Saving Seafood

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

Council Announces Three Winners for 2020-2021 US Pacific Territories Fishery Capacity-Building Scholarship

May 1, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2020-2021 US Pacific Territories Fishery Capacity-Building Scholarship. The scholarships are offered annually to college students with close connections to American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) who are pursuing degrees that will bolster the Territories’ capacity to manage their fishery ecosystems. Students who accept a scholarship agree to work with their local fishery agency upon graduation for an equivalent amount of time that they receive the scholarship.

The 2020-2021 recipients include Aveipepa Fua (American Samoa) who will be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in marine science at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo; Jude Lizama (CNMI) who will be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in oceanography with a concentration in fisheries science at Hawai’i Pacific University; and Leilani Sablan (Guam) who will be pursuing a master’s degree in biology at the University of Guam.

Since the scholarship program began in 2016, five recipients have graduated, with three having fulfilled their work requirements in American Samoa and the CNMI and two beginning their work commitment in 2019; and six recipients are poised to graduate in 2020 (two students) and 2021 (four students).

The scholarship program was established through a memorandum of understanding involving several federal agencies, the local fishery agencies in the Territories and several colleges and universities in Hawai’i and the Territories. It is funded by the Council, NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and NOAA Pacific Islands Regional Office.

Rep. Amata Highlights Fishing Access As Food Security Issue To Secretary Bernhardt

April 10, 2020 — The following was released by The Office of Congresswomen Aumua Amata (R-American Samoa):

Wednesday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata was able to bring up the need to reopen fishing access as a matter of national food security during a call with Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt.

Congresswoman Amata brought up directly two aspects of American Samoa’s fishing industry during the discussion: Reopening access to waters, and the currently unavailable observers for fishing vessels, requesting that the observer on board requirement be waived.

“I conveyed to Secretary Bernhardt that we appreciate Interior’s swift grant of $1 million for COVID-19 protective gear for the Pacific Territories through the Office of Insular Affairs, where Assistant Secretary Doug Domenech and OIA Director Nik Pula are doing a great job,” said Aumua Amata. “My message to the Secretary is that the COVID crisis highlights the fact that food security equals national security. Now is the time to reopen commercial fishing in the American waters in the Marine Monuments as the Interior Department has recommended.”

Read the full release here

Keep fishermen fishing: Food producers are essential to our health and survival

March 23, 2020 — Food production and delivery are crucial systems for society. The covid-19 virus is causing severe economic and social disruptions worldwide. The president has made it clear to the U.S. population that grocery stores and pharmacies will remain open. However fishermen, farmers and processors need to be able to continue their work to provide consumer with food.
Seemingly without a plan, parts of the world are demobilizing the food supply chain when they should be trying to secure and protect it.

Every day we learn more that fishermen in the United States and in some European countries are increasingly unable to sell their products. These harvesters have come to the docks with fresh food and there are either no buyers, or price offers are so low that fishermen won’t return to sea do a second trip.

With the information we have thus far, the best way to combat covid-19 is to keep immune systems healthy. Everyone needs nutritious food to maintain their underlying health. Seafood is a vital part of a healthy diet. Consumers expect to go to the store to find milk for their coffee and spinach for a salad. Not surprisingly, if dairy and market farmers stop farming, or a seafood processor stops processing, or a shipping company stops driving, there will be nothing left in stores.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Rep. Amata Urges Fishing Access For National Food Security

March 20, 2020 — The following was released by The Office of Congresswomen Aumua Amata (R-American Samoa):

Thursday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata is urging President Trump to reopen fishing access as a matter of national food security during the worldwide economic and health crisis.

“At this time of global re-evaluation of world health and economics, I simply write to say that food security equals national security. Please use your Executive Order to immediately reopen the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM) to commercial fishing,” Aumua Amata states in her urgent letter to the President.

“American Samoa is home to the largest tuna cannery in the Country and the cannery needs restored access to the Monument to keep up with demand which has spiked over 30 percent in the past week alone for this key healthy, shelf-stable and staple product for American consumers,” she continues.

“Now is the time to reopen American waters to ensure an American supply chain with American boats fishing American waters and having American manufacturing plants processing essential staple foods for the American people,” says Congresswoman Amata.

She supports her request with prior communications from herself and Governor Lolo Moliga, including one cosigned by House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Rob Bishop of Utah. The Congresswoman closes with appreciation to the President for ongoing bold action in the effort to protect our country and his continued optimism.

Read the full release here

As Canned Tuna Fly Off Shelves, Operations of U.S. Boats Are Compromised

March 19, 2020 — Consumers bracing against Covid-19 have raised demands not only for health and safety products but also for many food staples, including tuna. According to a recent National Public Radio report, tuna sales were up more than 31 percent last week compared to the same time last year.

StarKist Samoa, located in the U.S. Territory of American Samoa, supplies tuna for the U.S. market.

Read the full story at Seafood News