Saving Seafood

Obama creates world’s largest marine protected area

August 29, 2016 — WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Friday expanded a national monument off the coast of Hawaii, creating a safe zone for tuna, sea turtles and thousands of other species in what will be the world’s largest marine protected area.

Obama’s proclamation quadrupled in size a monument originally created by President George W. Bush in 2006. The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument will contain some 582,578 square miles, more than twice the size of Texas.

The regional council that manages U.S. waters in the Pacific Islands voiced disappointment with Obama’s decision, saying it “serves a political legacy” rather than a conservation benefit.

The council recommends catch limits and other steps designed to sustain fisheries. It said it recommended other expansion options that would have minimized impacts to the Hawaii longline fishery, which supplies a large portion of the fresh tuna and other fish consumed in Hawaii.

“Closing 60 percent of Hawaii’s waters to commercial fishing, when science is telling us that it will not lead to more productive local fisheries, makes no sense,” said Edwin Ebisui Jr., chairman of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council. “Today is a sad day in the history of Hawaii’s fisheries and a negative blow to our local food security.”

Sean Martin, the president of the Hawaii Longline Association, said his organization was disappointed Obama closed an area nearly the size of Alaska without a public process.

“This action will forever prohibit American fishermen from accessing those American waters. Quite a legacy indeed,” he said in an email to The Associated Press.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Hawaii Tribune-Herald

Hawaii Commercial Fishermen, Seafood Consumers Hit Again as President, Pew’s Ocean Legacy Closes Additional 442,778 Square Miles of Fishing Grounds in the U.S. Pacific Islands

August 26, 2016 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

HONOLULU, Hawaii — The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council today expressed its disappointment with the announcement that President Obama will expand the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument to the full extent of the U.S. exclusive economic zone (out to 200 miles from shore) to encompass a total 582,578 square miles around the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

“We do not believe the expansion is based on the best available scientific information,” said Kitty Simonds, Council executive director. “It serves a political legacy rather than any conservation benefits to pelagic species such as tunas, billfish, sea turtles, seabirds and marine mammals. The campaign to expand the monument was organized by a multibillion dollar, agenda-driven environmental organization that has preyed upon the public’s lack of understanding of ocean resource management issues and utilized influential native Hawaiians and several high-level politicians to lead this initiative. Our government has chosen to follow the Pew’s Ocean Legacy.”

Last week, the Council provided Obama with two options for monument expansion that would have achieved the protection and legacy objectives that the proponents were seeking while also minimizing impacts to the Hawaii longline fishery and local seafood production. “The President obviously chose not to balance the interests of Hawaii’s community, which has been divided on this issue,” Simonds said.

“Closing 60 percent of Hawaii’s waters to commercial fishing, when science is telling us that it will not lead to more productive local fisheries, makes no sense,” said Council Chair Edwin Ebiusi Jr. “Today is a sad day in the history of Hawaii’s fisheries and a negative blow to our local food security.” Fisheries are the state’s top food producer, according the Hawaii Department of Agriculture.

The expansion of the Papahānaumokuākea monument is the fourth time a U.S. President has used the Antiquities Act of 1906 to create or expand a marine national monument. All four of the U.S. marine national monuments are in the U.S. Pacific Islands. “Our islands are populated by minority ethnicities,” Simonds said. “We have little representation in Congress and are located 5,000 to 8,000 miles from nation’s capital. Placing all of the marine monuments in our waters is a conservation burden to U.S. Pacific Islanders and a is a socioenvironmental injustice, especially as we rely on the oceans for fresh fish that is our culture and our tradition.”

For more information from the Council on the monument expansion, read the summer 2016 issue of the Pacific Islands Fishery News at  www.wpcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/PIFN-Summer2016-FINAL.pdf or contact the Council at info.wpcouncil@noaa.gov.

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council was established by Congress in 1976 under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. It has authority over fisheries in the Pacific Ocean seaward of the States, Commonwealth, Territories and possessions of the United States. Council Members: Secretary of Commerce appointees from nominees selected by American Samoa, CNMI, Guam and Hawai`i governors: Michael Duenas, Guam Fishermen’s Cooperative Association (Guam) (vice chair); Edwin Ebisui Jr. (Hawaii) (chair); Michael Goto, United Fishing Agency Ltd. (Hawaii); John Gourley, Micronesian Environmental Services (CNMI) (vice chair); Christinna Lutu-Sanchez, commercial fisherman (American Samoa); McGrew Rice, commercial and charter fisherman (Hawaii) (vice chair); Dean Sensui, film producer (Hawaii); and Archie Solai, StarKist cannery (American Samoa) (vice chair). Designated state officials: Suzanne Case, Hawai`i Department of Land and Natural Resources; Dr. Ruth Matagi-Tofiga, American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources; Richard Seman, CNMI Department of Lands and Natural Resources; and Matt Sablan, Guam Department of Agriculture. Designated federal officials: Matthew Brown, USFWS Pacific Islands Refuges and Monuments Office;  Michael Brakke, US Department of State; RADM Vincent B. Atkins, US Coast Guard 14th District; and Michael Tosatto, NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office.

Papahanaumokuakea: Hawaii Fishermen get no response from Obama, Schatz

July 22, 2016 — HONOLULU — U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, has yet to respond to a June 20th request to meet with the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council on his proposal to expand the size of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument fourfold.

Also unanswered are letters sent by the council to President Obama on April 8 and July 14, 2016, with concerns about the impact to Hawaii’s fisheries of the proposals by Schatz and by seven Native Hawaiians in January 2016 that the president expand the monument using his authority under the Antiquities Act.

Council Chair Edwin Ebisui Jr., Executive Director Kitty M. Simonds and Vice Chairs McGrew Rice, William Sword, John Gourley and Michael Duenas reminded the Senator that the Council has federal jurisdiction over the waters within the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands beyond the current monument boundaries under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976.

“We are dismayed that you did not consult with the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council prior to distribution of your letters, which have proliferated unsubstantiated statements through the media,” the council wrote to Schaltz.

“As you yourself note, the Hawaii longline fishery uses ‘responsible and sustainable practices and has resulted in Honolulu’s recognition as one of the nation’s ten most productive fishing ports,’” the letter continued.

“This fishery is not simply about economics, it is also about the sustainability of the State of Hawaii through local food security (see the State of Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Plan, the Governor’s Aloha + Challenge, and the Hōkule’a Worldwide Voyage Promise to Paeaina)…. It is essential that you meet with us so that the discussion on your proposal is grounded in truth and science.”

According to his website, Schatz was in Hawaii on July 17, before heading to Asia. While in Hawaii, he met with PACOM commander Adm. Harry Harris, toured the USS America, observed the Rim of the Pacific Exercise, and met with sailors.

Read the full story from Western Pacific Regional Fishery Managment Council at the Hawai’i Free Press

Regional fishing body opposes expansion of Hawaii monument

June 14, 2016 — A regional fishing body is opposing the proposed expansion of United States protected waters around Hawaii.

Members of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council have raised their concerns about the sustainability of local fishing if Hawaii’s Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument was expanded.

The proposal would increase the protected zone fivefold and could reduce the available fishing grounds in the US exclusive economic zone waters around Hawaii from 63 percent to 15 percent.

Read the full story at Radio New Zealand

‘Shark Infestation’ Affecting Fishers?

June 7, 2016 — Sharks are eating onaga and other fish faster than fishermen can reel them in, compromising the quality and amount of fish that can be harvested in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, according to the territory’s acting governor, Victor Hocog.

He asked the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council on Monday to work with CNMI on regulations affecting his people.

“The greatest predator is the sharks … not the human,” Hocog said in a news release that Wespac issued Monday.

He delivered the opening remarks on the council’s first day of meetings in CNMI and Guam this week.

“If you put 12 hooks down to catch onaga, ehu, whatever it is, you are very lucky when you pick up three out of the 12 on the hook because of the shark infestation around our islands,” Hocog said.

CNMI is on the verge of developing infrastructure for its expanding tourism industry and the hotels would need high-grade fish, according to the release. The quality of the fish is seriously compromised when sharks remove the head or body of the fish, the release said.

Read the full story at the Honolulu Civil Beat 

US Justice Department asks federal court to dismiss American Samoa lawsuit

May 3, 2016 — The U.S. Justice Department has asked the federal court in Honolulu to dismiss with prejudice the Territory of American Samoa’s lawsuit, which seeks to overturn a ruling made in February this year by the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service or NMFS that reduces the Large Vessel Protected Area or from 50 miles to 12 miles in the waters of American Samoa.

A dismissal “with prejudice” would mean the plaintiff — in this case, American Samoa — will be barred from bringing action on the same claim again.

The Large Vessel Protected Area or LVPA, implemented in 2002, was reserved for the locally based alia or fishing boat, but the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council had argued that the number of local alias has declined over the years, to number less than 10 in 2014. The council then recommended that the NMFS issued its final rule on Feb. 3, 2016 to allow U.S. longline vessels to fish in portions of the LVPA.

According to NMFS, the intent of the rule is to “improve the viability of the American Samoa longline fishery and achieve optimum yield from the fishery while preventing overfishing….”

However, American Samoa said the NMFS — in promulgating the final LVPA — “acted arbitrarily by asserting a rationale to support the new rule that is contrary to the evidence in the record.”

It asked the court to vacate the NMFS rule and declare that, among other things, the final LVPA rule is inconsistent with the Deeds of Cession, and therefore violates the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Administrative Procedure Act.

Read the full story from the Marinas Variety

Feds hear truth about fisheries and American Samoa

February 27, 2016 — Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council executive director Kitty Simonds this week stressed to delegates at the federal Interagency Group on Insular Areas (IGIA) meeting the importance of the fishing industry in American Samoa where two canneries are located and the canneries are the territory’s economic backbone.

Simonds was one of the representatives from federal agencies during Monday’s IGIA three-hour meeting at the White House. She explained that American Samoa is “totally, [and] practically dependent on fisheries” and for 50 years fish processing and canning has been the backbone of American Samoa’s economy.

She noted that one of the recent issues affecting cannery and fisheries in American Samoa is the banning of US purse seiner fleet from fishing on high seas and the US EEZ. She told the IGIA meeting that one of the reasons “why we have these kinds of problems is because of our US negotiators from the US Commerce and US State departments” at some of the international fishery commission meetings (referring to the Western and Central Pacific Fishery Commissions).

“We have tried to work together to ensure that when the negotiators go to these meetings they support US fisheries. And frankly over the last two years, that has been the big problem, in terms of American Samoa’s cannery problems,” she said, adding that she is not dismissing the minimum wage issue impacting the canneries. “I’m talking about policy.”

Read the full story at Samoa News

 

Feds approve exemption of US longline vessels in American Samoa Large Vessel Prohibited Area

February 1, 2016 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Federally permitted longline vessels in American Samoa that are over 50 feet in length can fish for pelagic species in certain areas of the American Samoa Large Vessel Prohibited Area or LVPA. The National Marine Fisheries Service announced the final rule, which will publish in the Federal Register on February 3, 2016.

The LVPA, which extends out to 30 to 50 nautical miles from shore around the islands of American Samoa, prohibits vessels greater than 50 feet from fishing within the area. In 2015, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council undertook decision-making to amend the applicable federal LVPA regulations to provide an exemption to large vessels in the American Samoa longline fishery to allow them to fish seaward of 12 nautical miles from shore around the islands of Tutuila, Swains Island and the Manu’a Islands. Fishing around Rose Atoll Marine National Monument remains unchanged

The LVPA was developed by the council and approved by the National Marine Fisheries Service in 2002 to prevent potential gear conflicts between large and small fishing vessels. At that time, approximately 40 alia longline vessels were operating in offshore waters around American Samoa. Originally used to target bottomfish, the alia vessels range from 25 to 40 feet in length and have a catamaran hull.

Since 2002, the alia longline fleet in American Samoa declined to the point where only one alia longline vessel was operating in recent years. In 2014, the council proposed opening the LVPA as a means to assist the larger U.S. longline vessels based in American Samoa. The U.S. fleet was experiencing financial difficulties attributed in part to market competition resulting from an influx of Chinese longline vessels in South Pacific albacore fishery. In making its decision, the council noted that the National Standards of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act require the achievement of optimum yield and the fair and equitable allocation of privileges. The council took final action on the measure in March 2015. The exemption will be reviewed annually by the council to take into consideration any new small vessel fisheries development initiatives, small vessel participation and catch rates.

Council Chair Edwin Ebisui Jr. noted that the measure is important to maintain the supply of U.S. caught albacore from the local longline fleet to the Pago Pago-based canneries in American Samoa. The exemption will improve the viability of the American Samoa longline fishery and achieve optimum yield from the fishery while preventing overfishing.

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council was established by Congress in 1976. Under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the Council has authority over the fisheries in the Pacific Ocean seaward of the state/territory waters of Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Pacific Remote Island Areas.

Read the release online here

2016 US Pacific Territories Capacity-Building Scholarship Announcement

January 8, 2016 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Managment Council:

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council and its Education Committee members are pleased to announce the availability of three scholarships for academic years 2016-2017 and 2017-2018. These scholarships support the aspiration to build the capacity of American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) to effectively manage their fisheries and related resources through the employment of their own people.

The US Pacific Territories Capacity-Building Scholarships may be used for the following:

1. Completion of the junior and senior years to obtain one of the following undergraduate degrees:

i)  BA or BS in Marine Science at the University of Hawai`i at Hilo, or

ii) BS in Oceanography with a concentration in Fisheries Science at the Hawaii Pacific University; or

2. Completion of one of the following graduate degrees:

i) MS or PhD in Marine Biology at the University of Hawai`i at Mānoa’s Hawai`i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB),

ii) MS in Marine Science at Hawaii Pacific University,

iii) MS in Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science at the University of Hawai`i at Hilo, or

iv) MS in Biology at the University of Guam.

Eligibility Requirements

Undergraduate Student

1. Be a US citizen or national with strong ties to American Samoa, Guam or the CNMI;

2. Have successfully completed freshman and sophomore years of college with a grade point average of 3.0;

3. Have been accepted to attend the University of Hawai`i at Hilo (BA or BS in Marine Science) or  Hawaii Pacific University (BS in Oceanography with a Concentration in Fisheries Science) in Honolulu for the 2015-2016 academic year;

4. Be available for an 8- to 10-week paid internship in Hawaii;

5. Have demonstrated interest and/or previous work/involvement with fisheries, coral reef conservation or related fields;

6. Commit to being employed for a minimum of two years (one year for each scholarship year) with the American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources, Guam Department of Agriculture or the CNMI Department of Lands and Natural Resources after completion of the undergraduate degree. Those who do not fulfill this commitment will be required to pay back the scholarship amount that has been provided.

Graduate Student

1. Be a US citizen or national with strong ties to American Samoa, Guam or the CNMI;

2. Have been accepted to attend one of the following graduate programs for the 2015-2016 academic year: University of Hawai`i at Mānoa’s MS or PhD in Marine Biology; Hawaii Pacific University’s MS in Marine Science; University of Hawai`i at Hilo’s MS in Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science; or University of Guam’s MS in Biology;

3. Have demonstrated interest and/or previous work/involvement with fisheries, coral reef conservation or related fields;

4. Commit to being employed for one year for each scholarship year (maximum two years) with the American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources, Guam Department of Agriculture or the CNMI Department of Lands and Natural Resources commencing within the year after completion of the graduate degree or departure from the educational program for which the scholarship was provided.  Those who do not fulfill this commitment will be required to pay back the scholarship amount that has been provided.

Eligibility Documents

Undergraduate Student

1. Complete the accompanying scholarship application and a two-page essay on your reasons for pursuing your chosen degree. The essay should include a summary of your relevant experience, your long term career goals and your motivations to serve your home islands in the area of sustainable marine resource management.

2. Provide an official college transcript of freshman and sophomore classes completed to date; and

3. Submit two letters of recommendation, one by a college instructor of your choice and one by a community leader who can speak to your overall ability, likelihood of your success in an undergraduate program of study in Hawaii, and commitment to working in a local fisheries related agency for a minimum of two years upon completion of the undergraduate degree.

Graduate Student

1. Complete the accompanying scholarship application and a two-page essay on your reasons for pursuing your chosen degree. The essay should include a summary of your relevant experience, your long term career goals and your motivations to serve your home islands in the area of sustainable marine resource management.

2. Provide official undergraduate college transcripts and, if relevant, graduate-level college transcripts;

3. Submit two letters of recommendation from professors, employers and/or community leaders who can speak to your overall ability, likelihood of your success in a graduate program of study in Hawaii, and commitment to working in a local fisheries related agency for a minimum of two years upon completion of the undergraduate degree.

Mail completed application and letters of recommendation to Kitty M. Simonds, Executive Director, Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, 1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1400, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813, by February 29, 2016. Preliminary decisions will be made by March 15, 2016. Final decision is contingent upon 1) an acceptance letter from the University of Hawai`i at Hilo, Hawaii Pacific University or the University of Hawai`i at Mānoa HIMB for the 2016-2017 academic year and 2) the signing of an agreement to work with the American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources, Guam Department of Agriculture or the CNMI Department of Lands and Natural Resources in fisheries ecosystem related work for one year of for each scholarship year or to provide immediate reimbursement for the scholarship funds that had been provided. Funding for 2017-2018 will be provided based on proof of continued progress in the college program and maintenance of a 3.0 grade point average.

Click here for complete scholarship application packet.

American Samoan group to be part of US delegation to WCPFC fishery conference in Bali

December 2, 2015 — American Samoa is being represented at the 12th Regular Session of the Western and Central Pacific Fishery Commission set for Dec. 3-8 in Bali, Indonesia and they will be part of the US government delegation. American Samoa and the other insular areas are considered US Participating Territories of the WCPFC.

Marine and Wildlife Department director Ruth Matagi-Tofiga told Samoa News last week that as Head of Fishery (HOF) for American Samoa, she is heading the territorial delegation, which includes Taulapapa Willie Sword, DMWR chief fishery biologist Dr. Domingo Ochavillo and Tri Marine International chief operating officer Joe Hamby.

Samoa News should point out that Matagi-Tofiga, Sword and Hamby are members of the American Samoa Fishery Task Force. Sword represents Pacific Energy on the task force, which also includes a representative of StarKist.

Additionally, Matagi-Tofiga and Sword also represent American Samoa on the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, along with Port Administration director Taimalelagi Dr. Claire Poumele, who is also a member of the Fishery Task Force.

Samoa News understands that among the priorities for Matagi-Tofiga at the meeting in Bali is to improve American Samoa’s economy, improve relationships with other Pacific Island Parties (PIPs), and to build an identity for American Samoa that is distinct from the US as far as fishery management and the American Samoa economy are concerned.

Read the full story at Samoa News