Saving Seafood

American Samoa to Break Ground on New Fishing Dock

May 7, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The groundbreaking ceremony for a long-awaited dock for larger American Samoa fishing vessels will take place tomorrow at 9 a.m. at the Malaloa Marina in Pago Pago. Gov. Lolo M. Moliga, members of his staff and cabinet, the Silva Group contractors and members of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council are scheduled to attend.

The new berthing area extends the current dock at the Malaloa Marina by 450 feet. It will be used by the local longline fleet, which currently has no dedicated dock and opportunistically berths at the main Pago Pago port, StarKist and Malaloa facilities until the arrival of purse-seine vessels, cruise liners and fuel and container ships requires them to relocate.

The American Samoa longline fleet is comprised of 16 vessels averaging 79 feet and three smaller alia (traditional catamaran style) vessels. It targets albacore tuna, which is delivered to the StarKist cannery. Incidental catches of marlin and yellowfin and bigeye tuna are sold to local businesses and used for cultural/community obligations.

“We must maintain this fishery,” says Kitty M. Simonds, executive director of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council. “It is one of three US tuna fisheries in the western and central Pacific. It has been challenged by current gaps in the management of South Pacific albacore by international fishery commissions. The United States needs to remain a pivotal player in these management and conservation negotiations.”

At the request of the American Samoa government to provide assistance in addressing the lack of docking space in Pago Pago Harbor, the Council provided $195,000 through the Sustainable Fisheries Fund. The funds are used to support the Marine Conservation Plan for each of the US Pacific Territories, which includes fisheries development as one of the objectives. The funds were used for the design phase of the project with the agreement that the local government would identify a funding source for the construction of the dock.

“This is a great milestone and a long time coming,” says Taotasi Archie Soliai, Council chair and a manager at StarKist. “The Council is extremely excited and looks forward to this project completion so more dock space is available to our local fleet. Our goal is to work with the territorial governments to provide support for their MCPs, and this dock expansion falls in line with those objectives. A big heartfelt appreciation goes to Gov. Lolo Moliga and his Administration for the funding allocation towards this project. This is a win-win situation for everyone!”

3 students earn fisheries scholarships

May 4, 2020 — Three college students have been named recipients of the 2020-2021 U.S. Pacific Territories Fishery Capacity-Building Scholarship.

The recipients are:

  • Aveipepa Fua, of American Samoa, who will be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in marine science at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo;
  • Jude Lizama, of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, who will be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in oceanography with a concentration in fisheries science at Hawai’i Pacific University; and
  • Leilani Sablan, of Guam, who will be pursuing a master’s degree in biology at the University of Guam.

Read the full story at The Guam Daily Post

Council Announces Three Winners for 2020-2021 US Pacific Territories Fishery Capacity-Building Scholarship

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

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2020-2021 US Pacific Territories Fishery Capacity-Building Scholarship. The scholarships are offered annually to college students with close connections to American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) who are pursuing degrees that will bolster the Territories’ capacity to manage their fishery ecosystems. Students who accept a scholarship agree to work with their local fishery agency upon graduation for an equivalent amount of time that they receive the scholarship.

The 2020-2021 recipients include Aveipepa Fua (American Samoa) who will be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in marine science at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo; Jude Lizama (CNMI) who will be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in oceanography with a concentration in fisheries science at Hawai’i Pacific University; and Leilani Sablan (Guam) who will be pursuing a master’s degree in biology at the University of Guam.

Since the scholarship program began in 2016, five recipients have graduated, with three having fulfilled their work requirements in American Samoa and the CNMI and two beginning their work commitment in 2019; and six recipients are poised to graduate in 2020 (two students) and 2021 (four students).

The scholarship program was established through a memorandum of understanding involving several federal agencies, the local fishery agencies in the Territories and several colleges and universities in Hawai’i and the Territories. It is funded by the Council, NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and NOAA Pacific Islands Regional Office.

As Canned Tuna Fly Off Shelves, Operations of U.S. Boats Are Compromised

March 19, 2020 — Consumers bracing against Covid-19 have raised demands not only for health and safety products but also for many food staples, including tuna. According to a recent National Public Radio report, tuna sales were up more than 31 percent last week compared to the same time last year.

StarKist Samoa, located in the U.S. Territory of American Samoa, supplies tuna for the U.S. market.

Read the full story at Seafood News

StarKist, fleet lament US fishing restrictions amid surge in canned tuna demand

March 19, 2020 — US tuna canner StarKist & Co and the fleet that catches its tuna are lamenting fishing restrictions in the American Samoa region they say will make it difficult to continue to supply tuna at a time when shelf-stable product sales are up sharply due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

StarKist, according to a press release published by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, is seeing higher demand for its products, which is creating more work for its StarKist Samoa plant in American Samoa.

“The StarKist Samoa operation relies on the US tuna fishermen, and direct fish deliveries to the cannery are a major component of our business model,” the company said. “We have seen an increase in sales that has been attributed to the Covid-19 impact, and we are doing our best to keep up with the demand. It’s important to note that the global impact of Covid-19 highlights the importance of keeping US suppliers and producers in business to ensure we can sustain the tuna supply for US consumers.”

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

As Canned Tuna Fly Off Shelves, Operations of U.S. Boats Are Compromised

March 18, 2020 — HONOLULU — The following was released by the American Tunaboat Association, StarKist Samoa, and the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Consumers bracing against Covid-19 have raised demands not only for health and safety products but also for many food staples, including tuna. According to an NPR report yesterday, tuna sales were up more than 31 percent last week compared to the same time last year.

StarKist Samoa, located in the US Territory of American Samoa, supplies tuna for the US market.

“The StarKist Samoa operation relies on the US tuna fishermen, and direct fish deliveries to the cannery are a major component of our business model,” said StarKist Samoa in a statement today. “We have seen an increase in sales that has been attributed to the Covid-19 impact, and we are doing our best to keep up with the demand. It’s important to note that the global impact of Covid-19 highlights the importance of keeping US suppliers and producers in business to ensure we can sustain the tuna supply for US consumers. It continues to be a struggle for the US tuna fisherman to stay in business. The Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, as well as the continued burdens of the international fishing restrictions, has had a detrimental impact on both our US tuna fishermen and the American Samoan economy. In addition, these measures have had little or no impact on tuna conservation or the protection of sensitive marine habitats. Any interruption to the StarKist Samoa supply chain impacts our company’s ability to provide healthy seafood products to our US customers.”

Under US law, American tuna purse-seiners are stringently managed under regulations and enforcement regimes that are far more robust than those of other nations. Among the regulations for US purse-seiners is the requirement for vessels to carry fishery observers.

“The current situation poses critical problems for the operation of the US tuna purse-seine fleet on almost every level,” notes Bill Gibbons-Fly, executive director of the American Tunaboat Association (ATA). The nonprofit organization, established in 1917, represents the owners and operators of the US Pacific tuna purse-seine fleet and is the last true distant-water fishing fleet operating under US flag. “Most Pacific Island countries that provide observers have pulled those observers off boats and called them home,” Gibbons-Fly adds. “We expect others to follow. The increasing travel constraints throughout the Pacific are complicating efforts to get crew, repair parts, technicians and supplies to boats in a timely fashion. And some ports where the boats would offload or transship fish are simply closed to them. This combination of factors not only puts the immediate operations of the fleet at risk, but also raises questions about the ability of this industry, along with many others, to overcome the broader economic and social disruption caused by the current pandemic.”

For further information contact Gibbons-Fly at (410) 940-9385 or wgibbons-fly@atatuna.com; Archie Soliai, government and community relations manager, StarKist Samoa, and chair of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC) at Archie.Soliai@StarKist.com; or Sylvia Spalding of the WPRFMC at (808) 383-1069 or sylvia.spalding@wpcouncil.org.

Western Pacific Council Recommends 2020 Bigeye Tuna Catch, Allocations for U.S. Pacific Territories

March 17, 2020 — The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council in Honolulu recommended that the federal catch limits for longline-caught bigeye tuna for the U.S. Territories of American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands for fishing year 2020 remain at 2,000 metric tons each and the allocation limits be up to 1,500 mt each with a cap of 3,000 mt overall.

Previously, the allocation limits were up to 1,000 mt for each Territory. The new allocation limits and cap ensure that the potential environmental impact remains the same while allowing the territories more flexibility in their allocation choices. The Council’s recommendation from last week’s meeting will be reviewed by the Secretary of Commerce for approval, according to a press release from the Council.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Hawaii Longline Fishery Producing Fresh Seafood for Hawaii Food Security

March 17, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council and Hawaii Longline Association:

Due to COVID-19 impacts, local food security, self-sufficiency and access to healthy food and fish are increasingly important. Hawaii longline vessels are positioned to continue supplying fish to Hawaii restaurant and retail markets for local Hawaii consumption during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

The Hawaii longline fishery is the largest food producing industry in the State of Hawaii. The fishery is comprised of 150 active vessels supplying highly monitored fresh, ice-chilled fish to Hawaii and US mainland markets.

The Hawaii longline fishery is considered globally as a golden standard in tuna fisheries, with robust management measures and strict monitoring and enforcement.

Hawaii residents consume seafood at twice the national average, as fish is culturally important to Hawaii’s diverse communities.

According to HLA Executive Director Eric Kingma, PhD, “The Hawaii Longline Association [HLA] is working with government officials, restaurants, and retail outlets to ensure that Hawaii consumers continue to be supplied with safe, high-quality, healthy seafood products caught by Hawaii longline vessels.”

For further information, contact Kingma at (808) 389-2653 or Eric.K.Kingma@gmail.com.

Feds, Local Managers to Work with Fishermen on Bottomfish Issues in US Pacific Territories

March 12, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Recent stock assessments by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) determined that the bottomfish stocks in the Territories of American Samoa and Guam are overfished and the bottomfish fishery in American Samoa is undergoing overfishing. In October 2019, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council recommended that NMFS implement interim measures to address rebuilding of the stocks and overfishing in American Samoa. Today in Honolulu the Council additionally recommended that staff work with NMFS and the American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources on consistent in-season monitoring and accountability measures; the training of bottomfish fishermen on electronic reporting; and the potential use of a temporal-spatial closure.

To develop the rebuilding plans for the overfished stock, select members of the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee and Advisory Panel will work with NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) and Pacific Islands Regional Office to gather needed information. Public meetings will also be held in the two Territories to explore the range of potential management measures for the plans.

To address comments from fishermen that data used in the stock assessment were not accurate, the Council will work with the Territory agencies and NMFS on an outreach plan on the importance of accurate and robust data collection and the management efforts for the bottomfish fisheries in American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).

Another comment made by fishermen regards the current federal management of bottomfish as a single stock complex in each of the Territories. In response, the Council requested that PIFSC develop a new bottomfish benchmark assessment on a species resolution that is deemed appropriate during a data preparation workshop at the soonest time practicable. PIFSC was asked to also explore other modeling approaches and data sets aside from the creel surveys and commercial receipt books currently used (e.g., electronic self-reporting) and to engage fishermen throughout the stock assessment process. The Council will work with NMFS and Territory agencies to review the bottomfish management list and discuss the available options and regulatory consequences of adding and removing species from the list.

The Council today also specified annual catch limits (ACLs) for the CNMI and Guam bottomfish fisheries for fishing years 2020-2023. For the CNMI, the Council recommended an ACL of 84,000 pounds (a 39 percent risk of overfishing) and an annual catch target (ACT) of 78,000 pounds (34 percent risk of overfishing). For Guam, the Council recommended an ACL of 27,000 pounds (31 percent risk of overfishing), which allows the catch to be maximized while preventing overfishing and allowing the stock to rebuild within five years. Because data collection systems in Guam and CNMI do not allow for near-real time tracking of catches, the Council recommended a post-season accountability measure where the ACL for the succeeding year will be reduced by the amount of the overage determined by the three-year average of recent catch.

The Council meeting continues tomorrow at the YWCA Fuller Hall, 1040 Richards St., Honolulu, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, go to www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars, email info@wpcouncil.org or call (808) 522-8220.

Council Urges Reopening of Fishing Grounds Based on New False Killer Whale Study

March 12, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

A new study indicates that the pelagic stock of false killer whales around the Hawaiian Islands may be healthier than previously thought. Amanda Bradford of NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center presented the research yesterday to the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, which has authority over fisheries in the US exclusive economic zone (EEZ, i.e., generally 3 to 200 miles offshore) of Hawai‘i and other US islands and territories in the Pacific. The Council is meeting this week in Honolulu.

In light of the new population estimates, the Council yesterday asked the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to explore reopening the Southern Exclusion Zone (SEZ), a 132,000-square-mile area spanning the entire EEZ south of the main Hawaiian Islands. Since 2012, the SEZ is closed to the Hawai‘i longline fishery when it interacts with two pelagic false killer whales that result in a mortality and serious injury determination by NMFS. The closed SEZ leaves only 17.8 percent of the EEZ around the Hawaiian Islands open to the fishery.

When the SEZ was implemented, the estimated population size of pelagic false killer whales allowed a maximum of nine individuals from the stock to be removed by means other than natural mortalities. Above that number could impair the stock’s ability to reach or maintain its optimum sustainable population, it was determined. The new estimates may indicate a need to modify that number.

The Council meeting continues today and tomorrow at the YWCA Fuller Hall, 1040 Richards St., Honolulu, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. To participate by web conference: Go to https://wprfmc.webex.com/join/info.wpcouncilnoaa.gov. For more information on the meeting, go to www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars, email info@wpcouncil.org or call (808) 522-8220.