments during the meeting will be posted on the Council website at www.wpcouncil.org/event/183rd-council-meeting.

Federal Fishery Managers Say Measures for US Fisheries Should Reflect Their Low Impact on Protected Species Compared to Foreign Fisheries

June 26, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Councilconcluded its three-day virtual meeting today on the management of federal fisheries in waters offshore of the State of Hawai’i, the Territories of American Samoa and Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and the US Pacific Remote Islands Areas. Established in 1976 under purview of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), the Council monitors federal fisheries operating in these waters and develops management plans and amendments for them. Discussions and recommendations at today’s Council meeting focused on protected species interactions and the international nature of the region’s pelagic fisheries.

While the MSA is the nation’s preeminent fisheries legislation, the region’s fisheries are often managed to meet other legislation, such as the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Under the ESA, NMFS develops a biological opinion (BiOp) to evaluate whether a federally managed fishery jeopardizes the continued existence of species listed as threatened or endangered. If the fishery is likely to jeopardize species, NMFS must implement reasonable and prudent alternatives (RPAs) to avoid jeopardizing the species. If the fishery is not likely to jeopardize species, NMFS must implement reasonable and prudent measures (RPMs) to minimize impacts of any incidental take by the fishery. Currently, NMFS is developing BiOps and considering RPMs or RPAs for the Hawai’i deep-set longline fishery, which targets bigeye tuna, and for the American Samoa longline fishery, which targets South Pacific albacore tuna. Of particular concern is the Hawai’i fleet’s interaction with leatherback and loggerhead sea turtles. These RPMs in the past have required the shallow-set longline fishery to close after interacting with 16 leatherback turtles, even if they were released alive.

The Council also recommended that drafting of the RPMs place priority on improving handling and release methods to improve post-hooking survival rates and on creating industry-led incentives to report and reduce impacts.

During public comment, Eric Kingma, Hawaii Longline Association executive director, noted that the Hawaii fleet is only 4% of longline effort in the WCPO. “While we don’t have significant impact on the protected species populations, we can help by designing innovative measures and transferring them to the international fisheries,” he said.

Among other related recommendations, the Council will ask the Seafood Trade Task Force, created by Executive Order 13921, to evaluate all impacts of foreign-sourced fishery products on domestic fisheries and markets. The evaluation should focus on foreign-forced products into Hawai’i and Guam with known seafood safety concerns, such as carbon-monoxide gassed tuna including the potential suspension of such products during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Council also requested that the director of the NMFS Office of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection provide a status update on the certification of foreign fisheries that meet the MMPA equivalency provisions. Measures implemented under the MMPA have had an impact on the Hawai’i deep-set longline fishery, which has been unable to operate within a 132,000 square mile area (called the Southern Exclusion Zone) within the US exclusive economic zone around Hawai’i, after its interaction with two false killer whales that NMFS characterized as being at a level to create mortality and serious injury.

The Council recommended that the 2021 catch limits for longline bigeye be set at 2,000 mt each for American Samoa, Guam and the CNMI and that each Territory be allowed to allocate up to1,500 mt to US longline fisheries permitted under the Pelagic Fishery Ecosystem Plan, pursuant to Amendment 7 of that plan. However, the collective total allocation among the three Territories is not to exceed 3,000 mt.

The meeting agenda and briefing documents can be found at www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars.

Feds Advance Management of Main Hawaiian Islands Uku, Rebuilding Plan for American Samoa Bottomfish

June 26, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

During the months of May through July, Hawai’i fishermen and seafood consumers can rely on uku (grey snapper). While available year-round, this flavorful pink to white flesh fish, is most abundant during this time, which is when it spawns. These months also coincide with the period between the peak of the winter season for deep-water snappers and before the summer run of ‘ahi (yellowfin tuna). A versatile species, uku can be found in a wide range of depths and can be caught by trolling, bottomfishing and even spearfishing.

Yesterday, during the second day of its three-day virtual meeting, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council reviewed a new stock assessment for the main Hawaiian Island uku prepared by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Established by Congress in 1976, the Council develops management plans and amendments and monitors federal fisheries operating in waters offshore of the State of Hawai’i, the Territories of American Samoa and Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and the US Pacific Remote Islands Areas.

The Council directed staff to assess the scientific and management uncertainties in the fishery so that it could recommend the annual catch limit (ACL) for the fishery, when it meets next, in September. The Council will also explore splitting allocation of the ACL between the noncommercial and commercial fishing sectors. The Council’s recommendation will then go to the Secretary of Commerce for final approval.

Another major topic on the agenda yesterday was development of a rebuilding plan for American Samoa bottomfish. The most recent NMFS stock assessment for the fishery indicates that the fishery is overfished (too many fish have been removed) and subject to overfishing (too much fishing effort is occurring). Fishermen and the American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR) believe that the pessimistic assessment is due to poor and incomplete data.

Bottomfish habitat maps suggest that the majority of the bottomfish are caught in waters 0 to 3 miles from shore, which are under the Territory’s jurisdiction. The proposed interim measure would allow only 13,000 pounds of bottomfish to be caught annually from both federal and territorial waters, after which the bottomfish fishery in federal waters would be shut down. The average annual catch from 2013 to 2017 has been 21,139 pounds.

The Council will work with its Scientific and Statistical Committee and the American Samoa DMWR to explore other management options, such as area management and including cultural harvest at the offshore banks for deep-water snappers, to address the overfished status. The Council also requested that the NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) prioritize the development of a fishery-independent survey in American Samoa to improve understanding of the stock.

To help improve the collection of data in the American Samoa bottomfish fishery, the Council directed its staff to work with its local fishermen advisors in the Territory to identify ways the members can assist with training fishermen on using a self-reporting data app. The Council also requested that the American Samoa DMWR work with the Governor’s Fisheries Task Force to address issues with data collection that have led to the current poor stock status and to coordinate with the Council and NMFS PIFSC to develop a strategy to address those issues.

The Council also directed its staff to explore the creation of sectors in the American Samoa bottomfish fishery that would separate the species complex between the nearshore bottomfish fishery and the offshore deep-water snapper fishery.

The Council meeting will conclude today, by web conference (Webex) with host sites at the Hilton Guam Resort & Spa, Chuchuko Room, 202 Hilton Rd., Tumon Bay, Guam; Hyatt Regency Saipan, Royal Palm Ave., Micro Beach Rd., Saipan, CNMI; and Department of Port Administration, Airport Conference Room, Pago Pago International Airport, Tafuna Village, American Samoa. Instructions on connecting to Webex, agendas and briefing documents will be posted at www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars.

Federal Fishery Managers Weigh-In on Marine National Monument draft plans, COVID-19 Impacts to Fisheries and More

June 25, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council concluded the first day of its three-day virtual meeting yesterday with discussions and recommendations regarding the work of partner agencies and program planning. Topics ranged from marine national monuments, COVID-19 impacts, stock assessments, fisheries performance and more. The Council manages federal fisheries operating in waters offshore of the State of Hawai’i, the Territories of American Samoa and Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and the US Pacific Remote Islands Areas.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Pacific Islands Regional Office (PIRO) reported that development of draft management plans for two marine national monuments are ongoing. The Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM) and Marianas Trench Marine National Monument were established on Jan. 6, 2009, by presidential proclamation. Together with monument expansion of PRIMNM by President Obama on Sept. 29, 2014, the monuments prohibit US commercial fishing vessels from operating in nearly 600,000 square miles of US exclusive economic zone (EEZ) waters. PIRO Regional Administrator Michael Tosatto said NMFS and the US Fish and Wildlife Service are working to identify new and emerging issues to inform the PRIMNM management plan planning process and are evaluating the timeline for the public release of the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument draft management plan. The Council recommended that NMFS PIRO include the CNMI Monument Advisory Committee and the Territory of Guam in the review of the draft management plan for the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument. According to the presidential proclamations, the management plans were to have been developed within two years of establishment of the monuments.

NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) reported on the impacts of COVID-19 on the Hawai’i commercial fisheries and markets. The report shows that revenue dropped by 80% due to restaurant closures and travel/visitor restrictions. PIFSC Director Mike Seki also shared a tool PIFSC researchers built that provides a visualized market demand curve based on historical data. The tool allows industry to explore tradeoffs in market supply and price to meet objectives. The Council recommended that PIFSCcoordinate with agencies and industry representatives in the Territories to provide market monitoring analyses and demand tracking app for each area.

PIFSC Director Mike Seki als reported that three cruises on the NOAA ship Oscar Elton Sette and another on the NOAA ship Rainer have been cancelled due to COVID-19 impacts. Monk seal and turtle field camps have been delayed. Fisheries data collection training, surveys, biosampling, lab work, etc. have been reduced or suspended. The Council recommended that PIFSC coordinate with the Council and the Territory of American Samoa’s Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources to determine viable logistic solutions to continue the American Samoa research cruise. American Samoa bottomfish has been determined recently by NMFS to be overfished and subject to overfishing. The Council has two years to develop and implement a rebuilding plan for the stock in federal waters. Most of the fishery occurs in waters 0 to 3 miles offshore under jurisdiction of the Territory. Many fishery advisors, fishermen and scientists point to the lack of complete and accurate data as the reason for the pessimistic stock status determination.

The Council also agreed that the impacts of COVID-19 to the region’s fisheries should be noted in the Council’s 2020 Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) reports. The Council reviewed and approved the 2019 SAFE reports, which can be found on the Council’s website.

The Council meeting continues through June 25, 2020, by web conference (Webex) with host sites at the Hilton Guam Resort & Spa, Chuchuko Room, 202 Hilton Rd., Tumon Bay, Guam; Hyatt Regency Saipan, Royal Palm Ave., Micro Beach Rd., Saipan, CNMI; and Department of Port Administration, Airport Conference Room, Pago Pago International Airport, Tafuna Village, American Samoa. Instructions on connecting to Webex, agendas and briefing documents will be posted at www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars.

Feds Set to Address Management of Main Hawaiian Islands Uku, American Samoa Bottomfish and Longline Interactions with Protected Species

June 22, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council will convene June 22 to 25 to address management of main Hawaiian Island uku (grey snapper), American Samoa bottomfish and protected species interactions in the Hawai’i and American Samoa longline fisheries. The meeting will be held by video conference with host sites at the Hilton Guam Resort & Spa, Chuchuko Room, 202 Hilton Rd., Tumon Bay, Guam; Hyatt Regency Saipan, Royal Palm Ave., Micro Beach Rd., Saipan, CNMI; and Department of Port Administration, Airport Conference Room, Pago Pago International Airport, Tafuna Village, American Samoa. Instructions on connecting to Webex, agendas and briefing documents are posted at www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars.

The uku (Aprion virescens, grey snapper) stock in the main Hawaiian Islands is not overfished nor subject to overfishing according to a NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. The fishery is considered to be data-rich, using a fishery-independent measure of biomass, length and local life history information gathered from the commercial and non-commercial sectors. The 2018 spawning stock was estimated to be 1.8 million pounds, which is 2¾ times the calculated sustainable threshold of 663,705 pounds. The Council will use the acceptable biological catch set by its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) to specify the annual catch limit for the fishery for fishing years 2021-2024.

The 2019 assessment of the American Samoa bottomfish fishery indicates that the stock is overfished and subject to overfishing. The National Marine Fishery Service (NMFS) notified the Council of its obligation to end overfishing immediately and develop and implement within two years a plan that would rebuild the overfished stock within 10 years. The fishery harvests multiple species of varying depth range and has diverse life history characteristics for which information is sparse and borrowed from other areas. Data sources are creel surveys that estimate total catch and commercial receipt books that capture fish sold to the market. The SSC has recommended that the Council work with American Samoa to develop management options and explore effort and biological limits and area management, as any federal measure would apply to federal waters only, i.e., beyond 3 nautical miles from shore. The SSC also recommended that the bottomfish rebuilding plan include cultural harvest in the offshore banks for deep-water snappers. With the COVID-19 pandemic, data collection efforts have been reduced with unknown consequences on the quality of data that will represent fishing year 2020.

Endangered Species Act consultations are ongoing for the Hawai’i and American Samoa longline tuna fisheries regarding interactions with protected species. Based on available scientific information, the impact by these US longline fisheries is low compared to foreign fisheries and any measure implemented in these US fisheries is likely to have a limited effect on the population. The Hawai’i-based deep-set longline fishery targeting bigeye tuna and American Samoa longline fishery targeting albacore are monitored with 20% federal observer coverage.