Saving Seafood

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

 

American Samoan fish vendors honored for 100% compliance with data collection

October 26, 2015 — Over two dozen local fish vendors were honored with plaques and certificates last week, from the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC), the National Marine Fisheries Service – Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center, and the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR).

According to the inscription on the certificates, the vendors are honored for their commitment in supporting the fishery data collection in American Samoa, by submitting their monthly Commercial Receipt Books at 100% compliance from July 1, 2014 to July 31, 2015. “We appreciate your contribution to the fishery data that supports fishery management decision on the territory of American Samoa. We ask for your continued support as we strive to improve the fishery information through the Territory Science Initiative.”

The certificates are signed by the WPRFMC Executive Director Kitty Simonds, DMWR Director Dr. Ruth Matagi-Tofiga, and Director of the Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center, Michael Seki, Ph.D.

Local vendors who were presented plaques include: Milovale’s, Super K Supermarket, T.S.M., F.J. &P. Kruse, Pelene Supermarket, Sadie’s by the Sea, Sunny’s Restaurant, and Toa’s Bar and Grill.

Those who received certificates were: Jeli’s Store, Toa’s Bar and Grill, DDW Beach Café, Pelene Supermarket, P&F Mart, U.S. Mart, Hong Kong House Restaurant, Super K Supermarket, Tausala Fa’a-Tutuila Restaurant, Lucky 7, KS Mart, PJK Fish Market, Tisa’s Barefoot Bar, Happy Mart, Sook’s Sushi, The Equator Restaurant, KM Fast Food, Jade Restaurant, Louise Store, Kristopher’s Store, Manuia Restaurant, Shalhout Inc., L.Y.C. Inc., F.J. &P. Kruse, Shan J’s Park Restaurant, Josie’s Restaurant, Sadie’s Hotel, Sunny’s Restaurant, Milovale’s Inc., Figota O le Sami Seafood Market, Jin Mart (Alofau), Double Z’s Burger, and T.S.M. Mart.

Read the full story at Samoa News

 

Fishery Managers Agree on Catch Limits for US Pacific Territories Bottomfish, Bigeye Tuna

October 23, 2015 — UTULEI, American Samoa — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The bottomfish annual catch limits (ACLs) in American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) should be equal to their acceptable biological catch (ABC), the Council deemed yesterday as it concluded its two-day meeting in Utulei, American Samoa. The ABCs are set by the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee and refer to the amount of fish that can be harvested without causing overfishing. The amounts are 106,000 pounds for American Samoa; 66,000 pounds for Guam; and 228,000 pounds for CNMI. In making its decision, the Council determined that the difference between recent harvest levels and ACLs in all three island areas were sufficient to ensure the ACLs will not be exceeded.

The Council yesterday also approved the proposed management policy, goals and objectives for the American Samoa, Hawaii, Mariana, Pelagic and Pacific Remote Islands Area Fishery Ecosystem Plans (FEPs), which are undergoing a five-year review. The proposed policy is to apply responsible and proactive management practices, based on sound scientific data and analysis and inclusive of fishing community members, to conserve and manage fisheries and their associated ecosystems. The proposed goals are to 1) Conserve and manage target and non- target stocks; 2) Protect species and habitats of special concern; 3) Understand and account for important ecosystem parameters and their linkages; and 4) Meet the needs of fishermen, their families and communities. The National Marine Fisheries Service will review the draft plans to provide comprehensive agency feedback, input and guidance by mid December.

Certificates and plaques of recognition were awarded to 40 seafood vendors who are helping local and federal fishery managers better understand American Samoa’s commercial fishery. Pictured (from left) are Council Chair Ed Ebisui Jr., American Samoa DMWR Director Ruth Matagi-Tofiga, Aukuso Gabriel of Josie’s Restaurant, Charles Nelson of Equator Restaurant, Hana of P n F Mart, Council Executive Director Kitty Simonds, Tom Drabble of Sadie’s Hotels, and Michelle Shaosxia Ma and Tua Agalelei of Sunny’s Restaurant

During its two-day meeting in America Samoa, the Council also maintained its recommendation made in June to specify the 2016 US longline bigeye tuna limits for the three US Pacific Territories at 2,000 metric tons (mt) each. Up to 1,000 mt per territory would be authorized to be allocated to US fishermen through specified fishing agreements authorized under Amendment 7 of the Pelagic FEP. The Council recognized that these limits are consistent with the conservation and management framework of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission and are not impeding international conservation objectives to eliminate bigeye overfishing.

Recommendations by the Council that are regulatory are transmitted to the Secretary of Commerce for final approval.

The Council also directed staff to request that the Department of Justice consider directing funds received from fines and penalties from marine pollution violations that occur in waters of the Territory of American Samoa or in the US exclusive economic zone waters around American Samoa be provided to the American Samoa government. The funds would be used to support conservation and management activities identified in the America Samoa’s Marine Conservation Plan.

The Council officers for 2016 were selected and will remain the same as this year, with Edwin Ebisui Jr. of Hawaii as chair and Michael Duenas (Guam), John Gourley (CNMI), McGrew Rice (Hawaii) and William Sword (American Samoa) as vice chairs.

The Council also appointed Mike Tenorio to the Scientific and Statistic Committee; Peter Crispin to the Pelagic Fisheries Sub-Panel and Nonu Tuisamoa to the Ecosystem and Habitat Sub-Panel of the American Samoa Advisory Panel; Daniel Roudebush to the Ecosystem and Habitat Sub-Panel and Geoff Walker to the Pelagic Fisheries Sub Panel of the Hawaii Advisory Panel; and Archie Taotasi Soliai, StarKist manager, to the Fishing Industry Advisory Committee.

The Council provided certificates of recognition to 40 seafood vendors who provided their monthly receipts of fish sales to help improve understanding of American Samoa’s commercial fishery. Vendors who submitted 100 percent of their receipts each month for the past year received special plaques of recognition. The project is a partnership involving the Council, NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and the American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources.

For more on the meeting, go to www.wpcouncil.org, email info@wpcouncil.org or phone (808) 522-8220. The Council was established by Congress under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act in 1976 to manage domestic fisheries operating seaward of State waters around Hawai`i, American Samoa, Guam, the CNMI and the US Pacific Island Remote Island Areas.

Frustrations Voiced Over Impacts of US Fishing Quotas in the Western and Central Pacific

October 22, 2015 — UTULEI, American Samoa — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Members of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, meeting yesterday in Utulei, American Samoa, questioned the high road the United States has taken in international Pacific tuna management and the unfair consequences to fisheries in Hawaii and American Samoa.

“When international regulations cause a fishery to close, I don’t see how we can convince other nations to abide by our standards,” Council Member Michael Goto said. “Fishermen are talking about quitting.”

The Council noted that, when US fisheries are restricted, domestic demand is satisfied by foreign fleets that fall far short of the rigorous standards applied to the US fleets.

Council members addressed the recent two-month closure of the US longline fishery targeting bigeye tuna in the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) convention area and the ongoing closure of the US purse seine fishery on the high seas and US exclusive economic zone (EEZ) waters in the WCPFC convention area. Both closures were the result of the fisheries reaching US quotas developed by the WCPFC and implemented through federal regulation by NOAA. The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) convention area in the Eastern Pacific Ocean remains closed to US longline vessels 24 meters and larger harvesting bigeye tuna. The United States has arguably the lowest quotas in both convention areas and is the only nation to have reached its quotas and restricted its fisheries.

The Council questioned the allocations developed by the WCPFC and recommended that the United States at the 12th regular meeting of the WCPFC invoke Article 10 paragraph 3 of the WCPFC Convention, which was established in 2000 in Honolulu, and work to restore the bigeye catch limit applicable to the Hawaii longline fishery and high seas effort limit for the US purse seine fishery. Current quotas for both US fisheries are below their historic catch levels, and the quota for the US longline fishery for bigeye tuna is scheduled to be further reduced in 2017.

Article 10 paragraph 3 stipulates that, in developing criteria for allocation of the total allowable catch or the total level of fishing effort, the WCPFC shall take into account not only the status of the stocks, the existing level of fishing effort in the fishery, the historic catch in the area and the respective interests, past and present fishing patterns and fishing practices of participants in the fishery but also other criteria. Among these are the extent of the catch being utilized for domestic consumption; the respective contributions of participants to conservation and management of the stocks, including the provision by them of accurate data and their contribution to the conduct of scientific research in the convention area; the special circumstances of a State which is surrounded by the EEZ of other States and has a limited exclusive economic zone of its own; the needs of small island developing States (SIDS), territories and possessions in the Convention Area whose economies, food supplies and livelihoods are overwhelmingly dependent on the exploitation of marine living resources; the needs of coastal communities which are dependent mainly on fishing for the stocks; the fishing interests and aspirations of coastal States, particularly small island developing States, and territories and possessions, in whose areas of national jurisdiction the stocks also occur; and the record of compliance by the participants with conservation and management measures.

Hawaii and the US Territory of American Samoa, a WCPFC Participating Territory, have felt the brunt of the recent closures due to the US quotas developed by the WCPFC. Ninety-seven percent of the Hawaii longline bigeye tuna catch is consumed domestically, according to the United Fishing Agency, Honolulu’s iconic fish auction. The Hawaii longline fishery operates in a region of the Pacific with the lowest impact to the bigeye stock.

The Territory of American Samoa is surrounded on all sides by the EEZ of other nations. In addition, 25 percent of the US EEZ surrounding American Samoa is currently closed to US purse seine and longline vessels due to the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument, created by Presidental executive order, and the Large Vessel Prohibited Area for pelagic fishing vessels over 50 feet in length established by the Council.

A detailed analysis of the dependence of American Samoa on US purse seine vessels delivering to Pago Pago canneries is forthcoming from NMFS. The US government recently denied a petition by Tri Marine Management Company requesting that it open the high seas and US EEZ to US purse seiners delivering at least half of their catch to tuna processing facilities in American Samoa. NMFS said it needed the economic analysis of the impact of the closure and issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking with the petition denial.

Congresswoman Aumua Amata of American Samoa expressed her disappointment in the decision by NMFS. Addressing the Council yesterday, she said that American Samoa is in dire straits. “It goes back to US government making decisions that are detrimental to American Samoa. We’ve had enough of it. It has got to stop. We don’t have IBM, Coca Cola or Silicon Valley for job creation. We just have the fisheries.”

US Congresswoman Aumua Amata of American Samoa expressed her disappointment in the “US government making decisions that are detrimental to American Samoa …. We don’t have IBM, Coca Cola or Silicon Valley for job creation. We just have the fisheries.”

Va’amua Henry Sesepasara, coordinator of the American Samoa Fishery Task Force, said that the petition Tri Marine filed with NMFS was made as a member of the Task Force. The Task Force was set up earlier this year by Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga to protect and sustain the competitive advantage of the Territory’s two canneries. The Task Force includes representation of both StarKist Samoa and Samoa Tuna Processors, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tri Marine.

Lt. Gov. Lemanu P. Mauga in his remarks to the Council yesterday said “StarKist and Tri Marine are our government’s life support in terms of our economy and jobs and our people’s social growth. A good number of American Samoa’s population works at StarKist and Tri Marine.” He asked the Council to imagine what would happen if these two canneries ceased operating because of the federal mandate to raise the minimum wage, the decision to restrict US-based purse-seine vessels on the high seas and exclusive economic zone or American Samoa not being afforded the same opportunity as other SIDS.

Lt. Gov. Lemanu P. Mauga in his remarks to the Council yesterday said “StarKist and Tri Marine are our government’s life support in terms of our economy and jobs and our people’s social growth.”

The Council recommended that the US government ensure that the US Participating Territories to WCPFC are linked with SIDS in terms of WCPFC conservation and management measures and are afforded the same recognition and opportunities as other SIDS in the region. 

Christinna Lutu-Sanchez of the Tautai Longline Association voiced support for all of American Samoa fisheries. “It is about access to fishing grounds. Yes, we are great citizens of the world. But we don’t want to sacrifice our US fleet for the whole entire world.” She noted that tuna is a global commodity and American Samoa fisheries impact a small portion of it.

As attested to by the recent area closures of the Hawaii longline fishery for bigeye tuna and the US purse seine fishery on the high seas and in the US EEZ, US monitoring and compliance with WCPFC conservation and management measures is unsparing if not exemplary. The US longline vessels in Hawaii targeting tuna are required to have 20 percent observer coverage and those targeting swordfish are required to have 100 percent observer coverage. On the other hand, the WCPFC requires a minimum of 5 percent observer coverage, and there is no mechanism in the WCPFC to sanction non-compliance. Council members voiced their frustration with the lack of compliance and monitoring in the fisheries of other nations.

After much deliberation, the Council took action on 20 items related to pelagic and international fisheries, the majority related to the WCPFC.

Other highlights yesterday included Council recommendations regarding redevelopment of the small-scale alia fishery in American Samoa, which was destroyed by a tsunami in 2009; the presentation of a $50,000 check from the Council to the American Samoa Port Administration as the first installment to develop a longline dock at Malaloa; the swearing in of Michael Duenas and Michael Goto as reappointed Council members fulfilling the obligatory seats of Guam and Hawaii, respectively; and recognition of Lauvao Stephen Haleck as this year’s Richard Shiroma Award recipient for his outstanding contributions to the Council. High Talking Chief Lauvao (from Aunu’u) was a former Council member and an active member of the Council’s Advisory Panel when he passed away last month. His wife, Melesete Grohse-Haleck, accepted the award on his behalf.

The Council meeting continues today at the Lee Auditorium in Utulei and is being streamed live at https://wprfmc.webex.com/join/info.wpcouncilnoaa.gov. For more on the meeting, go to www.wpcouncil.org, email info@wpcouncil.org or phone (808) 522-8220. The Council was established by Congress under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act in 1976 to manage domestic fisheries operating seaward of State waters around Hawai`i, American Samoa, Guam, the CNMI and the US Pacific Island Remote Island Areas. Recommendations by the Council are transmitted to the Secretary of Commerce for final approval. 

American Samoa is surrounded by the EEZ of other countries and has a limited commercial fishing area within the EEZ surrounding it. The WCPFC Convention provides special consideration for these circumstances when developing criteria for allocation of the total allowable catch or the total level of fishing effort.

Fishery Advisors Focus on Mounting Tuna Management Concerns

October 21 2015 — UTULEI, American Samoa — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Meetings leading up to the convening of the 164th Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council continued yesterday in Utulei, American Samoa. The Pelagic and International Standing Committee began the day supporting recommendations of the Council’s advisory bodies that met in Utulei on Monday as well as those of the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) and the US Permanent Advisory Committee (PAC) to the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), which met earlier in the month in Honolulu. Also meeting yesterday were the Program Planning Standing Committee and Executive and Budget Standing Committee. The Council will consider the recommendations of these advisory groups when it meets today and tomorrow at the Lee Auditorium in Utulei.

American Samoa longline vessels docked at Pago Pago harbor.

One topic of concern to multiple advisory bodies is the American Samoa tuna fleet, which consists of longline vessels targeting South Pacific albacore and purse-seine vessels targeting skipjack. The local longline vessels have suffered from reduced catches, possibly due to an unchecked, four-fold increase in the Chinese fleet in the region, while the local purse-seine vessels have suffered from a reduction in their traditional fishing grounds in the Kiribati exclusive economic zone (EEZ) from 4,313 fishing days in 2014 to 300 days this year. Established by the United States for its purse seine vessels, the Effort Limit Area for Purse Seine (ELAPS) includes all areas of high seas and US EEZ between 20 degrees N and 20 degrees S in the WCPFC Convention area, i.e., the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO). US purse seine vessels have been shut out of the high seas and US EEZ since June 15 when the US purse seiners reached the US limit of 1,828 fishing days.

“American Samoa’s economy is tuna dependent, and it has a tuna fishery that includes the purse seine, longline and alias that are based there,” states the PAC recommendation. “The US needs to advocate for its tuna fishery based in American Samoa.” According to the PAC, current conservation and management measures of the WCPFC that limit high seas days is damaging to the US purse seine fleet and the canneries in American Samoa.One topic of concern to multiple advisory bodies is the American Samoa tuna fleet, which consists of longline vessels targeting South Pacific albacore and purse-seine vessels targeting skipjack. The local longline vessels have suffered from reduced catches, possibly due to an unchecked, four-fold increase in the Chinese fleet in the region, while the local purse-seine vessels have suffered from a reduction in their traditional fishing grounds in the Kiribati exclusive economic zone (EEZ) from 4,313 fishing days in 2014 to 300 days this year. Established by the United States for its purse seine vessels, the Effort Limit Area for Purse Seine (ELAPS) includes all areas of high seas and US EEZ between 20 degrees N and 20 degrees S in the WCPFC Convention area, i.e., the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO). US purse seine vessels have been shut out of the high seas and US EEZ since June 15 when the US purse seiners reached the US limit of 1,828 fishing days.

Additionally, Council advisory bodies recommend that NMFS expedite its economic analysis of the impacts of the US purse-seineeffort limit rules. A petition filed on May 12 by Tri Marine Management Company to open the ELAPS to US purse seiners delivering at least of half of their catch to tuna processing facilities in American Samoa is being denied by NMFS due to lack of this information. The petition had unsuccessfully invoked the special requirements the WCPFC affords to Small Islands Developing State (SIDS) and Participating Territories, including American Samoa, in recognition of their aspirations to develop their fisheries.

The second issue addressed by multiple advisors concerns bigeye tuna, which has been experiencing Pacific-wide overfishing for decades. The species is targeted by the Hawaii longline fishery, which reached the 2015 US quota of 3,554 metric tons (mt) in the WCPFC Convention area on Aug. 5. The fishery was closed in the WCPO for two months until NMFS on Oct. 9 approved a fishing agreement that allows the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) to transfer 1,000 mt of its 2,000 mt quota to the Hawaii fishery.

The Council is tasked annually with recommending the bigeye quota for CNMI, American Samoa and Guam. Some advisers say the Council should specify the 2016 US Territory longline bigeyetuna limits at 2,000 mt per Territory or higher based upon scientific assessment that it doesn’t impede international bigeye conservation objectives, whereby 1,000 mt per Territory or more would be authorized to be allocated to US fishermen through fishing agreements approved by NMFS. Other advisors and a majority of the PAC recommend that the United States work to restore the bigeye catch limit applicable to the Hawaii longline fishery. The fishery’s 2009 level established by the WCPFC was 3,763 mt, i.e., the fishery’s 2004 catch of 4,181 mt minus 10 percent. It was noted that the Hawaii fishery is highly monitored, fishes in an area of low impact to the bigeye stock and supplies a local domestic market. It has also recognized the Hawaii longline fishery has been the only longline fishery to close down due to reaching its limit.

The SSC and the PAC propose that the United States at the 12th regular meeting of the WCPFC introduce and strongly advocate for spatial management of the longline fisheries to conserve bigeye. The meeting will be held Dec. 3 to 8 in Bali, Indonesia. The SSC also suggests that work plans be developed to register fish aggregation devices as fishing gear, to research the Eastern Pacific Ocean as a bigeye tuna spawning area and to address observer coverage and monitoring. The PAC agrees that there are serious concerns of an uneven playing field with regards to compliance and monitoring within the WCPFC and recommends that the United States significantly increase its efforts to gain improvements in enforcement and monitoring of fisheries of other WCPFC member countries to a level that is comparable to the United States.

Another common concern of the Council’s advisory bodies is the development of the American Samoa alia (small-scale catamaran) fleet. They recommend that the American Samoa Government allocate money it received for disaster relief to fix the alia in the Manu`a Islands to be seaworthy for fishing. They also suggest the Council work with the local alia fleet and the American Samoa government on training opportunities to improve seafood handling and quality, identification of export markets and reduced freight costs.

Multiple advisory bodies also recommend that the Council select annual catch limits for bottomfish in the US Territories for 2016 and 2017 equal to the acceptable biological catch set by the SSC. This would equate to 106,000 pounds for American Samoa; 66,000 pounds for Guam; and 228,000 pounds for CNMI.

For more on the Council meeting, go to www.wpcouncil.org, email info@wpcouncil.org or phone (808) 522-8220. The Council was established by Congress under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act in 1976 to manage domestic fisheries operating seaward of State waters around Hawai`i, American Samoa, Guam, the CNMI and the US Pacific Island Remote Island Areas. Recommendations by the Council are transmitted to the Secretary of Commerce for final approval.

WestPac Opposes ‘Uplisting’ Green Sea Turtle As Endangered

October 21, 2015 — PAGO PAGO, American Samoa – Exiting approach imposing “Western perspective” to protect green sea turtles, which are an integral part of history and culture of the Pacific people, has been ineffective, says Kitty M. Simonds, executive director of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council [WestPac] in Honolulu.

Simonds’ concerns were outlined in her 13-page letter providing comments and information to the US National Marine Fishery Service’s (NMFS) proposed listing of eleven Distinct Population Segments (DPS) of green sea turtles as endangered or threatened.

“The future of green turtle management is an important issue for the Council given that the species holds cultural and traditional significance throughout the Pacific Islands, including Hawai’i, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Guam, and American Samoa,” Simonds pointed out.

She explained that fisheries managed under the Council’s Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP), such as the Hawai’i longline fishery and the American Samoa longline fishery, are known to interact with several populations of green turtles, and the Council recently developed management measures for the American Samoa longline fishery to prevent interactions with green turtles.

According to the executive director, the Council during its June meeting in Honolulu this year reviewed the proposed rule and considered recommendations from its Scientific and Statistical Committee, Protected Species Advisory Committee and Advisory Panel.

From that meeting, the Council recommended, among other things, to provide exemptions to the take prohibitions under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), similar to the management mechanism implemented for ESA-listed salmon species. According to the Council, activities for take exemption should include limited directed take and active population management.

Read the full story at The Samoa News