Saving Seafood

Upcoming minimum wage hike may doom tuna-canning operations in American Samoa

June 18, 2020 — American Samoa continues to depend on the tuna-canning industry as a key pillar of its economy, according to a new United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released last week, but the government of American Samoa is worried that a planned minimum wage increase for 2021 will have a negative impact to the economy.

The report is the fifth iteration in a series of U.S. Government Accountability Office reviews to examine economic trends, including changes in employment and earnings since the minimum wage increases in American Samoa began in 2007. The reports also look into the status of the tuna canning industry and report on stakeholder views on the minimum wage increases.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Scientists Recommend Setting Annual Catch Limits for Uku in Main Hawaiian Islands, Options for American Samoa Bottomfish Management and Protected Species Mitigation Measures

June 15, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council concluded its three-day virtual meeting yesterday. Key outcomes addressed the main Hawaiian Islands uku stock assessment, American Samoa bottomfish rebuilding plan and measures to mitigate incidental interactions of the Hawai’i and American Samoa longline fisheries with protected species.

Recommendations made by the SSC on these and other matters will be considered by the Council when it meets June 23-25, 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.

Main Hawaiian Islands Uku Stock Assessment

The uku (Aprion virescens; grey snapper) stock in the main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) is not overfished nor subject to overfishing according to a NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) 2020 assessment presented at the SSC meeting. The uku 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 SSC accepted the assessment as the best scientific information available and recommended that the Council direct staff to convene the P* and Social Economic Ecological and Management Uncertainties working groups. The analyses from these groups quantify uncertainties and set the acceptable biological catch and specify the annual catch limits for the main Hawaiian Islands uku fishery for fishing years 2021-2024.

American Samoa Bottomfish Rebuilding Plan

In contrast to the data-rich MHI uku fishery, the American Samoa bottomfish fishery is data-poor. This data-limited situation has persisted for decades and culminated with a 2019 stock assessment that said the American Samoa bottomfish stock was overfished and subject to overfishing. 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. This 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 only from creel surveys that estimate total catch and the commercial receipt book system that captures fish sold to the market.

The SSC deliberated the different scenarios to reduce overfishing and rebuild the stock. The very low catch projections from the assessment do not allow for a viable fishery with a catch limit projected to be 2,000 pounds and in order to rebuild within 10 years, the catch has to be further reduced to 1,500 pounds. The SSC recommended that the Council work with American Samoa to develop management options and explore effort and biological limits and area management.

The SSC also discussed the cultural significance of the bottomfish fishery and recommended that the bottomfish rebuilding plan include cultural harvest in the offshore banks for deep-water snappers. American Samoa is a Magnuson-Stevens Act-designated fishing community that is widely recognized as having a unique ability to adapt to technological change while maintaining strong cultural resilience, roots and identity through the practice of Samoan custom and the Samoan way known as fa’a Samoa.

The SSC emphasized that closing the fishery means that no new information is generated that can be used in the next stock assessment. 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.

Reasonable and Prudent Measures for Protected Species Interactions

The SSC reviewed considerations to mitigate incidental interactions with protected species that may be needed under the ongoing Endangered Species Act consultations for the Hawai’i deep-set and American Samoa longline fisheries.

The SSC found that interactions with protected species such as leatherback turtles and giant manta rays are rare. Based on available scientific information, including recent sea turtle population assessments, the relative impact to these species from US longline fisheries operating out of Hawai’i and American Samoa is low compared to foreign fisheries. Any measure implemented in these fisheries is likely to have a limited effect on the population. The SSC recommended that mitigation measures create incentives for industry to report and reduce impacts. Measures should also consider trade-offs of target catch and protected species interactions to avoid unintended consequences.

Data from US longline fleets, highlighted by the SSC for its conservation value, represent one of few reliable sources for the overall number of interactions with protected species. Hawai’i-based deep-set longline fishery targeting bigeye tuna and American Samoa longline fishery targeting albacore are monitored with 20% federal observer coverage. In contrast, most international fleets operating in the North Pacific Ocean have less than 5% coverage.

Summary of Action Items for the 182nd Meeting of the WPRFMC

June 9, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The 182nd meeting of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council will convene June 23-25, 2020, by web conference (WebEx) with host sites at the following locations:

  • 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 Int’l Airport, Tafuna Village, American Samoa.

The Council will consider and may take action on the issues summarized below, 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), Tuesday, June 12, 2020, by postal mail, fax or email as indicated below. Instructions for providing oral public comments during the meeting will be posted on the Council website at www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars.

Mail: Ms. Kitty M. Simonds
Executive Director
Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council
1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1400
Honolulu, HI 96813

FAX: (808) 522-8226
E-mail: info@wpcouncil.org

SUMMARY OF 182nd COUNCIL MEETING ACTION ITEMS

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1. 2021 US Territorial Longline Bigeye Specification (Final Action)

Bigeye tuna comprises a Pacific-wide population that is internationally managed and assessed as separate stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) and Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO) by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, respectively. Stock assessments conducted in 2017 (updated in 2018) for the WCPO indicate the bigeye tuna stock is not subject to overfishing nor overfished. A new stock assessment is expected in 2020 with no new significant information to be incorporated, so stock status is not expected to change.

The WCPFC, of which the United States is a member, develops and agrees on conservation and management measures (CMMs) for highly migratory species caught by fisheries (longline and purse seine) and flag state in the WCPO. In December 2018, the WCPFC agreed on CMM 2018-01, which maintains the 2016 longline bigeye limits of six countries, including the United States, which has a limit of 3,554 metric tons (mt). CMM 2018-01, like earlier conservation measures, does not establish an individual limit on the amount of bigeye tuna that may be harvested annually in the Convention Area by Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Participating Territories, including American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). CMM 2018-01 will expire at the end of 2020 with a possibility of new catch limits for fishery sectors and flag states under the WCPFC. The WCPFC may also decide to resume current catch limits for flag states and participating members through 2021.

Amendment 7 to the Council’s Pelagic Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP) established a management framework that provides catch or effort limits applicable to the US Participating Territories that include the authority of the US Participating Territories to use, assign, allocate and manage the pelagic management species catch and effort limits agreed to by the WCPFC through Specified Fishing Agreements with US vessels permitted under the Pelagic FEP for the purposes of responsible fisheries development.

For 2019, the Council’s specifications limited each US Participating Territory’s bigeye longline catch to 2,000 mt and its allocation limit with US-flagged vessels to up to 1,000 mt. However, only two agreements were made with US-flagged vessels and the fishery closed before the end of the fishing season on December 28. For 2020, the Council took action at its 181st meeting in March 2020 to specify bigeye longline catch and allocation limits to up to 2,000 mt for each Participating Territory with total allocations from the US Participating Territories not to exceed 3,000 mt. The action is undergoing rulemaking.

At its 182nd meeting, the Council will consider taking final action on the specification of the annual Territory bigeye longline limits applicable for American Samoa, Guam and the CNMI for 2021. The Council will also consider limits on the amount of catch that could be transferred under Specified Fishing Arrangements by the US Participating Territories to vessels permitted under the Pelagic FEP.

The Council will consider the following limit options for 2021:

  1. No management action: No specification of catch or allocation limits;
  2. Status quo: Specify a 2,000-mt catch limit for each US Participating Territory and allocation limits that do not collectively exceed 3,000 mt among all Participating Territories;
  3. Specify a 2,000-mt catch limit and up to a 2,000-mt allocation limit for each US Participating Territory (see options below):
    2,000 mt allocation for Guam and CNMI and 1,500 mt allocation for American Samoa;

    1. 1,500 mt allocation per US Participating Territory; or
    2. 1,500 mt allocation for Guam and the CNMI and 1,000 mt for American Samoa;
  4. Other total and allocation limit combinations.

2. Guam and Pacific Remote Island Areas Marine Conservation Plan

The Marine Conservation Plans (MCPs) for Guam and the Pacific Remote Island Areas (PRIA) expire in 2020. At its 182nd meeting, the Council will review the MCPs for concurrence and approval. After review by the Council, the MCPs are transmitted to the Secretary of Commerce for approval.

Section 204(e) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) authorizes the Secretary of State, with the concurrence of the Secretary of Commerce and in consultation with the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, to negotiate and enter into a Pacific Insular Area Fishery Agreement (PIAFA). A PIAFA would allow foreign fishing within the 200-mile US exclusive economic zone (EEZ) adjacent to American Samoa, CNMI, Guam, or the PRIA with the concurrence of, and in consultation with, the applicable governors. According to the MSA, before entering into a PIAFA, the appropriate governor, with the concurrence of the Council, must develop a three-year MCP providing details on uses for any funds collected by the Secretary under the PIAFA. In the case of the PRIA, the MSA directs the Council to develop and submit the MCP (MSA §204(e)(4)(b)) .

In addition to PIAFA funds, the MSA provides that fines and penalties of violations by foreign vessels occurring within the EEZ around the Pacific Insular Areas, including sums collected from forfeiture and disposition or sale of property seized by the federal government, are to be deposited into the applicable local government’s treasury and to be used to implement the respective MCP. For fines from illegal foreign fishing in the PRIA, the funds are deposited into the Western Pacific Sustainable Fisheries Fund, which allows the Council to use funds to implement MCP projects.

The MSA requires that the MCPs shall be consistent with the Council’s FEPs. The MSA also requires that the MCPs include, but are not be limited to, the following conservation and management objectives:

(i) Pacific Insular Area observer programs, or other monitoring programs, that the Secretary determines are adequate to monitor the harvest, bycatch and compliance with the laws of the United States by foreign fishing vessels that fish under Pacific Insular Area fishing agreements;
(ii) Conduct of marine and fisheries research, including development of systems for information collection, analysis, evaluation and reporting;
(iii) Conservation, education and enforcement activities related to marine and coastal management, such as living marine resource assessments, habitat monitoring and coastal studies;
(iv) Education and training in the development and implementation of sustainable marine resources development projects, scientific research, and conservation strategies; and
(v) Western Pacific community-based demonstration projects under section 112(b) of the Sustainable Fisheries Act and other coastal improvement projects to foster and promote the management, conservation, and economic enhancement of the Pacific Insular Areas.

If approved by the Council and Secretary of Commerce, the MCPs are valid for a period of three years; however, an MCP can be modified at any time and resubmitted for approval.

Fishermen Grapple with Changes due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

June 8, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Changes affecting fishing communities due to COVID-19 closures, mandatory electronic reporting for the American Samoa longline fishery and the 2019 annual status of the fisheries report were among topics discussed by fishermen from Hawai’i, American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) during their May 29, May 30 and June 6 virtual meetings. The groups constitute the Advisory Panels (APs) of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council.

In addition, the Hawai’i AP noted that the biological distribution of marine species had shifted due to the lack of tourism-related activities, especially in the nearshore areas, and requested that impacts from COVID-19 be included in the 2020 annual fisheries report. The American Samoa AP recommended that the Council ask the National Marine Fisheries Service work with the American Samoa longline fishery to begin implementation of electronic reporting as soon as possible and set a target date of mandatory reporting for Oct. 1, 2021.

The Guam AP discussed the launch of the Council’s new electronic data reporting app that allows commercial and non-commercial fishermen to collect and have access to their data in near-real-time, while helping scientists and managers more effectively manage the marine resources. The CNMI AP recommended that the Council request the removal of the fishing prohibitions in the Marine National Monuments in response to the president’s Executive Order 13921.

AP members represent diverse fisheries, including 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 will consider the AP recommendations when it meets virtually June 23 to 25, 2020. For agendas and background materials on the AP and Council meetings, visit www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars or contact the Council at info@wpcouncil.org or call (808) 522-8220.

Scientists to Consider Rebuilding Plan for American Samoa Bottomfish and Other US Pacific Islands Fishery Management Issues

June 5, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Scientists from throughout the Pacific will convene June 9-11, 2020, to discuss fishery management issues and make recommendations for future management of fisheries in the Western Pacific Region. The meeting of the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council will be held by web conference. The full agenda, background documents and instructions for connecting to the meeting and providing oral public comments are available at www.wpcouncil.org/event/136th-scientific-and-statistical-committee. Among the agenda items are the following:

American Samoa Bottomfish Fishery

The Council has asked the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to apply an interim measure provided for in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) that would allow for overfishing to be reduced but not ended for a period of one year or less. The interim measure would allow the biomass to rebuild while minimizing the impacts of a severe reduction in catch to the fishing community. NMFS calculated that at 13,000 pounds the stock would still see a 1% increase in biomass. However, implementation of the interim measure would be challenging because only 15% of the bottomfish habitat is in federal waters and fishing effort is mostly in territorial waters. NMFS will provide an update on where it is at in terms of completing the interim measure rule.

The MSA requires the Council to specify the annual catch limit (ACL) in conjunction with the SSC setting the acceptable biological catch for the American Samoa bottomfish fishery for fishing years 2021 to 2024. Council staff will provide an update on the specification process. Given the scientific uncertainty of the fishery, working groups have recommended a 30% risk of overfishing. The law allows up to a 50% risk of overfishing. The catch associated with a 30% risk level given the 2019 stock assessment for the fishery by NMFS is 2,000 pounds. The average annual catch from 2016 to 2018 has been 18,352 pounds.

The 2019 stock assessment found the American Samoa bottomfish fishery to be overfished (the stock biomass is below the level needed for it to reproduce at maximum sustainable yield) and subject to overfishing (the level of fishing effort is not sustainable, i.e., would lead to an overfished status). The Council, in consultation with its SSC, must develop and implement within two years a plan that would rebuild the overfished stock within 10 years. At the same time, the Council must immediately end overfishing. The current projection from NMFS shows the stock could rebuild within 10 years with an ACL ranging between 0 to 1,500 pounds.

The SSC may provide advice on potential options that could simultaneously rebuild the bottomfish stock, end overfishing and keep the fishery open.

Stock Definitions

Stock status definition criteria for the management unit species under each of the five Council Fishery Ecosystem Plans will be developed and used to provide guidance on National Standards 3 of the MSA.Bottomfish stocks in two adjacent island areas for the same management units are currently split up by jurisdictional boundaries, which may not be commensurate with the distribution of the management units. Research on reef fish shows no genetic differentiation in adults and recruits between the two regions. In the case of North Pacific striped marlin, stock boundaries are dictated by geopolitical jurisdictional boundaries drawn by regional fishery management organizations. Like territorial bottomfish, this stock has issues for which jurisdictional boundaries are not consistent with biological information (genetics, movement from tagging, life history commonalities) that should replace jurisdictional boundaries for defining stocks. National Standard 3 of the MSA states; “To the extent practicable, an individual stock of fish shall be managed as a unit throughout its range, and interrelated stocks of fish shall be managed as a unit or in close coordination.”

Main Hawaiian Island Uku

The SSC will hear a report on the review of the 2020 main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) uku (Aprion virescens; grey snapper) stock assessment. The review was performed in Honolulu Feb. 24-28, 2020. Model estimates of population biomass show a gradual decline from 1948 to the late 1980s, followed by a brief period of stability and a substantial increase in biomass starting in the early 2000s. The SSC will determine if the assessment is the best scientific information available for fishery management decisions.

Electronic Reporting

Council staff will be presenting an overview of the Catchit Logit app suite, an electronic reporting system developed by the Council in collaboration with the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. This is an integrated reporting system where the fisher app and fish vendor app are linked by the administration app. This provides a near-real-time reporting system and an alternative source of fishery-dependent data to support the development of a new stock assessment. This self-reporting system is supported by the mandatory license and reporting regulations in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and Guam (still being developed). Council staff will show elements of the app and dashboard system that automatically summarize the data of individual fishermen on their devices and a public version that summarizes the data for the fishery as a whole. This effort will also be supported by comprehensive outreach to the fishing community and a training workshop for fishermen and fish retailers that will be participating in this program.

Recommendations made by the SSC on these and other matters will be considered by the Council when it meets June 22-25, 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.

Fish Councils Look For Ways To Bounce Back From Pandemic

May 29, 2020 — Archie Soliai was supposed to be leading a meeting at the Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu’s North Shore this week, but instead he appeared on a computer screen with a pixelated view of Pago Pago in American Samoa in the background.

Soliai is the chairman of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, a quasi-governmental federal agency that oversees fish stocks in U.S. waters from Hawaii to the Pacific Island territories of American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam.

He works for the StarKist Samoa tuna cannery, and over the course of two days hosted a meeting of the nation’s premier fisheries managers via a WebEx video conference to discuss how commercial fishermen could rebound from the coronavirus outbreak that so far has killed more than 101,000 people in the U.S. and 358,000 worldwide.

Read the full story at the Honolulu Civil Beat

American Samoa’s local longliner fleet gets new dedicated dock space

May 18, 2020 — The long-awaited project to build a dock for larger American Samoa fishing vessels broke ground on 7 April, and had a groundbreaking ceremony on 7 May, according to a press release from the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council.

The new berthing area extends the current dock by 450 feet, and will grant the longliner fleet in the area its first dedicated space. Local longliners currently berth “opportunistically” at the main Pago Pago port, StarKist, and Malaloa facilities, but can frequently be required to move when container ships and cruise liners require them to relocate.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

New dock for American Samoa longline fleet

May 8, 2020 — American Samoa’s longline fleet moves a little closer to having its own dock space today.

The long awaited ground-breaking for the extension of the Malaloa Marina is being held this morning in Pago Pago.

Governor Lolo Matalasi Moliga, representatives of the Western Central Pacific Fishery Management Council and the Silva Group contractors are scheduled to attend.

The new berthing area extends the current dock at the marina by 450 feet.

It will be used by the territory’s local longline fleet, which currently has no dedicated dock.

Read the full story at Radio New Zealand

American Samoa to Break Ground on New Fishing Dock

May 7, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The groundbreaking ceremony for a long-awaited dock for larger American Samoa fishing vessels will take place tomorrow at 9 a.m. at the Malaloa Marina in Pago Pago. Gov. Lolo M. Moliga, members of his staff and cabinet, the Silva Group contractors and members of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council are scheduled to attend.

The new berthing area extends the current dock at the Malaloa Marina by 450 feet. It will be used by the local longline fleet, which currently has no dedicated dock and opportunistically berths at the main Pago Pago port, StarKist and Malaloa facilities until the arrival of purse-seine vessels, cruise liners and fuel and container ships requires them to relocate.

The American Samoa longline fleet is comprised of 16 vessels averaging 79 feet and three smaller alia (traditional catamaran style) vessels. It targets albacore tuna, which is delivered to the StarKist cannery. Incidental catches of marlin and yellowfin and bigeye tuna are sold to local businesses and used for cultural/community obligations.

“We must maintain this fishery,” says Kitty M. Simonds, executive director of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council. “It is one of three US tuna fisheries in the western and central Pacific. It has been challenged by current gaps in the management of South Pacific albacore by international fishery commissions. The United States needs to remain a pivotal player in these management and conservation negotiations.”

At the request of the American Samoa government to provide assistance in addressing the lack of docking space in Pago Pago Harbor, the Council provided $195,000 through the Sustainable Fisheries Fund. The funds are used to support the Marine Conservation Plan for each of the US Pacific Territories, which includes fisheries development as one of the objectives. The funds were used for the design phase of the project with the agreement that the local government would identify a funding source for the construction of the dock.

“This is a great milestone and a long time coming,” says Taotasi Archie Soliai, Council chair and a manager at StarKist. “The Council is extremely excited and looks forward to this project completion so more dock space is available to our local fleet. Our goal is to work with the territorial governments to provide support for their MCPs, and this dock expansion falls in line with those objectives. A big heartfelt appreciation goes to Gov. Lolo Moliga and his Administration for the funding allocation towards this project. This is a win-win situation for everyone!”

3 students earn fisheries scholarships

May 4, 2020 — Three college students have been named recipients of the 2020-2021 U.S. Pacific Territories Fishery Capacity-Building Scholarship.

The recipients are:

  • Aveipepa Fua, of American Samoa, who will be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in marine science at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo;
  • Jude Lizama, of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, who will be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in oceanography with a concentration in fisheries science at Hawai’i Pacific University; and
  • Leilani Sablan, of Guam, who will be pursuing a master’s degree in biology at the University of Guam.

Read the full story at The Guam Daily Post