Saving Seafood

NOAA proposing new rules on commercial fishing in the expanded areas of the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument

November 25, 2025 — The 205th meeting of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council will convene by web conference on December 16-17, 2025.

Host sites for Webex include 1164 Bishop St., Ste. 1400, Honolulu, HI; Tedi of Samoa Bldg., Ste. 208B, Fagatogo Village, AS; BRI Bldg., Ste. 205, Kopa Di Oru St., Garapan, Saipan, CNMI; Cliff Pointe, 304 W. O’Brien Dr., Hagatfia, Guam.

The Webex link is https://tinyurl.com/205Counci1Mtg (if prompted, enter event number: 2864 005 8179; password: CM205mtg).

Specific information on joining the meeting, 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/205th-council-meeting-virtual-2.

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. (HST), Thursday, December 11, 2025, via postal mail, fax or email as indicated at end of the end of the article.

Read the full article at Samoa News

HAWAII: Green Sea Turtles Have Rebounded. Should Hawaiians Be Able To Eat Them?

November 5, 2025 — Mac Poepoe grew up diving in the waters off Molokaʻi to spear honu — Hawai‘i’s distinct species of green sea turtle — that helped feed his family. He also often saw other fishermen hunt honu for profit, selling its prized meat to shops and restaurants across the channel on Maui.

Those widespread commercial killings helped land the honu on the federal endangered species list in 1978, when Poepoe, a lifelong Friendly Isle resident, was 29 years old. The move didn’t include any cultural exemptions for Hawaiians such as Poepoe, who had sustainably harvested the turtles for generations.

“What it does, it criminalizes us,” Poepoe said Friday. “That law applies to everybody like us that was born eating turtle. It’s not our primary source of food, but it’s one of our resources that we rely on.”

The International Union for Conservation of Nature — a network of governments and conservation groups — actually declared that Hawaiian green sea turtles were no longer endangered more than a decade ago. The federal government, however, still designates the species as endangered and Hawaiian green sea turtles are still protected under U.S. law.

Then, last month, the group expanded its declaration to cover green sea turtles worldwide, saying it considers them a species of “least concern,” meaning they have a less than 10% chance of going extinct in the next century.

Weeks earlier, Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council Executive Director Kitty Simonds asked federal fisheries leaders to help restore rights to kill some green sea turtles for cultural purposes, such as special meals.

Read the full article at Civil Beats

Wespac moves toward reopening Pacific monument to commercial fishing

October 6, 2025 — The prospects of opening up Hawaii’s protected marine monument to commercial fishing has moved a step closer to reality.

Members of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, or Wespac, voted Sept. 17 to move toward allowing commercial fishing within four marine national monuments, including Papahanau ­mokuakea and the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument.

The decision followed testimony in strong opposition from Native Hawaiian leaders, scientists and environmental advocates.

Read the full article at The Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Local fish vendors share struggles with pricing, imports, and regulations

October 6, 2025 — AT a public meeting at the Crowne Plaza on Oct. 4, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council heard directly from fishing vendors about the challenges they face.

A release from the WPRFMC called the event a “community consultation” and said it was aimed at “strengthening connections with fish vendors and exploring ways to improve markets, pricing, and seafood safety.”

Alex Min of WPRFMC said the organization wanted to hear about a wide range of issues impacting fishing vendors, who he described as “key points of contact” for fisheries.

“You’re seeing a lot of different fish coming to you and through you,” he said. “We think that’s a really important thing to record and make sure your voices are heard.”

Arnel Obando, a resident, said one thing affecting fishermen — and therefore fishing vendors — is the prohibition on monofilament fishing nets. On Saipan, it is illegal to fish with a tekken (gill net) or chenchulu (drag net).

Read the full article at Marianas Variety 

Mariana Islands Community  Consultation – Round 2 Navigating Change:  Estorian Peskadot Marianas

September 26, 2025 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Continuing to build on conversations from the February 2025 meetings, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council and the Pacific Islands Fisheries Group (PIFG) will host the 2nd in a series of community consultation meetings across the Mariana Islands in early October. These meetings will provide a space for local fishers and community members to share experiences, cultural knowledge and concerns about fisheries.

EVERYONE WELCOME!

We invite fishing families and the public to participate in these vital discussions. Your voice matters as we work together to navigate changes and enhance the fishing community’s future. This is a chance for fishers and community members to speak directly about what they are seeing in the water and to help shape solutions for the future.

(Council community consultation effort overview-GUAM)

Meeting Schedule: 

● Inalahan, GU

Date: October 1, 2025 (Wednesday)

Time: 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (ChST)

Location: Inalahan Community Center, 719 San Jose Street

Main Discussion Topics: Shark Depredation, Shifting Seasons, and Preserving Fishing Traditions

● Malesso, GU

Date: October 2, 2025 (Thursday)

Time: 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (ChST)

Location: Malesso Senior Citizen’s Center, 462 Chalan Kanton Tasi

Main Discussion Topics: Shark Depredation, Shifting Seasons, and Preserving Fishing Traditions

● Sinajaña, GU

Date: October 3, 2025 (Friday)

Time: 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (ChST)

Location: Sinajaña Community Center, 117A E Chalan Gumayuus

Main Discussion Topics: Shark Depredation, Shifting Seasons, and Preserving Fishing Traditions

(Council community consultation effort overview-CNMI)

● Saipan, CNMI

Date: October 4, 2025 (Saturday)

Time: 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (ChST)

Location: Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan, Azucena Room, Coral Tree Ave, Garapan

Main Discussion Topics: Market, Price, and Seafood Safety Improvements

● Rota, CNMI

Date: October 7, 2025 (Tuesday)

Time: 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (ChST)

Location: Mayor of Rota Conference Hall, San Francisco de Borja Hwy, Tatachong

Main Discussion Topics: Environmental Changes, Barriers to Fishing, Cultural Practices, and Opportunities for Youth, Aquaculture, and Local Management Solutions

● Tinian, CNMI

Date: October 8, 2025 (Wednesday)

Time: 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (ChST)

Location: Tinian Western Lodge, Marpo Heights

Main Discussion Topics: Environmental Changes, Barriers to Fishing, Cultural Practices, and Opportunities for Youth, Aquaculture, and Local Management Solutions

For more information, please contact Felix Reyes-GU (felix.reyes@wpcouncil.org), Angela Dela Cruz-CNMI (angela.delacruz@wpcouncil.org) or Alex Min (alex.cannon.min@gmail.com, www.fishtoday.org/pacific-islands-voices). See flyers below and please help spread the word!

About the Council

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

Western Pacific Council Pushes for Tougher Standards on Seafood Imports

September 23, 2025 — Western Pacific fishery managers are pressing federal regulators to crack down on seafood imports that don’t meet US standards for protecting marine mammals. 

At its meeting last week, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council urged NOAA to strengthen newly finalized Marine Mammal Protection Act Import Provisions, which were published earlier this month in the Federal Register. The Council called for stricter benchmarks when reviewing foreign fisheries and requested a transparent process that allows for public and stakeholder input. 

The import rules, first authorized in 1972 but only now being fully enforced, are meant to block seafood products from countries that fail to meet US requirements for reducing marine mammal bycatch, according to the Council. For the first time, NOAA has issued Comparability Findings that will ban imports from certain nations and fisheries starting Jan. 1, 2026 — affecting roughly 15% of U.S. seafood imports. 

Read the full article at SeafoodNews.com

NOAA advisory council endorses Pacific monument fishing

September 22, 2025 — President Donald Trump’s push to roll back commercial fishing restrictions in marine national monuments advanced this week when a NOAA advisory council recommended permitting fishing in four Pacific ocean monuments.

The decision by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council to move toward scraping the prohibitions on commercial fishing would align policy with Trump’s April 17 executive order requiring the Commerce and Interior departments to “review all existing marine monuments and provide recommendations to the President of any that should be opened to commercial fishing.”

The council directed its staff to “prepare an analysis of management options to implement” the executive order to be presented at the council’s next meeting in December.

Read the full article at E&E News

WPRFMC votes to reopen fishing in parts of marine monuments after Trump order

September 19, 2025 — The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC) has decided to move forward with allowing commercial fishing within marine national monuments in the Pacific Ocean.

In a press release, the council said it is reopening the four marine national monuments in its management area – the Pacific Islands Heritage, Rose Atoll, Mariana Trench, and Papahānaumokuākea Marine national monuments. U.S. President Donald Trump directed much of those areas to reopen to fishing in a sweeping proclamation issued in April 2025 designed to benefit the U.S. seafood industry.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource 

WP Council Urges Stronger Standards for Marine Mammal Protection in Seafood Imports

September 19, 2025 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council yesterday called on NOAA to strengthen its new Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) Import Provisions, which were published in the Federal Register on Sept. 2, 2025. The Council urged NOAA to apply more rigorous standards when determining whether foreign fisheries meet U.S. requirements for protecting marine mammals and reducing bycatch, and to create a clear process for public and stakeholder input.

The MMPA Import Provisions, first enacted in 1972 but never fully implemented, are designed to prevent seafood imports from countries that do not have measures comparable to U.S. standards for reducing the incidental capture, injury or death of marine mammals.

For the first time, NOAA’s Comparability Findings identified specific nations and fisheries that will be prohibited from exporting seafood to the United States beginning Jan. 1, 2026. The findings affect approximately 15% of all U.S. seafood imports. However, the restrictions do not apply to tuna longline fisheries in the Western and Central Pacific, which are of particular concern to the Council. To better understand the scope and impact of the rule, the Council also requested that NMFS evaluate the amount of tuna imports into the United States that are affected by the Comparability Findings Report.

During public comment, Eric Kingma of the Hawaii Longline Association voiced frustration with the findings that did not bar other Western and Central Pacific fisheries, citing strict requirements the Hawai‘i longline fishery faces. “You’re telling me that foreign distant-water longline fisheries operating around Hawai‘i, in the same proximity and same fishing grounds as us, are removing hooks from false killer whales without causing serious injury? To me, that is absolutely inaccurate.”

Deep-Sea Mining in the Western Pacific

University of Hawai‘i professor Jeff Drazen presented a comprehensive review of deep-sea mining that highlighted current technologies, potential ecological impacts on fish at different levels in the water column, and the significant data limitations and uncertainties that remain. There is renewed interest in extracting minerals needed for battery production in both the Clarion Clipperton Zone southeast of Hawai‘i and in U.S. waters off American Samoa.

Hawai‘i Council member Matt Ramsey emphasized the importance of distinguishing between the different mining technologies being considered. Traditional “tractoring” methods involve large machines moving across the ocean floor, creating sediment plumes and discharges, while companies such as Impossible Metals are developing robotic arms designed to pluck individual mineral nodules from the seafloor.

“This Council banned bottom trawling in 1983, recognizing the harm,” Ramsey said. “You can see how bottom trawling and the tractoring method are similar, but Impossible Metals is a different conversation. The technology and the resulting regulations may be different.”

The Council directed staff to continue monitoring developments in American Samoa and to work with its advisory groups to provide information and analysis on potential impacts to fisheries and marine resources. The Council also invited NOAA to present an overview of proposed commercial recovery permit applications in the Clarion Clipperton Zone at its next meeting.

2026–2029 CNMI Bottomfish Catch Limits

The Council took initial action to set the annual catch limit (ACL) for the CNMI bottomfish fishery at 72,000 pounds and the annual catch target (ACT) at 66,000 pounds for fishing years 2026–2029. These specifications are based on the results of the NMFS 2025 stock assessment update, along with application of the Council’s P* and SEEM analyses to account for scientific and management uncertainty. The ACT was set below the ACL to provide a management buffer that helps prevent the fishery from exceeding the ACL, ensuring catches remain within sustainable limits.

Fishing council recommends rolling back fishing prohibitions in Pacific Ocean

September 18, 2025 — The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council wants to undo fishing protections in the Pacific Ocean, which opponents say will hurt ocean ecosystems.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in April to review regulations in U.S. marine monuments in an effort to promote domestic fishing.

As part of that review, WESPAC was asked to make recommendations to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce on what to do within Pacific monuments.

On Tuesday the council voted to endorse a July letter it drafted recommending the allowance of commercial fishing in three Pacific monuments — the Mariana Trench, Rose Atoll and Pāpahānaumokuākea marine national monuments.

The council also voted separately to repeal fishing prohibitions in the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument, formerly known as the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.

Read the full article at Hawaii Public Radio