March 27, 2026 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

For many Pacific Island communities, green sea turtles are more than a protected species. They are part of ceremony, identity, family teaching and a way of life that many say has been interrupted for generations.

Now, as green sea turtle populations recover, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is advancing a conversation that many island leaders say is long overdue: what recovery could mean not only for conservation, but also for the possible return of cultural stewardship and sustainable use in the Western Pacific.

At its meeting today, the Council reaffirmed its commitment to work with federal and territorial agencies to continue exploring avenues for the sustainable take of green sea turtles in the region. 

The action followed an international workshop held March 1, 2026, during the 44th International Sea Turtle Symposium in Kona, Hawai‘i. More than 100 participants from 21 countries and territories gathered to examine how sea turtle use is managed, what systems are working and what lessons may help make sustainable use viable.

The workshop highlighted that conservation and use can coexist. With community involvement, locally adapted management and appropriate biological safeguards, sustainable use can support conservation at any population level. Presentations also showed that sea turtle use continues in subsistence, ceremonial and customary contexts, with local governance, indigenous knowledge and accountability central to successful stewardship.

Council member Chelsa Muña, Guam Dept. of Agriculture director, commended the meaningful progress made through the workshop. “It aligns with past Council comments about incorporating cultural take and traditional knowledge into some form of community-based management,” said Muña. “Rather than villainizing culture, there could be incorporation of that community into some form of management of the population.”

“It was interesting to hear that populations were still increasing in places where take was never banned,” said American Samoa Dept. of Marine and Wildlife Resources Director and Council chair Nathan Ilaoa. “We should not let cultural traditions get lost on our watch, and I encourage our federal partners to take the ball and forge ahead in finding a way for sustainable harvest in our Pacific Island region.”

CNMI Dept. of Lands and Natural Resources Secretary and Council member Sylvan Igisomar said the discussion is ultimately about what communities stand to lose when cultural practices are left dormant for too long. “When a cultural practice is lost, it’s gone forever,” Igisomar said. “My children will never have my childhood.”

“Back in Guam, we try to perpetuate our traditional use of resources while maintaining strong stewardship in how we protect them and take only what we need, especially for events and celebrations,” said Guam Council member Jesse Rosario.

The Council along with U.S. Pacific Islanders have sought to restore culturally important sea turtle harvest since take was prohibited under the Endangered Species Act in 1978. In 2021, a U.S. State Department representative told the Council that avenues for resuming green sea turtle cultural harvest, even if the ESA allowed it, are not available due to U.S. obligations under the Inter-American Convention for the Protection and Conservation of Sea Turtles (IAC). Under the IAC, the parties must take action to prohibit intentional use of sea turtles, with limited exceptions. In September 2025, the Council requested assistance from the Trump Administration to explore changes to the IAC to allow for the sustainable use of green sea turtles in the region. 

March 26, 2026 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council today advanced follow-up work on fisheries science and management priorities, reaffirmed its seafood Executive Order recommendations from its September 2025 meeting, and took action on shark depredation and mitigation in the Pacific Islands region.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) plans to reduce funding to the regions and science centers to manage our fisheries. The prioritization framework is intended to narrow the scope of NMFS’s federal fisheries science and management from more than 500 stocks nationally to account for new funding realities. The framework weighs the value of and risks to each fishery and stock, defining value primarily in monetary terms and treating social and other considerations as secondary.

The NMFS economic-first approach fails to reflect the essential role of fisheries in the Pacific Islands region. The Council made clear that for Pacific Island communities, cultural importance supersedes economic value integral to the prioritization exercise. Members directed its Scientific and Statistical Committee to develop a mechanism capable of determining and quantifying the value of culture to inform the prioritization.

 “Reduced funding does not eliminate the Council’s responsibility to manage fisheries in the region,” said Council Chair Nathan Ilaoa from American Samoa. “We are different – we don’t have vast amounts of farmland or Costco, we depend on fisheries, we have to make sure it doesn’t downgrade our fisheries. Cultural value may be difficult to quantify, but it must be part of the decision-making process.”

 Although the region’s small-scale bottomfish and Kona crab fisheries may appear small by national economic standards, they play an outsized role in food security and culture. Evaluating fisheries only by dollar value would make it harder for Western Pacific fisheries to compete for funding.

 In 2018, the Council moved to reclassify hundreds of fisheries caught in state and territorial waters as ecosystem component species so that limited resources can be directed to priority fisheries.

 “This is ultimately a resource allocation issue at both the regional and national levels,” said Council member Barry Thom, executive director of the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, the newest nonvoting member. “The Council, Center and Region should use this process to demonstrate that resources are being targeted where they are most needed.” 

 Seafood Executive Order

Responding to EO 14276, “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness,” the Council reviewed its recommendations and decided that no changes to our list of actions will be made. Removing fishing prohibitions in the Pacific Island monuments remains the Council’s highest priority. A close second is revising burdensome regulations such as the Hawai‘i shallow-set longline fishery turtle trip limit measure and hard cap, which are highly disruptive to a fishery that supplies approximately half of the domestic swordfish market. 

 “The current closure has been costly and inefficient, burdening the longline fleet that supplies our StarKist cannery,” Ilaoa said. “Our fleet is critical to American Samoa’s economy and to maintain MSC certification needed to support contracts serving the military and school lunch programs across the nation.”

 Shark Depredation and Mitigation

Major outcomes from the February 2026 shark workshop highlighted ongoing concerns about shark depredation across the region. Participants agreed that better data collection and reporting is critical. Information on lost gear and fishing time, and continued collaboration with fishermen to test and improve deterrent technologies are among the top priorities.

 “What we heard from around the region is that shark depredation varies between pelagic and bottomfish fisheries,” said workshop chair Jason Helyer of the Hawai‘i Division of Aquatic Resources. “Questions about whether it is being driven by population changes, habituation or climate-related factors are part of a broader issue affecting fisheries globally.”

 Guidelines for Electronic Monitoring 

Electronic monitoring (EM) takes advantage of modern technology to monitor Council-managed longline fisheries while lessening burdens to vessel operators compared to human observers such as providing food and living space. The Council reviewed guidelines for vessel monitoring plans (VMPs), which are vessel-specific plans required for boats using EM systems. The VMPs include contact information, malfunction contingencies and catch handling requirements while at sea.

 In June 2025, the Council recommended full EM implementation in the Hawai‘i and American Samoa longline fisheries, with a primary focus on protected species and bycatch monitoring. The Council endorsed the guidelines to help ensure the program operates efficiently. The Council recommended continued training for vessel owners, operators and crew on VMP requirements and to consider some of the cultural differences, including diverse languages spoken. The Council, with NMFS and the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, held multiple forums from November 2025 to February 2026 to gather fishing industry feedback on EM and VMPs. In that time, 40-50 crew members, captains and vessel managers were trained.

 “While there will be a transition period as we ramp up EM, I can assure from experience with our other programs that it will run smooth once implemented,” said Thom. “These conversations on VMPs are very important to make the program effective.”

 At these forums, vessel owners and operators expressed preference for EM rather than having to accommodate human observers while at sea. Ilaoa said, “It is good we are able to reduce burden on crews and meet monitoring needs. Having the VMPs specific to each vessel in our region is the way to go.”