Saving Seafood

Western Pacific Council Supports Longliners’ Request to Test Bird Scaring Lines

December 8, 2020 — The Hawaii Longline Association is continuing its efforts to be proactive at mitigating or avoiding effects to threatened or endangered species. In this case, seabirds.

The Association requested an experimental fishing permit for the deep-set longline fishery to test tori line efficacy without the use of blue-dyed bait when fishing north of 23° N. latitude when the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council met last week. The Council endorsed the application and recommended the National Marine Fisheries Service issue the permit as soon as possible. If approved, the permit would be the first of its kind issued in the Western Pacific Region and field trials could start in early 2021, the Council said in a press release.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Western Pacific Council Pushes Bigeye Tuna Increase; OKs Industry-led Shark Mitigation Measure

December 7, 2020 — More bigeye tuna may be available for U.S. fishermen in the Pacific next year, if U.S. fishery managers can successfully negotiate the proposed increase.

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council supported the U.S. proposal to revise the conservation and management measure for tropical tunas, which expires in February 2021, and increase the U.S. bigeye tuna quota by 3,000 metric tons to 6,554 mt at the upcoming Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission meeting next week.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Western Pacific Council Supports Hawaiʻi Industry Request to Test Bird Scaring Lines as Seabird Interaction Mitigation Measure

December 4, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The Hawaii Longline Association has requested an experimental fishing permit for the deep-set longline fishery to test tori line efficacy without the use of blue-dyed bait when fishing north of 23° N. The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council today in Honolulu endorsed the application and recommended that National Marine Fisheries Service issue the permit as soon as possible. If approved, the permit would be the first of its kind issued in the Western Pacific Region and field trials could start in early 2021.

Tori, or bird scaring, lines have been internationally recognized as an effective seabird mitigation measure, while data show using blue-dyed bait is less effective than alternative measures. The food-grade blue dye has also become increasingly difficult to source. The Council recommended developing a regulatory amendment to the Pacific Pelagic Fishery Ecosystem Plan to evaluate options for allowing the use of tori lines in lieu of blue-dyed bait. The results from the tori line study will inform the development of the regulatory amendment.

“I support these efforts to improve and streamline conservation measures in the fleet,” said Council member Roger Dang, owner of longline vessels and Fresh Island Fish of Hawai‘i. “The small Hawaiʻi fleet has minimal impact on seabird populations, but has many more regulatory requirements than foreign fleets on the high seas. Any changes to streamline these requirements will help us and make sense for the fleet,” he noted.

Action on specifying the annual catch limit (ACL) and the rebuilding plan for the American Samoa bottomfish fishery was deferred. The stock is overfished and subject to overfishing. The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act requires the Council to take action to end overfishing immediately and rebuild overfished stock within 10 years. In the past quarter, four fishermen landed a total of 665 pounds of bottomfish.

Deferring action allows the Council to support the American Samoa government in finalizing its territorial bottomfish fishery management plan. With 85% of bottomfish habitat located within territorial waters, it is essential that local and federal governments work together to manage the fishery. Henry Sesepasara, director of the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources, recommended the Council postpone action. “We are in the process of providing feedback to the draft plan and will be completing it by January 2021,” he said.

The Council requested NMFS to extend the American Samoa interim catch limit of 13,000 pounds of bottomfish for an additional 185 days from the expiry date of May 17, 2021, while the Council finalizes conservation and management measures to end overfishing in the fishery. A new stock assessment is scheduled to be completed in 2023.

The Council meeting concludes tomorrow by web conference (Webex). Instructions on connecting to Webex, agendas and briefing documents are posted at www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars.

U.S. Pacific Fishery Managers Urge Increase in U.S. Bigeye Tuna Quota at Upcoming Multilateral Meeting, Support New Industry-Backed Shark Conservation Measures

December 4, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council supported the U.S. proposal to revise the conservation and management measure for tropical tunas, which expires in February 2021, and increase the U.S. bigeye tuna quota by 3,000 metric tons (mt) to 6,554 mt. The annual meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (Commission), an international fishery management organization, begins (virtually) next week. The stock is not overfished nor experiencing overfishing. In the past, U.S. negotiations in the Commission have failed to increase its bigeye tuna quota. The United States has the smallest catch quota of the member nations, yet it contributes the highest observer coverage and the highest compliance record. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, observer coverage has been maintained.

The United States has been generous to member countries of the Commission. In 2018, the United States Agency for International Development reported $1.6 billion went to Commission members, mainly supporting economic development. “U.S. fisheries are the best managed in the world and the Hawaiʻi longline fishery deserves an increase in their bigeye quota,” said Council Executive Director Kitty Simonds. The Council also endorsed the U.S. proposal for North Pacific striped marlin that supports meeting the rebuilding plan adopted by the Commission.

To meet Magnuson-Stevens Act domestic obligations regarding overfishing of striped marlin, the Council directed the staff to prepare a regulatory measure that uses the best scientific information available (BSIA) to reduce domestic catches relative to 2013-2017 as advised in a 2019 stock assessment.

A conservation effort developed by the Hawaiʻi deep-set longline fishing industry to further reduce interactions and post-hooking deaths of oceanic whitetip sharks, leatherback turtles and other protected species will be considered for incorporation into the Pacific Pelagic Fishery Ecosystem Plan, at the direction of the Council. The Council directed staff to prepare a regulatory amendment by its March 2021 meeting that, among other measures, evaluates options prohibiting wire leaders in the fishery.

The Hawaii Longline Association (HLA) presented its initiative to voluntarily change the fleet’s gear to the Council which met in Honolulu this week. The proposal would replace the current wire leaders used on fishing gear with monofilament ones, which are better for the species that occasionally interact with them.

“The fishing gear transition from wire to monofilament nylon leaders is transformational for our fleet,” said HLA Executive Director Eric Kingma. Council member Michael Tosatto, regional administrator of the National Marine Fisheries Service Pacific Islands Regional Office, said, “We at NOAA Fisheries applaud HLA for this proactive, positive development and we are committed to helping industry with its implementation.”

Whether or not any proposed regulatory change could be implemented before next summer, the HLA has committed to making this change on all of the vessels operated by their members no later than July 2021. The HLA is currently evaluating changes to fishing procedures to ensure that the gear change can be made while minimizing risk of injury to crewmembers.

The Council concluded the first day of its three-day virtual meeting yesterday with discussions and recommendations regarding pelagic and international fisheries. The meeting continues through Dec. 4, 2020, by web conference (Webex). Instructions on connecting to Webex, agendas and briefing documents are posted at www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars.

The Council manages federal fisheries operating in waters offshore of the State of Hawai‘i, the Territories of American Samoa and Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Pacific Remote Islands Areas.

Scientists Set Acceptable Biological Catch for American Samoa Bottomfish, Recommend Rebuilding Plans for American Samoa and Guam Bottomfish

December 2, 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 two-day virtual meeting today. Key outcomes addressed the American Samoa and Guam bottomfish fisheries and measures to mitigate incidental interactions of the Hawai‘i longline fishery with protected species.

American Samoa Bottomfish

To address overfishing in the American Samoa bottomfish fishery, the SSC recommended a phased-in acceptable biological catch (ABC) of 5,000 pounds in fishing year 2021 and 2000 pounds in fishing year 2022. This option provides a gradual reduction in the ABC and allows limited access to offshore banks to access culturally important deep-water snappers.

To rebuild the overfished American Samoa bottomfish stock within the next 10 years per the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA), the SSC supports an annual catch limit (ACL) of 1,500 pounds. An in-season accountability measure will be implemented to track the catch relative to the ACL. Federal waters will close to bottomfishing when the ACL is projected to be reached.

SSC members discussed the practicality of enforcing fishing regulations between territorial and federal waters. The distribution of bottomfish using a habitat proxy showed 85% is found in territorial waters. The reduction of catch through this federal action only constitutes a minute portion of the total catch, but a significant proportion of the deep-water bottomfish species found on the offshore banks.

The SSC expressed concerns regarding the data-limited nature of these fisheries that hampers their accurate representation and the ability to properly manage them. The COVID-19 pandemic affected implementing the data collection programs. The SSC noted that if there is no new data to support the new benchmark assessment aside from changing the modeling approach, then the fishery may still end up with the same stock status.

The SSC reiterated its recommendation that the next benchmark bottomfish stock assessment in 2023 analyze the deep-water complex separately from the shallow-water complex. The SSC also recommended that the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center conduct a data workshop with the American Samoa bottomfish fishermen, local fishery agency and other interested parties to discuss the data and model assumptions that will be used in the next assessment.

To rebuild the overfished Guam bottomfish stock, the SSC supports either an ACL of 27,000 pounds, rebuilding the stock in four years, or an ACL of 31,000 pounds, rebuilding in six years. Both options include an in-season accountability measure and mitigate short-term impacts to the fishery by allowing moderate catch levels, while still rebuilding the stock within 10 years.

The SSC also supported an experimental fishing permit application submitted by the Hawaii Longline Association to test tori line efficacy without the use of blue-dyed bait when fishing north of 23 °N. Field trials of tori lines conducted in 2019 indicate albatrosses are at least 2 times less likely to interact with longline gear or bait when the bird scaring lines are used in conjunction with the required blue-dyed bait. Data from the Hawaiʻi longline fishery have shown that blue-dyed bait is less effective than side-setting, another seabird mitigation measure required in the fishery.

The permit would allow additional at-sea trials by providing an exemption to the existing seabird mitigation measures under the Council’s Pacific Pelagic Fishery Ecosystem Plan requiring the Hawaiʻi deep-set longline fishery use blue-dyed bait when stern-setting in this region. The study will inform the Council’s discussion on modifying seabird mitigation measures in the longline fishery.

Recommendations made by the SSC on these and other matters will be considered by the Council when it meets Dec. 2-4, 2020, virtually with host sites at BRI Building, Suite 205, Kopa Di Oru St., Garapan, Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI); and Tedi of Samoa Building, Suite 208B, Fagatogo Village, American Samoa. Instructions on connecting to the web conference, agendas and briefing documents are posted at www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars. Host sites are subject to local and federal safety and health guidelines regarding COVID-19; check the Council website for updates.

MyFishCount Electronic Reporting Program Moves to Angler Action Foundation

December 1, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

MyFishCount, an electronic reporting pilot project for recreational anglers, is taking another step in its development by transitioning operations to the Angler Action Foundation in December 2020. The pilot project, now in its third year, allows recreational anglers in the South Atlantic region the opportunity to submit information about their fishing trips and catches through an electronic platform. The pilot project consists of a website and mobile app co-created by the Angler Action Foundation and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council through a grant from NOAA Fisheries.

“We’re excited about this transition and extend a warm welcome to recreational anglers using MyFishCount,” said Brett Fitzgerald, Executive Director of the Angler Action Foundation. “Working with anglers, fishery managers and scientists in the development of MyFishCount has been a rewarding experience. Other than a slight change in the logo, users of MyFishCount should not notice any changes in appearances or performance of the mobile app or website.” The Angler Action Foundation is dedicated to improving angler access, fisheries science and marine habitat through collaborative research, education and conservation programs. Formerly the Snook and Gamefish Foundation, the organization has been involved in the development of electronic reporting platforms, including iAngler, to help improve the quality of fisheries data and supplement existing monitoring efforts.

The launch of MyFishCount coincided with the opening of the recreational Red Snapper season in late fall of 2017. Since that time, the project has expanded to allow year-round reporting of multiple species, both saltwater and freshwater. With input from MyFishCount users, the mobile app became more user-friendly with the addition of requested enhancements including a tally feature and marine weather information. MyFishCount can also be used as a personal fishing log, recording details of each fishing trip.

“Under the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s leadership, MyFishCount has been a huge step forward for recreational data collection,” said Kellie Ralston, Southeast Fisheries Policy Director for the American Sportfishing Association. “This advanced electronic reporting platform allows anglers to provide valuable catch data to help inform fisheries management decisions,” explained Ralston. “We look forward to continued advances as the program transitions from the Council to the Angler Action Foundation.”

Information provided through MyFishCount will continue to be housed and made available to fishery managers and researchers through the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP), a data warehouse involving both state and federal partners. Storage of MyFishCount data within ACCSP will help ensure data are available with other data sources used for fishery management purposes. “MyFishCount provides valuable insight into electronic reporting as the Council continues to explore options for improving recreational fisheries data,” said Mel Bell, Chair of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council.

“We are grateful to the Angler Action Foundation, NOAA Fisheries, Elemental Methods, ACCSP, Council staff, and others involved in the MyFishCount pilot project. We are most grateful for the dedicated users of MyFishCount and continue to encourage recreational fishermen to do their part in making their fish count by downloading and using the mobile app today.”

For additional information, visit myfishcount.com.

Scientists Recommend Improved Mitigation Measures for Protected Species

December 1, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Scientists overwhelmingly supported a proposal from the Hawaii Longline Association (HLA) to voluntarily switch to monofilament leaders to promote protected species conservation. The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council expressed this support on the first day of its two-day virtual meeting.

The Hawaiʻi longline fishery uses wire leaders to prevent gear flyback, an unintended consequence of using required weighted branch lines. While many protected species are released alive, long trailing gear impacts their survival. Changing to monofilament nylon from wire leaders allows the crew to remove most of the trailing gear.

The SSC heard a proactive proposal from the HLA that provides significant positive impacts on survival probabilities of oceanic whitetip sharks, leatherback turtles and other protected species. The gear changes, combined with handling procedure improvements, crew training and research, demonstrate the industry’s leadership to minimize protected species interactions.

The SSC recommended that the Council consider measures in the HLA proposal for further development under the Pacific Pelagic Fishery Ecosystem Plan for Council action at a future meeting. During public comment, Dave Gershman from The Ocean Foundation praised the HLA proposal and urged the SSC to support the initiative and pursue research to promote species recovery.

The SSC also recommended a phased-in approach to minimize impacts of U.S. fishing on North Pacific striped marlin through reduced catch limits. The approach is to establish a catch limit through 2024 using best scientific information available (BSIA) to attribute a portion from a total allowable catch (from all fleets) that would end overfishing in the first year. Despite having a 6% contribution to the historical depletion of the stock, the United States is taking unilateral action towards ending overfishing by fulfilling its Magnuson-Stevens Act (Section 304(i)) obligation.

Instructions on connecting to the web conference, agenda and briefing documents are posted at www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars. To read the full HLA proposal, visit https://bit.ly/3ocuOwU.

New Publication Showcases History of U.S. Pacific Billfish Fisheries and Their Management

November 30, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council has released the second of seven new issues in its historical Pacific Islands Fishery Monographs series. Each monograph looks at some of the most important federal fisheries and management issues for the U.S. Pacific Islands.

History of the Billfish Fisheries and Their Management in the Western Pacific Region, the second of these new monographs and the tenth overall in the series, is now available. Written by Michael Markrich, the monograph depicts the controversies among various foreign and domestic fisheries that caught billfish in and around the Hawaiian Islands and how East Coast big gamefish and environmental advocates influenced the management of fisheries not only in the Atlantic and Gulf but also in the U.S. Pacific Islands.

Prior to Western contact, Native Hawaiians used special hooks to catch billfish, tuna and other large pelagic fish from outrigger canoes. In the early 1900s, immigrants from Japan introduced flagline fishing for tuna in the islands. Billfish caught incidentally by this fishery was used in fish cake, an affordable food for ethnic Japanese residing in Hawai‘i. Simultaneously, big gamefish fishermen found their way to the islands, leading to the eventual designation of Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawai‘i as the marlin capital of the world.

These big gamefish fishermen advocated for tight restrictions on the taking of marlin and swordfish on the U.S. mainland, which drove longline vessels from the Atlantic and Gulf to head to Hawai‘i. This caused the local longline fleet to grow exponentially from 15 vessels in the 1970s to 156 in 1991. The Western Pacific Council responded with a series of measures to manage conflicts that arose between the longline and artisanal fishing vessels and the increased fishery interactions with seabirds and sea turtles. While the Hawai‘i swordfish fishery has become America’s largest supplier of domestic swordfish, further political influence of East Coast big gamefish advocates and others led to Presidential and Congressional actions that have banned fishing in the majority of U.S. waters around Hawai‘i and the U.S. Pacific Islands and halted interstate commerce of healthy, domestically caught billfish (excluding swordfish) from these islands.

While the monograph’s findings and perspectives do not necessarily represent those of either the Council or the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Council hopes the history will expand the reader’s understanding of federal fisheries and their management. A limited number of printed copies are available on a first-come basis by contacting the Council. The publication and prior issues of the monograph series are also available online at http://www.wpcouncil.org/educational-resources/education-library/.

Scientists to Set Acceptable Biological Catch for American Samoa Bottomfish and Consider Rebuilding Plan Options

November 25, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Scientists from throughout the Pacific will meet Nov. 30 to Dec. 1, 2020, to discuss fishery management issues and make management recommendations for 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 virtually and is open to the public. The full agenda, background documents and instructions for connecting to the meeting and providing oral public comments are available at www.wpcouncil.org/event/138th-scientific-and-statistical-committee-meeting. Among the agenda items are the following:

American Samoa Bottomfish

The SSC will set the acceptable biological catch for the American Samoa bottomfish fishery for fishing years 2021-2022. The best scientific information available for fishery management decisions is the 2019 stock assessment from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) with catch projections to 2025. Based on this information, the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) is estimated to be 20,800 pounds and the overfishing limit in 2022 is 5,000 pounds. A panel of fishermen, fishery scientists and managers evaluated the scientific uncertainties associated with the assessment and quantified a risk level for the SSC to consider.

The 2019 benchmark stock assessment found the American Samoa bottomfish fishery to be overfished and subject to overfishing. 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 annual catch limit ranging between 0 to 1,500 pounds. NMFS has issued a final rule to implement an interim catch limit of 13,000 pounds that would reduce overfishing and allow biomass to increase while minimizing socio-economic impacts to fishing communities. At the end of the 2020 interim measure, NMFS will review the performance of the fishery and could extend the measure for an additional period not to exceed 186 days in 2021.

The SSC may provide scientific advice on potential options that could simultaneously rebuild the bottomfish stock and end overfishing.

Guam Bottomfish

The NMFS 2019 stock assessment found the Guam bottomfish stock to be overfished, but not experiencing overfishing. At its March 2020 meeting, the Council voted to specify the annual catch limit for the bottomfish fishery at 27,000 pounds for fishing years 2020 to 2023. This annual catch level would allow the biomass to rebuild to MSY within four years (2024). However, there are no accountability measures in place that would guarantee that the catch would be kept below this level. The SSC is scheduled to discuss the rebuilding plan options and may provide advice to the Council.

Oceanic Whitetip Sharks

The Council’s Oceanic Whitetip Shark Working Group met and recommended research priorities and identified improvements needed to reduce fishery impacts on the species. Incidental catches of oceanic whitetip sharks have declined since international non-retention measures were enacted throughout the Pacific. According to projections, the stock should recover if catches remain 10-20% below 2016 levels. U.S. impacts on the population are expected to remain low relative to foreign fisheries, with U.S. longline fisheries impacting 1.2% of spawning potential by 2031. Based on the working group’s findings, the SSC may have recommendations on observer coverage and improved handling of released sharks, such as reducing trailing gear.

North Pacific Striped Marlin

Based on a Council recommendation to phase in catch reductions for striped marlin, the SSC will review and may recommend catch and/or effort levels for North Pacific striped marlin and allocations for international catch limits. The stock has been internationally overfished per a 2019 NMFS stock assessment presented at the June 2020 Council meeting. The Council is required to address, within one year, relative impacts of domestic fisheries and international overfishing per the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. U.S. Pacific fisheries, including the Hawaiʻi longline fishery, landed approximately 22% of reported North Pacific striped marlin catch from 2013 to 2017.

Recommendations made by the SSC on these and other matters will be considered by the Council when it meets Dec. 2-4, 2020, virtually with host sites at BRI Building, Suite 205, Kopa Di Oru St., Garapan, Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI); and Tedi of Samoa Building, Suite 208B, Fagatogo Village, American Samoa. Instructions on connecting to the web conference, agendas and briefing documents will be posted at www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars. Host sites are subject to local and federal safety and health guidelines regarding COVID-19; check the Council website for updates.