Saving Seafood

Recommendations Advance from Scientists to Federal Fishery Managers on Hawai’i Small Boat, Hawai’i Grey Snapper, Hawai’i and American Samoa Longline Fisheries

September 14, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council and its Standing Committees will meet virtually by web conference (Webex) Sept. 14-17, 2020, to discuss management of federally regulated fisheries in offshore waters surrounding Hawai’i, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and eight Pacific Remote Island Areas (PRIAs). The meeting agendas, briefing documents and instructions on connecting to Webex can be found online at www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars or by contacting the Council at info@wpcouncil.org or at (808) 522-8220. The Pelagic and International Standing Committee and Executive and Budget Standing Committee will meet noon to 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. (HST), respectively, on Monday. The Council will meet 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. In its deliberations, the Council will consider public comments and recommendations from its advisory bodies, including the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), which met virtually Sept. 9 and 10, 2020. Among the items to be considered by the Council are the following:

Hawai’i Small-Boat Fishery: The Council will explore options to require mandatory federal permits and reporting for small-boat vessels fishing in federal waters around Hawai’i (3 to 200 miles from shore). Small boat is defined as those vessels using fishing gear other than longline. The goal is to better understand the impact of fishing, particularly by noncommercial vessels, on federally managed species. Currently, only the commercial and bottomfish sectors of the Hawai’i small-boat fishery are required to have permits. Other than the commercial vessels, only the noncommercial bottomfish vessels operating in federal waters are required to provide catch reports.

CURRENT PERMIT & REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR HAWAI’I OFFSHORE FISHERIES

  • Commercial fishermen operating in state or federal waters must have a state-issued commercial marine license and report their catches.
  • Commercial and noncommercial fishermen targeting seven species of deep-water bottomfish in state or federal waters around Hawai’i must register their vessels with the State, but the noncommercial vessels operating solely in state waters are not required to provide reports. For the fishing year 2019-2020, which ended Aug. 31, a total of 934 main Hawaiian Islands Deep-7 bottomfish vessels were registered. Of these vessels, 280 were noncommercial.
  • Noncommercial vessels targeting Deep 7 bottomfish in federal waters are required to have a federal permit and report their catches. Currently, only two vessels are federally permitted and no reports have been provided recently.

The Council held public scoping meetings around the Hawaiian Islands in February 2020 and a virtual Fishers Forum that included a presentation and public discussion on the proposed action on Aug. 27, 2020. The SSC this week recommended that the Council consider a pilot mandatory permitting and reporting project for the Hawai’i small boat fishery to be conducted on a small-scale across on all island areas. The SSC reiterated its position that all fish caught in the fishery should be counted. However, it also noted that enforcement would be a major challenge. The pilot permitting project may provide an opportunity to promote buy-in from the noncommercial fishing community and data to inform a full-scale permitting and reporting scheme including catch-and-effort data for the noncommercial sector.

Grey Snapper Annual Catch Limits: Hawai’i grey snapper, known locally as uku, is managed federally under an annual catch limit (ACL). The fishing year for the species runs Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. The Council is set to recommend the uku ACL for fishing years 2022-2025. The ACL can be equal to the acceptable biological catch, which is determined by the SSC, or below it in consideration of social, economic, ecological and management uncertainties. At its meeting last week, the SSC set the acceptable biological catch at 135,000 metric tons (297,624 pounds), which equates to a 43% risk of overfishing.

Longline Mandatory Electronic Reporting: The Council is expected to take final action on mandatory electronic reporting for longline fisheries in the Western Pacific Region. The proposed measure would require vessel operators to record and submit logbook data electronically using an electronic logbook application certified by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). If the Council moves forward with the proposed measure, it will consider whether to apply it to the Hawai’i longline fishery alone or also to the American Samoa limited entry vessel size classes C and D (50 feet in length or greater).

Longline Seabird Interaction Mitigation: The Council will consider a preliminary report on demonstrations and field trials to evaluate the practicality and efficacy of tori lines (also known as streamer lines or bird scarring lines) for mitigating albatross interactions in the Hawai’i deep-set longline fishery. Preliminary results indicate that tori lines are effective in reducing albatross contacts on baited hooks when used in conjunction with existing seabird bycatch mitigation measures. Last week, the SSC reviewed the report and recommended that the Council consider including tori lines as an additional seabird mitigation option for all Hawai’i longline fisheries.

PRIA Marine Conservation Plan: In June 2020, the Council approved the Marine Conservation Plan (MCP) for the PRIAs and directed staff to transmit the document to the NMFS Regional Administrator for review, approval and publication in the Federal Register. Subsequently, Council staff found that the MCP objectives and activities were inconsistent with the longline fisheries for the region and should be updated. Council staff updated the objectives and included projects supporting the longline fisheries of the region. The Council will review and consider approving the revised MCP.

Scientists to Set Acceptable Biological Catch for Main Hawaiian Islands Uku and Consider Hawaii Small-Boat Fisheries Management Options

September 3, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Scientists from throughout the Pacific will convene Sept. 9-10, 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/137th-scientific-and-statistical-committee-meeting. Among the agenda items are the following:

Main Hawaiian Islands Uku

The SSC will set the acceptable biological catch for the main Hawaiian Islands uku (grey snapper) fishery for fishing years 2022-2025. The best scientific information available for fishery management decisions is the 2020 stock assessment with catch projections to 2026. Based on this information, the maximum sustainable yield is estimated to be 204,972 pounds and the overfishing limit is 301,948 pounds. A panel of fishermen, fishery scientists and managers evaluated the social, ecological, economic and management uncertainties associated with the assessment and quantified a risk level for the SSC to consider.

Hawaiʻi Small-Boat Fisheries

Information on Hawaiʻi small-boat fisheries, which does not include the Hawaiʻi longline vessels, is currently insufficient for robust fisheries management. The Council will consider options that include no action, variations on a mandatory permitting and reporting system (including by sector or by species), a registry system and a pilot permit system. The Council held a virtual Fishers Forum and public meeting to discuss these options Aug. 27, 2020. The SSC will hear a report about the public meeting and an analysis of the options and may choose to recommend one for Council consideration.

Oceanic Whitetip Sharks

The SSC will hear a report on population projections for the western and central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) stock of oceanic whitetip sharks, a species that was overfished per a 2019 assessment and listed under the Endangered Species Act. Population projections for the stock assess the impact of internationally implemented conservation and management measures since 2013 (which prohibit shark retention and ban the use of “shark lines”) and are based on expected catches throughout the Pacific. The projections use updated estimates of post-release mortality. The SSC may make recommendations on the projections and report.

North Pacific Striped Marlin

Following a Council recommendation on phased catch reductions for striped marlin, the SSC will also review and may make recommendations on a rebuilding plan for North Pacific striped marlin and allocations of international catch limits. The stock has been internationally overfished per a 2019 stock assessment. The Council is required to address relative impacts of domestic fisheries and international overfishing per the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Approximately 6% of reported North Pacific striped marlin landings since 1975 is attributed to U.S. Pacific fisheries, including the Hawaiʻi longline fishery.

Recommendations made by the SSC on these and other matters will be considered by the Council when it meets Sept. 14-17, 2020, virtually with host sites at Cliff Pointe, 304 W. O’Brien Dr., Hagatna, Guam; Hyatt Regency Saipan, Royal Palm Ave., Micro Beach Rd., Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI); and Department of Port Administration, Airport Conference Room, Pago Pago International Airport, Tafuna 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.

Western Pacific Council Considers Changes to Small Boat Fisheries Sector in September

September 2, 2020 — A virtual Fishers Forum in Hawaii started the conversation — and a mandatory five-year review — of Hawaii’s small-boat fisheries management last week. The subject of possibly opening areas around Hawaii prohibited to longline fishing did not sit well.

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council proposed a discussion of opening the areas and also options of mandatory permitting and reporting in the nearshore areas. The longline closure area around the main Hawaiian islands that extends up to 75 miles offshore may no longer be necessary and the Council wanted to hear what fishermen thought.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Council Holds First Virtual Fishers Forum Highlighting Fishermen Contributions to Science and Management

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

More than 100 people participated in the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council’s first virtual Fishers Forum and review of Hawaiʻi small-boat fisheries management Aug. 27, 2020. The theme for the forum was fishermen, particularly non-commercial fishermen, contributing to the knowledge base for fishery scientists and managers. Scientists highlighted research projects that depend upon fishermen input and collaboration to be successful. Council staff informed participants about Hawaiʻi small-boat fishery management regulations currently in place and discussed future options for mandatory permitting and reporting.

Hawaiʻi small-boat fishery management and other matters will be considered by the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee when it meets Sept. 9-10, 2020, by web conference (Webex) and during the Council meeting Sept. 15-17, 2020, also by web conference with host sites at Cliff Point, 304 W. O’Brien Dr., Hagatna, Guam; Hyatt Regency Saipan, Royal Palm Ave., Micro Beach Rd., Saipan, CNMI; and Department of Port Administration, Airport Conference Rm., 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.

Fishermen Helping Science

Molly Lutcavage, Pacific Islands Fisheries Group (PIFG) and Large Pelagics Research Center, demonstrated how fishermen helped to identify tuna movement patterns through fish tagging, which is critical to answering many scientific and management questions. Cassie Pardee and John Wiley, Poseidon Fisheries Research, shared how biosamples provided by fishermen, primarily at fishing tournaments, contributed to the determination of coral reef fish life history characteristics such as life span and reproductive age and size. Justin Hospital, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Pacific Islands Fishery Science Center (PIFSC), emphasized that fishermen’s responses to socioeconomic surveys is critical to support effective fisheries management because it helps NMFS better understand the fishing community and its motivations and the benefits and costs of regulations, among other issues.

Review of Hawaiʻi Small-Boat Fisheries Management

Council staff gave an overview of Hawaiʻi small-boat fisheries regulations in effect and current sources of fishery data. Non-commercial fishermen are not required to report their fishing effort, catch or participation, resulting in the bulk of the data used in management decisions coming from commercial data logbooks and non-commercial estimates derived from surveys and models, which are highly uncertain. This uncertainty may lead to future possible allocation management measures between non-commercial and commercial sectors.

The Magnuson Stevens Act, under which the Council operates, requires the regular review of fishery ecosystem management plans to evaluate their effectiveness. During his opening remarks at the forum, Ed Watamura, Council vice chair for Hawaiʻi, asked listeners to imagine “fishery regulations that are created and never revisited, never reviewed and never taken off the books, even though they are not working and not enforceable.” In October 2019, the Council directed staff to review Hawaiʻi small-boat fisheries management. The overall process of reviewing regulations includes many steps such as the public scoping meetings held in February 2020 across the state that pointed at the need for non-commercial fishery data, and developing options for mandatory permitting and reporting.

The options presented ranged from taking no action, continuing to rely on existing data gathering methods and potentially leading to impacts from quotas and international management, to mandatory reporting that would provide the data needed for science and management in federal waters but would require fishermen to apply for permits or provide catch reports, something that would be unfamiliar to them.

Since the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Council has worked to resolve conflicts between longline vessels and small-boat fisheries due to overlapping fishing grounds and effort. Longliners from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean traveled as close as three miles out from the main Hawaiian Islands to set their lines. In response, the Council initiated 50 and 75-mile longline exclusion zones.

Several forum participants expressed concern about the possibility of removing the longline exclusion area, while others echoed the need for more fishery data, asked about plans for additional fish aggregating devices and encouraged the Council to focus their efforts on marketing and promoting local, fresh seafood.

Wespac Reconsiders Rule That Keeps Longliners From Fishing Near Hawaii’s Shores

August 31, 2020 — Hawaii’s commercial fishing industry leaders are weighing whether to uphold the boundary that prohibits longline vessels from fishing within 50 miles of the main islands’ shores, a review that has some small-boat fishermen nervous.

Several of those operators, who fish closer to shore, pushed back against lifting the so-called “Longliner Exclusion Zone” during a virtual “Fishers Forum” held last week by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council.

The zone has been in place for nearly 30 years and extends to 75 miles in some places. A Wespac flyer for the event solicited public input on whether it’s still needed.

That got the attention of local fishermen such as Chris Freed. “Why is this even happening?” the Oahu fisherman said during his testimony. Freed and other fishermen said they’d actually like to see the 50- to 75-mile boundary for longliners extended even farther.

Read the full story at the Honolulu Civil Beat

Summary of Proposed Action Items for the 183rd Meeting of the WPRFMC

August 31, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

  1. Specification of Annual Catch Limit and Accountability Measures for the Main Hawaiian Islands Uku Fishery for Fishing Year 2022-2025
  2. Mandatory Electronic Reporting in the Longline Fisheries
  3. Reasonable and Prudent Measures and/or Reasonable and Prudent Alternatives for the Deep-Set and American Samoa Longline Fisheries
  4. Modifications to Pacific Remote Island Area (PRIA) Objectives and Projects in the PRIA Marine Conservation Plan
  5. Options for Mandatory Permitting and Reporting for Hawai’i’s Small-Boat Fishery

The 183rd meeting of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council will convene Sept. 15-17, 2020, by web conference (WebEx). The WebEx link is https://tinyurl.com/183CouncilMtg and the password is: CM183mtg. Host sites will be available at the following locations (subject to local and federal safety and health guidelines regarding COVID-19; please check Council website for updates):

  • Cliff Pointe, 304W. O’Brien Dr., Hagatna, 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 (click here for copy), 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), Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, by postal mail, fax or email as indicated below.

Instructions for connecting to the WebEx and providing oral public comments during the meeting will be posted on the Council website at www.wpcouncil.org/event/183rd-council-meeting.

WPRFMC: Upcoming Virtual Fishers Forum on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020

August 19, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Do you fish from a boat? Do you catch tunas, mahimahi, ono, or uku? Then we want to talk to YOU!

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is hosting a virtual public meeting to get comments on options for mandatory permitting and reporting as well as the effectiveness of the longline prohibited area around Hawaii. Come to the meetings, talk story with us and let us know how YOUR fisheries should be managed!

Hawaii Small Boat Fishery Fact Sheet
Hawaii Fisheries Fact Sheet

Can’t make it to the public scoping meetings but want to provide comments? Fill-out a comment form online at: https://forms.gle/AoFMcMTP4axUvrKF6

Public comments will be accepted until September 7, 2020, C.O.B.

For more information, questions, etc. please contact Council staff Joshua DeMello at (808) 522-7493 or Joshua.DeMello@wpcouncil.org.

HAWAII: DLNR opposes regional fishery council’s request to allow commercial fishing in Papahanaumokuakea

July 27, 2020 — The state Department of Land and Natural Resources has sent a letter to President Donald Trump opposing a request by a regional fishery council to allow commercial fishing in the Papahanaumokuakea and Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monuments.

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (Wespac) sent a letter to Trump on May 8 in response to Trump’s executive order promoting American seafood competitiveness and economic growth.

In the letter signed by council chairman Archie Taotasi Soliai and Wespac executive director Kitty Simonds, the council asked the president to “please consider lifting the fishing restrictions in the Pacific marine national monuments and allowing America’s fishermen to fish again in the US EEZ (exclusive economic zone)….”

Read the full story at the Honolulu Star Advertiser

Federal Fishery Managers Say Measures for US Fisheries Should Reflect Their Low Impact on Protected Species Compared to Foreign Fisheries

June 26, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Councilconcluded its three-day virtual meeting today on the management of federal fisheries in waters offshore of the State of Hawai’i, the Territories of American Samoa and Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and the US Pacific Remote Islands Areas. Established in 1976 under purview of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), the Council monitors federal fisheries operating in these waters and develops management plans and amendments for them. Discussions and recommendations at today’s Council meeting focused on protected species interactions and the international nature of the region’s pelagic fisheries.

While the MSA is the nation’s preeminent fisheries legislation, the region’s fisheries are often managed to meet other legislation, such as the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Under the ESA, NMFS develops a biological opinion (BiOp) to evaluate whether a federally managed fishery jeopardizes the continued existence of species listed as threatened or endangered. If the fishery is likely to jeopardize species, NMFS must implement reasonable and prudent alternatives (RPAs) to avoid jeopardizing the species. If the fishery is not likely to jeopardize species, NMFS must implement reasonable and prudent measures (RPMs) to minimize impacts of any incidental take by the fishery. Currently, NMFS is developing BiOps and considering RPMs or RPAs for the Hawai’i deep-set longline fishery, which targets bigeye tuna, and for the American Samoa longline fishery, which targets South Pacific albacore tuna. Of particular concern is the Hawai’i fleet’s interaction with leatherback and loggerhead sea turtles. These RPMs in the past have required the shallow-set longline fishery to close after interacting with 16 leatherback turtles, even if they were released alive.

The Council also recommended that drafting of the RPMs place priority on improving handling and release methods to improve post-hooking survival rates and on creating industry-led incentives to report and reduce impacts.

During public comment, Eric Kingma, Hawaii Longline Association executive director, noted that the Hawaii fleet is only 4% of longline effort in the WCPO. “While we don’t have significant impact on the protected species populations, we can help by designing innovative measures and transferring them to the international fisheries,” he said.

Among other related recommendations, the Council will ask the Seafood Trade Task Force, created by Executive Order 13921, to evaluate all impacts of foreign-sourced fishery products on domestic fisheries and markets. The evaluation should focus on foreign-forced products into Hawai’i and Guam with known seafood safety concerns, such as carbon-monoxide gassed tuna including the potential suspension of such products during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Council also requested that the director of the NMFS Office of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection provide a status update on the certification of foreign fisheries that meet the MMPA equivalency provisions. Measures implemented under the MMPA have had an impact on the Hawai’i deep-set longline fishery, which has been unable to operate within a 132,000 square mile area (called the Southern Exclusion Zone) within the US exclusive economic zone around Hawai’i, after its interaction with two false killer whales that NMFS characterized as being at a level to create mortality and serious injury.

The Council recommended that the 2021 catch limits for longline bigeye be set at 2,000 mt each for American Samoa, Guam and the CNMI and that each Territory be allowed to allocate up to1,500 mt to US longline fisheries permitted under the Pelagic Fishery Ecosystem Plan, pursuant to Amendment 7 of that plan. However, the collective total allocation among the three Territories is not to exceed 3,000 mt.

The meeting agenda and briefing documents can be found at www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars.