Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council Archives - Page 20 of 33

International Fishery Experts Agree on Key Area-Based Management Concepts

June 22, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Area-based management has become a an international focal point for fisheries management with the United Nations advocating for some form of protected area in 30% of the ocean by 2030.

In response to this initiative and other issues, 34 fishery science and management experts from intergovernmental and nongovernmental agencies, regional fishery management organizations and academia convened by teleconference June 15-17 as a first step toward the development of a “Roadmap to Effective Area-Based Management of Blue Water Fisheries.” The workshop addressed emerging issues in national waters and in areas beyond national jurisdiction and called for clarity in objectives, monitoring and area-based selection. It also stressed comparing static vs dynamic area-based approaches.

The participants agreed that simply closing large sections of the ocean is not a silver bullet for managing blue water fisheries and their ecosystems and that marine protected areas (MPAs) are merely a single element within the tool box of area-based management.

“Area-based management tools are not exclusively MPAs or closures,” noted Ray Hilborn, professor at the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington.

Convened by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council and co-chaired by Hilborn and Vera Agostini (UN Food and Agriculture Organization), the workshop included participants from the Americas, Australia/Oceania and Europe. Workshop contributors addressed the application of area-based management tools to reach objectives pertaining to sustainable food production (local and global), employment (local and global), economic health and welfare, communities and culture, protected and non-target species, ecosystem integrity and resilience to climate change and other stressors.

Area-based management may be static in nature (i.e., have a fixed spatial delineation) or dynamic, whereby portions of the ecosystem closed to fishing can change in space and time. The workshop called for clarity in objectives, monitoring and area-based selection and comparing static vs dynamic area-based approaches.

Participants pointed out that with rapidly emerging technologies to collect data and monitor fisheries, area-based management can be adaptive and more precise in its implementation. But these objectives and management capabilities are also linked with specific need for empirical evidence and research.

“We can’t really predict the impacts of many actions because of information gaps,” Hilborn said.

Stakeholders and leading scientists cautioned for clear planning on the use of area-based management tools in blue water ecosystems rather than strictly opportunistic or “set it and forget it” implementation. Highly migratory fish movements are dynamic and their distributions are often moving, so scientific evaluation in planning is critical.

“Economic, cultural and social objectives need to be considered thoroughly prior to implementation of area-based management, and industry engagement is critical,” noted Craig Severance, professor of anthropology emeritus, University of Hawai’i at Hilo.

Alternative management measures should be explored and evaluated alongside any area-based management measures considered, including take MPAs, the participants agreed.

The workshop will produce the “Roadmap” document by the end of 2020 for publication as peer-reviewed literature.

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

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:

No management action: No specification of catch or allocation limits;
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;
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;
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.

Fishery Council Leaders Discuss COVID-19; NMFS Touts ‘New Normal’ for US Seafood at CCC Meeting

June 1, 2020 — The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council hosted leaders from the eight regional fishery management councils this week by video conference.

The first of the Council Coordination Committee’s biannual meetings spanned time zones from New England to American Samoa as the members and NMFS representatives discussed issues relevant to all of the Councils.

Read the full story at Seafood News

COVID-19 Impacts on Fisheries and NOAA Surveys among the Concerns Addressed by the Nation’s Fishery Management Councils

May 29, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Leaders of the nation’s eight Regional Fishery Management Councils concluded the first of their biannual meetings in 2020 today by videoconference. The Council Coordination Committee (CCC) meeting provides the Councils and heads of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS, also known as NOAA Fisheries) an opportunity to discuss issues relevant to all of the Councils. The meeting is open to the public. Nearly 200 persons attended the two-day meeting. Among the top concerns of the CCC were impacts of COVID-19 on the nation’s fisheries.

The CCC expressed its appreciation to Chris Oliver, NOAA Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, for his unwavering support of fishing-related industries and his efforts to work with the President and his administration on the Executive Order (EO) Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth. The EO asked the Councils to identify and make recommendations regarding regulatory burdens on domestic fisheries. In advance of individual Council recommendations regarding the EO, the CCC will send a letter to Secretary of Commerce Wilbur L. Ross Jr. collectively reiterating their recommendation to remove existing monument fishing prohibitions and to restore authority over fisheries throughout the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ), including marine national monument waters, to the Councils and the Department of Commerce under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA).

The CCC noted that the CARES Act included $300 million to address impacts of COVID-19 on the nation’s fisheries. It recommended, if additional funds are provided to mitigate the impacts on the industry, that distribution of those funds should take into account the use of other relief programs, such as those offered through the Small Business Administration, US Department of Agriculture and Paycheck Protection Program. The CCC said, as a general principle, entities that receive support from other programs should be given a lower priority than those that do not. It also said funding allocations should consider loss directly related to COVID-19.

“The biggest impact to US commercial fisheries in the Western Pacific Region and our ability to provide food to the nation is our inability to fish in 83 percent of the US EEZ waters around Hawaii and 52 percent of the US EEZ in our region due principally to marine national monument fishing restrictions,” noted Taotasi Archie Soliai, chair of the Western Pacific Council, which hosted the meeting.

Francisco (Cisco) Werner, PhD, NOAA Fisheries chief science advisor and director of its Scientific Programs, reported that NOAA has cancelled approximately 55 surveys (includes multiple legs of individual surveys), involving NOAA vessels, partner vessels (e.g., academia, states, etc.) and commercial charters. To date, these surveys account for approximately 1,380 lost planned days-at-sea (DAS) between March 20 and July 20, 2020, due to COVID-19.

The CCC requested that NMFS provide more information on its plans and strategies to deal with the delays in the NOAA ship and chartered surveys and on any alternative use of the unused portion of NMFS funds allocated for surveys and mission DAS for FY2020.

Offshore wind energy projects concerned several Councils. The CCC discussed the need for a process for Councils to weigh-in on and verify impacts of wind energy projects to fisheries in their region. It was noted that, although NMFS efforts are largely focused on assessing impacts, the New England and Mid-Atlantic Councils have not had much response to their recommendations to minimize those impacts through their proposals on where and how the turbines should be placed in the ocean. The Western Pacific Council expressed concern that offshore wind areas would take away fishing grounds and act as fish aggregating devices and could affect seasonal migrations of fish and attract juvenile fish and protected species. It was also concerned about the impacts from undersea cables on benthic habitats and bottom substrate. The Pacific Council had concerns about the use of short data sets not reflecting the expected effort patterns in fisheries that are being rebuilt and will be reopened soon.

The CCC made several additional recommendations to better coordinate Council and NMFS actions, including the following among others:

Continue the development of an approach and implementation plan to openly track the status of all Policy Directives,
Procedural Directives, and associated Supplements (such as regional implementation plans).
Provide sufficient time for Councils to review and comment on the draft Procedural Guidance for Changing Assessed Stock Status from Known to Unknown.
Provide statutory assistance for clarifying aquaculture authorities.

The CCC approved a habitat partner engagement letter and sending it. The CCC further approved conducting a Fisheries Science Center Engagement Webinar.

The CCC expressed concern that NMFS guidance on data poor stocks and alternative management approaches may not provide adequate guidance on MSA National Standard 1 to resolve conflicts that arise between scientific advice and the constraints imposed by current laws and policies. It was also concerned that the guidance may not adequately address the need for status determination criteria for model-resistant stocks.

The CCC supported the recognition of functional equivalency in the proposed National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) procedure revision. It believed that MSA actions fulfill NEPA requirements because the development of fishery actions is inherently an environmental review process and provide ample opportunities for public review. The CCC said it looked forward to working with NMFS and the White House Council on Environmental Quality to develop agency guidance for determining functional equivalence and implementing the functional equivalency provision. It encouraged NMFS to initiate the process for applying the provision to MSA actions as soon as possible, in coordination with the Councils.

For more information on the CCC meeting, go to http://www.fisherycouncils.org/ccc-meetings/may-2020.

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

‘New Normal’ Trumpets a Bigger Role for U.S. Seafood

May 28, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Leaders of the nation’s eight Regional Fishery Management Councils convened the first of their biannual meetings in 2020 today by teleconference. The Council Coordination Committee (CCC) meeting provides the Councils and heads of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to discuss issues relevant to all of the Councils. Heading today’s agenda was COVID-19 impacts on U.S. fisheries and federal efforts to address them, including President Trump’s Executive Orders on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth and on Regulatory Relief to Support Economic Recovery and the CARES Act $300M stimulus package for fisheries and aquaculture.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has made our responsibility more poignant and highlights the often overlooked fact that managing our nation’s fisheries is about ensuring that Americans have food,” stated Taotasi Archie Soliai, chair of the Western Pacific Council, which hosted the meeting. “Yes, management is about making certain fish stocks and protected species remain healthy. Yes, management is about guaranteeing that our fishermen can earn a decent living, pursue the sport of recreational fishing and continue their cultural traditions. But the bottom line is the goal of management of our fisheries is to ensure that our nation can provide nutritious seafood to its people from its waters, which comprise the second largest exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the world.”

Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries Chris Oliver said the agency “is looking to support a ‘new normal’ where seafood plays an even bigger role in our economy and in our households. … The Presidential Executive Order greatly adds the horsepower we needed, by codifying our role to support you. It calls for regulatory reform to maximize commercial and recreational fishing opportunities and enforcement of common-sense restrictions on seafood imports that do not meet American standards. And it places NOAA firmly in charge of coordinating the federal process for aquaculture permitting. The Executive Order and the CARES Act funding create an exciting new opportunity to address long-term challenges to expanding the domestic seafood sector.”

Offshore wind issues, bycatch and changing stock assessment status were among other items covered today. The meeting continues tomorrow and is open to the public. The agenda and conference call-in instructions are posted at http://www.fisherycouncils.org/ccc-meetings/may-2020.

Two Fishery Management Council Agendas to Focus on COVID-19 Effects on Fisheries, Management

May 26, 2020 — Concerns relating to the coronavirus have meant many state, federal and international fishery management meetings have gone virtual. But now two of those meetings are tackling COVID-19’s direct effect on fisheries and fisheries management.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is seeking input on COVID-19 impacts on fisheries and management when it meets virtually for its June 2020 meeting. The council may also consider management changes to ease those impacts, according to an industry notice.

Read the full story at Seafood News