Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council Archives - Page 15 of 33

Western Pacific Scientists Support Fishermen Input on Annual Reports, Gear Requirements to Protect Sharks

June 18, 2021 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The SSC supported inclusion of a new section on fishermen observations to the annual status of the fisheries regional and pelagic reports for American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Hawai‘i and the Pacific Remote Island Areas. The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council discussed this and other issues during its three-day virtual meeting this week.

Fishermen contributions to the 2020 Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) reports provided important input in light of COVID-19-related restrictions on data gathering, and real in-water experiences that cannot be replicated by federally funded science.

Bottomfish catch, effort and participation generally declined for all areas except for CNMI in 2020 relative to historical averages, with impacts due to the COVID-19 pandemic likely being a contributing factor. In addition, there was a severe reduction in fishery-dependent sampling, especially in Guam, where nearly half of the scheduled creel catch interviews for the year were not conducted due to social distancing restrictions.

The Council produces the SAFE reports through contributions of data and analyses from local and federal partners. The reports give a snapshot of fishery performance and include oceanic and climate indicators, such as increasing sea surface temperature, which contributes to local mass mortality events for coral.

The SSC supported options for bigeye tuna longline catch and allocation limits for 2022 of either up to 3,000 metric tons (6.6 million pounds) or 6,000 metric tons (13.2 million pounds) total transfers for the U.S. Participating Territories of American Samoa, Guam and the CNMI. This recommendation is based on a 2020 assessment for the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) that indicated the bigeye tuna stock is healthy—not subject to overfishing or overfished.

In accordance with applicable laws, the Council may recommend a quota for each U.S. territory and may allow transfer of part of its quota through specified fishing agreements. These agreements are negotiated once the U.S. quota (3,554 metric tons in 2020) is reached.

A new risk analysis from the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center found that a longline fishery gear change by the Hawai‘i deep-set fleet from wire to monofilament leaders would reduce the catch and mortality of oceanic whitetip sharks by about 30%. If a ban on wire leaders was implemented at the international level under regional fishery management organizations, it would reduce the species mortality by 35% across the region.

The SSC finds that the available scientific information provides support for prohibiting wire leaders in longline fisheries and requiring removal of trailing gear from accidentally hooked species like threatened oceanic whitetip sharks. The Council is considering a regulatory change to improve post-hooking survivorship of oceanic whitetip sharks that are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act and is subject to overfishing and overfished in the WCPO. Science also provides support for removing as much trailing gear as possible, including the weighted swivel. The SSC recommended that the Council continue to work with the National Marine Fisheries Service and the fishing industry to research methods and practices to facilitate additional safety measures to prevent fly-back.

The SSC also recognized the importance of addressing fishery impacts to oceanic whitetip sharks at the international level due to the small relatively impact from U.S. longline fleets.

The SSC heard a presentation on a 2020 study that scored 95 U.S. fisheries with respect to bycatch using a “relative bycatch index.” Results from the analysis could potentially be used to facilitate management intervention strategies for particular fisheries or gear types, such as shrimp and otter trawls and several pelagic longline and gillnet fisheries, which had the poorest bycatch performance. These findings underscore the need for continued, high-quality, easily accessible bycatch information to better support fisheries management in the United States and globally. The Hawai‘i deep-set longline fishery had a relatively high index value as compared to the shallow-set and American Samoa longline fisheries. However, the SSC noted that the study did not take into account regional differences in bycatch strategies and criteria weighting.

Instructions on connecting to the web conference, agendas and briefing documents are posted at www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars. Host sites are subject to local and federal safety and health guidelines regarding COVID-19; check the Council website for updates.

Scientists Support Combined Management Measures for Uku, Review Mitigation Tactics for False Killer Whales

June 16, 2021 — 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 supported the combined management of the commercial and noncommercial sectors of the main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) uku fishery. Commercial fishery data is submitted mandatorily through monthly reports. However, variabilities in the noncommercial data from the voluntary Hawai‘i Marine Recreational Fisheries Survey (estimated bi-monthly) raise uncertainties about the reliability of this system as a tool for in-season tracking against the annual catch limit. Improvements in data collection systems and establishing a proper management framework for sector allocation are required if the uku fishery is to be managed separately.

In September 2020, the SSC set the acceptable biological catch for uku at 297,624 pounds for fishing years 2022 to 2025. The MHI stock is not overfished or subject to overfishing.

The Committee noted that the decision whether to use sector allocation of the total annual catch target is purely a management action. A 2020 stock assessment from the Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center indicates that noncommercial fishers harvest smaller fish compared to commercial fishers due to fishing location and gear type differences. From a scientific standpoint, this justifies managing the uku fishery separately. The SSC chair suggested that the group conduct a risk analysis to determine if management measures should be different for the two sectors in the future.

A working group of the SSC highlighted their preliminary findings on alternative approaches to reduce impacts to false killer whales (FKWs) in the Hawai‘i deep-set longline fishery. The draft issues paper reviews the history of the Pacific Islands Region FKW Take Reduction Team and their recommendations, past SSC recommendations, cetacean avoidance research and interaction reduction measures, among other topics.

The group suggested, for example, that mitigation strategies should focus on removing the trailing gear from an accidentally hooked FKW instead of using weak circle hooks, which to date have proved ineffective. Also, they noted there is not enough demographic information, such as survival rates at different ages and reproductive rates, to do a population assessment or diagnose trends for FKWs. The working group will work with the full Committee to review the findings and associated recommendations.

The meeting continues through Thursday, June 17, 2021. Instructions on connecting to the web conference, agenda and briefing documents are posted at www.wpcouncil.org/event/140th-scientific-and-statistical-committee-virtual-meeting.

Pacific Scientists to Consider Snapper Catch Limits, Evaluate Gear Requirements in Longline Fisheries

June 11, 2021 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Scientists from throughout the Pacific will meet June 15 to 17, 2021, to provide advice on managing the main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) uku fishery, longline fishery gear and release requirements, and other topics to the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council. The meeting of the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will be held virtually and is open to the public. The full agenda, background documents and instructions for connecting to the meeting and providing oral public comments are available at www.wpcouncil.org/event/140th-scientific-and-statistical-committee-virtual-meeting. Among the agenda items are the following:

MHI Uku Catch Limits
At its September 2020 meeting, the SSC set the acceptable biological catch for uku (green/gray jobfish) at 297,624 pounds for fishing year 2022 to 2025. This corresponds to a 43% risk of overfishing when accounting for scientific uncertainties. The SSC may provide scientific advice on the appropriate level of management based on the ability to track the catch in-season. The commercial fishery data is from monthly mandatory fisher reports, while the noncommercial fishery data is estimated from voluntary surveys completed every two months. The SSC will consider if the uku fishery commercial and noncommercial sectors should be managed as a whole or separately.

Gear and Release Requirements for Longline Fisheries
Most vessels in the Hawai‘i deep-set longline fishery use wire leaders in the terminal portion of the branchline between the hook and the weighted swivel to reduce the risk of crew injuries resulting from flyback. Wire leaders make it difficult to remove the terminal portion of the branch line from sharks or other protected species that cannot be brought onboard. Switching to monofilament nylon leaders would allow crew to remove gear closer to the hook and may facilitate a shark’s ability to break free by biting through the line. Tagging studies show that shorter trailing gear gives sharks a better chance of survival.

The Hawaii Longline Association announced at the December 2020 Council meeting that their member vessels will voluntarily eliminate the use of wire leaders by July 1, 2021, and use monofilament nylon leaders or other similar materials. The Council is considering a regulatory change to prohibit the use of wire leaders and to require removal of trailing gear to improve post-hooking survivorship of Endangered Species Act-listed oceanic whitetip sharks and other protected species. The SSC will discuss results from a risk analysis tool that the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) applied to several longline mitigation measures, including the transition to monofilament leaders, among others. The tool provides all possible outcomes of decisions taken and assesses the impact of risk, which allows managers to make better decisions under uncertainty. The SSC may provide additional scientific input to the Council to inform its decisions on the transition from wire leaders and removal of trailing gear.

Recommendations made by the SSC on these and other matters will be considered by the Council when it meets June 22-24, 2021, virtually with host sites at Tedi of Samoa Building, Suite 208B, Fagatogo Village, American Samoa; BRI Building, Suite 205, Kopa Di Oru St., Garapan, Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI); and Cliff Pointe, 304 W. O’Brien Dr., Hagatña, Guam. Instructions on connecting to the web conference, agendas and briefing documents are posted at www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars. Host sites are subject to local and federal safety and health guidelines regarding COVID-19; check the Council website for updates.

Summary of Action Items for the 186th WPRFMC Meeting

June 8, 2021 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Regulatory Amendment: Gear and Release Requirements to Improve Post-Hooking …..Survivorship of Oceanic Whitetip Sharks in the Longline Fisheries
2022 US Territorial Bigeye Tuna Catch/Effort Limit & Allocation Specifications
Multi-Year US Territory Longline Bigeye Catch & Allocation Limits
American Samoa Bottomfish Management Unit Species Rebuilding Plan
American Samoa Marine Conservation Plan
Guam Bottomfish Management Unit Species Rebuilding Plan
Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology & FEP Amendments for Updating …..Consistency
Main Hawaiian Island Deep 7 Bottomfish Annual Catch Limits for Fishing Years 2021-23

Click here for a complete PDF version of the 186th Action Item Summary Memo.

The 186th meeting of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council will convene June 22-24, 2021, by web conference (WebEx) with host sites at the following locations:

Tedi of Samoa Building, Suite 208B, Fagatogo Village, American Samoa
Cliff Pointe, 304 W. O’Brien Drive, Hagatña, Guam
BRI Building, Suite 205, Kopa Di Oru St. Garapan, Saipan, CNMI

The WebEx link is https://tinyurl.com/186CouncilMtg (if prompted, enter event number: 133 181 5362; password: CM186mtg).

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), Friday, June 18, 2021, 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 https://www.wpcouncil.org/event/186th-council-virtual-meeting/.

Read the full release here

WPRFMC 2021 Public Meetings Notice

June 7, 2021 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council announces the following public meetings on fisheries management in offshore waters of Hawai‘i (HI), American Samoa (AS), Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and the Pacific Remote Island Areas (PRIAs). Unless otherwise noted, the meetings will be held by web conference. Host sites are subject to local and federal safety and health guidelines regarding COVID-19; check the Council website for updates. All times listed are local island times. For more information on the virtual meeting connection and complete agendas, go to www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars, email info@wpcouncil.org, fax (808) 522-8226 or phone (808) 522-8220.

AS Archipelago Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP) Advisory Panel (AP)
June 8 (T) 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. (SST)
Major agenda items: AS bottomfish update; Territory bigeye specifications; Gear and release amendment to improve shark survivorship in longline fisheries; 2020 annual Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) reports; and AP plans.

Non-Commercial Fisheries Advisory Committee
June 9 (W) 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (HST)
Major agenda items: Regional/national noncommercial fishing efforts and initiatives; 2020 annual SAFE reports; and Uku fishery monitoring and management.

Fishing Industry Advisory Committee
June 10 (Th) 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (HST)
Major agenda items: Offshore aquaculture management; HI offshore wind energy; Council action items; Mariana Archipelago shark depredation project; Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee seafood recommendations; and Endangered Species Act issues.

Mariana Archipelago FEP-Guam AP
June 10 (Th) 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (ChST)
Major agenda items: Guam bottomfish update; Territory bigeye specifications; 2020 annual SAFE reports; Shark depredation project update; AP plans; and Guam fishery issues and activities.

HI Archipelago FEP AP
June 11 (F) 9 a.m. to noon (HST)
Major agenda items: Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) deep-seven bottomfish annual catch limit (ACL) specification; Gear and release amendment to improve shark survivorship in longline fisheries; Tori line specifications for HI deep-set longline fishery; Offshore wind energy impacts on fisheries; 2020 annual SAFE reports; and AP plans.

Mariana Archipelago FEP-CNMI AP
June 12 (Sat) 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. (ChST)
Major agenda items: Guam bottomfish update; Territory bigeye specifications; 2020 annual SAFE reports; Shark depredation project update; AP plans; and CNMI fishery issues and activities.

140th Scientific & Statistical Committee
Direct link to meeting: https://tinyurl.com/140SSCMtg. If prompted, password SSC140mtg.
June 15 – 17 (T – Th) 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (HST)
Major agenda items: Gear and release amendment to improve shark survivorship in longline fisheries (action item); 2022 U.S. territorial bigeye tuna catch and allocation limit (action item); Standardized bycatch reporting methodology review (action item); and 2020 annual SAFE reports.

Pelagic & International Standing Committee
June 21 (M) 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. (HST)
Major agenda items: Gear and release amendment to improve shark survivorship in longline fisheries (action item); and 2022 and multi-year U.S. territorial bigeye tuna catch and allocation limits (action items).

Executive & Budget Standing Committee
June 21 (M) 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. (HST)
Major agenda items: Financial and administrative matters; Council Coordination Committee meeting report; and Council family changes.

186th Council Meeting
Direct link to meeting: https://tinyurl.com/186CouncilMtg. If prompted, password CM186mtg.
Host sites: Tedi of Samoa Bldg., Suite 208B, Fagatogo Village, AS
BRI Bldg., Suite 205, Kopa Di Oru St., Garapan, Saipan, CNMI
Cliff Pointe, 304 W. O’Brien Drive, Hagatña, Guam
June 22 – 24 (T – Th) 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (HST)
Major agenda items: Gear and release amendment to improve shark survivorship in longline fisheries (action item); 2022 and multi-year U.S. territorial bigeye tuna catch and allocation limits (action items); AS and Guam bottomfish rebuilding plans (action items); AS marine conservation plan (action item); standardized bycatch reporting methodology review (action item); MHI deep-seven bottomfish ACLs for fishing years 2021-23 (action item); and 2020 annual SAFE reports.

Written comments on final action items on the 186th Council meeting agenda received by June 18, 2021, will be distributed to Council members prior to meeting. Direct comments to Kitty M. Simonds, Executive Director, WPRFMC, and mail to 1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI 96813; fax to (808) 522-8226; or email to info@wpcouncil.org. Written comments on all other agenda items may be submitted for the record by email throughout the duration of the meeting.

Key U.S. Pacific Fishery Council Takes Vital Step to Protect Oceanic Whitetip Sharks

April 27, 2021 — The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (Wespac) took a major step forward at its March meeting by recommending the prohibition of wire leaders on the Hawaii deep-set longline tuna fishery in the western Pacific Ocean. Wire leaders, also known as steel trace, are used by vessels fishing for bigeye tuna, but when sharks are accidentally caught on the line, they are unable to free themselves and frequently die as bycatch. This is a problem for the oceanic whitetip shark, which is classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A switch to nylon, or monofilament, leaders, which are easier for sharks to bite through, would reduce mortality and help give this shark population a chance to recover.

In addition, the council recommended the development of a requirement to remove as much fishing line, or trailing gear, from an accidentally caught shark as possible—that is, to cut the line as close to the shark as possible before release. That would further protect sharks once freed from a longline. Council staff estimated that these two requirements would reduce mortality by 17% to 36%.

It’s now critical that the council finalize these much-needed decisions at its June meeting and that federal fishery managers implement them. The recommendations have wide support—including from the Hawaii Longline Association, which announced that its member fishing vessels would voluntarily ban wire leaders months before the council recommendation.

Read the full story at Pew Charitable Trusts

Biden Plan To Conserve More Ocean Habitat Worries Hawaii Fishing Interests

April 1, 2021 — Days after taking office, President Joe Biden signed a sweeping new executive order to conserve 30% of the nation’s total land area and 30% of all waters it controls by 2030.

Read the full story at the Honolulu Civil Beat

U.S. Fishery Managers Support Changes to Address Overfishing for Striped Marlin in the Pacific

March 30, 2021 — Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council members took a bold step last week in response to the internationally overfished North Pacific striped marlin stock. The Council supported a catch limit for U.S. vessels of roughly 1 million pounds, or 457 metric tons in 2022.

The new limit would apply to all U.S. vessels fishing north of the equator and west of 150° W. longitude. An in-season accountability measure would also be implemented to track catch relative to the limit. Retention and landing of striped marlin would be prohibited in longline fisheries when the catch limit is projected to be reached, the Council said in a press release.

Read the full story at Seafood News

U.S. Pacific Fishery Managers Support Changes to Address Overfishing for Striped Marlin

March 26, 2021 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

To address the relative impacts of U.S. vessels on the internationally overfished North Pacific striped marlin, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council recommended an initial catch limit of approximately 1 million pounds (457 metric tons) in 2022. This applies to all U.S. vessels fishing north of the equator and west of 150 °W. An in-season accountability measure would also be implemented to track catch relative to the limit. Retention and landing of striped marlin would be prohibited in longline fisheries when the catch limit is projected to be reached.

Due to highly uncertain historical foreign catch and discards, the Council noted the U.S. relative impacts are unclear. This uncertainty in part will likely be reconciled in 2022 with new analyses by an international science provider. Beginning in 2023, the Council recommended a catch limit corresponding to a proportional fishery-wide reduction to end overfishing. Based on the current best scientific information available, the limit would be 690,000 pounds (313 metric tons), which the Council will specify for 2023.

U.S. Pacific fisheries, including the Hawai‘i longline fishery, landed approximately 19% of reported striped marlin catch from 2013 to 2017, including discards that only the United States reports. “The Hawai‘i fishery has a relatively small impact on the striped marlin stock,” said Council member Roger Dang, owner of longline vessels and Fresh Island Fish of Hawai‘i. “We must remain humble in what we can do and not exhaust our resources without having any real conservation benefit.”

The Council’s international recommendations to move towards ending overfishing include using circle hooks and improving standardized reporting of billfish catch and discards in all Western and Central Pacific Ocean longline fisheries. Recognizing that the United States acting alone would not end overfishing, the Council also recommended limiting Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission member catches to approximately 1.1 million pounds (500 metric tons) per year.

Presidential Executive Orders

The Council directed staff to send letters to the Department of Commerce and Department of Interior regarding President Biden’s Executive Order 14008 on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. The letters will address strategies and conservation of 30% of waters by 2030 and provide information on how to increase the resilience of fisheries and protected species. Regarding the President’s EO 13985 on advancing racial equality and underserved communities, the Council asked staff to review the EO as it applies to the Council’s fishery ecosystem plans, programs and Pacific Island fishing communities.

Council Executive Director Kitty Simonds emphasized that “historically, all of our indigenous people in the Western Pacific Region are underserved, marginalized and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality.”

Oceanic Whitetip Sharks and Gear Changes in the Hawai‘i Longline Fishery

The Council took a step towards a regulatory change to prohibit the use of wire leaders in the Hawai‘i deep-set longline fishery, including a requirement to remove trailing gear from Endangered Species Act-listed oceanic whitetip sharks. This supports the Hawaii Longline Association (HLA) initiative to voluntarily switch from wire to monofilament nylon leaders announced in December 2020 and helps to address the Council’s domestic obligations for the relative impacts of U.S. vessels on international overfishing of Western and Central Pacific Ocean oceanic whitetip sharks.

The Hawai‘i longline fishery uses wire leaders as a safety measure to prevent gear flyback, an unintended consequence of using required weighted branch lines. However, wire leaders make it difficult make it difficult to remove the terminal portion of the branch line from sharks and other protected species that cannot be brought on board.

A joint public comment from HLA, The Ocean Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts emphasized their shared concern for the oceanic whitetip shark stock and support for the transition of the Hawai‘i-based fleet away from wire leaders, focus on crew training and agreement on key actions needed to improve the status of the stock.

International fishery commissions have adopted nonretention measures to help conserve oceanic whitetip sharks. To further address overfishing in international longline fisheries, the Council recommended increased observer coverage in areas where risk of interactions are highest, and improved shark handling and reduction of trailing gear to further safety at sea and promote post-release shark survivability.

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 and the U.S. Pacific Remote Islands Areas.

Western Pacific Council Defers Action on Guam Bottomfish Rebuilding Plan

March 26, 2021 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council deferred action on the Guam bottomfish stock rebuilding plan to a future meeting yesterday in Honolulu. This allows for a coordinated effort among the relevant agencies to finalize the Council’s rebuilding plan and develop the Territory’s Bottomfish Fishery Management Plan—essential to ensure the stock is rebuilt in the shortest time possible, not more than 10 years, as required by the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA).

A National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) 2019 stock assessment determined the Guam bottomfish stock to be overfished. In December 2020, the Council chose a preferred alternative annual catch limit (ACL) of 31,000 pounds. The stock would be rebuilt within six (6) years if catches are kept below that limit. NMFS updated its biomass projection in January 2021, which resulted in a rebuilding projection of nineteen (19) years instead of six (6) years. An alternative that addresses the rebuilding requirement is an ACL of 27,000 pounds. If catch is kept below this level, the stock would rebuild in eight (8) years. Council members again reiterated their dismay that any projection developed continues to use the same flawed creel survey data that has manifested into this current management crisis.

NMFS, the federal agency in charge of assessing fisheries stocks, failed to address the data-limited situation for decades. Guam Vice Chair Michael Dueñas, exasperated by the many regulatory fishing regimes, both federal and local, expressed his deep concern about another regulation that would dramatically curtail fishing. Guam is 212 square miles—a 30-mile-long and 1 to 8.5-mile-wide small island where most citizens depend on the ocean to feed their families. “We are talking about a hook-and-line fishery. How can a difference of 4,000 pounds set us back from six (6) to nineteen (19) years to rebuild the stock? We need to find a model that works for data-poor areas.”

Chelsa Muña-Brecht, Council member and Guam Department of Agriculture Director, said the sudden change in options begs a delay in decision-making. The fishing community of Guam needs to know why and how these numbers are generated. “With the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment is at a record high and people are turning to fishing to survive. We have 80 fishers registered on the Council’s Catchit Logit electronic data reporting app and only 12 are commercial fishers that catch thousands of pounds of fish, unlike purse seiners that capture hundreds of tons per trip and up to 10,000 tons per year per boat.”

Seven years ago, NMFS listed seven corals under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) that occur around American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and the Pacific Remote Island Areas. NMFS is now proposing coral critical habitat designation following a lawsuit due to their failure to act within one year of the species listing.

Council members expressed their frustration with the ‘broad brush’ approach used to draw the critical habitat included in the proposed rule. The maps show most of the shallow areas around the islands to be within the boundaries of the critical habitat designation, rather than only depicting the essential features that comprise the actual critical habitat. CNMI Vice Chair John Gourley said that these maps are not appropriate for use in future ESA consultations, which are required on any federally authorized, permitted or funded projects that may affect designated critical habitat. Territory resource agencies are developing revised maps that exclude non-essential habitat features and other existing managed areas that do not qualify.

To compound the issues, NMFS announced in January 2021 that it would initiate the first five-year status review as required under the ESA, and is also preparing a series of recovery planning workshops in May 2021. Gourley emphasized that these reviews should be completed before the coral critical habitat designation so that NMFS can base its decisions on better information. “The cart is before the horse because we’re doing critical habitat without having full information about the corals in front of us in order to make informed decisions,” said Gourley. Corals are notoriously difficult to identify, even by experts, and there is much uncertainty about the existing records for the territories.

The public comment period has now been extended to May 26, 2021, and comments can be submitted online at www.regulations.gov; search for “NOAA-NMFS-2016-0131.” The Council meeting concludes today by web conference (Webex). Instructions on connecting to Webex, agendas and briefing documents are posted at www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars.