Saving Seafood

Fishing council votes to replace seabird mitigation strategy for Hawaii deep-set longline fishery

December 9, 2021 — The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council has voted to recommend a replacement strategy to mitigate seabird interactions by Hawaii deep-set longline fishing vessels.

In a 12-0 vote, with one abstention, the 13-member council voted today to recommend fishing vessels use fishing pole-like setups called tori lines, which are meant to keep seabirds from interacting with the vessels’ gear and bait.

Interactions between fishing vessels in the Hawaii deep-set longline fishery and black-footed and Laysan albatrosses have been on the rise since 2015. Recent studies by researchers have shown that the current mitigation measures — primarily the use of blue-dyed bait and the strategic disposal of fish parts, or offal — have shown mixed effectiveness at deterring the albatrosses.

Read the full story at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser

US Request For More Bigeye Tuna Denied By Pacific Commission

December 9, 2021 — A drive to increase Hawaii longliners’ bigeye tuna quota has again fallen short at the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission.

The U.S. delegation to the WCPFC requested that its longline bigeye quota be increased by 3,000 metric tons, noting stocks appeared to not be overfished and were not unhealthy, so could withstand an increase in fishing levels.

The proposed increase to the bigeye quota was made during the WCPFC’s 18th annual session, which ended on Tuesday, but the agreement failed to get across the line. Instead, the commission opted to keep the status quo for the next two years.

WCPFC’s negotiations dictate fishing throughout the Pacific, which is home to some of the most valuable global fishing stocks. The commission’s members represent 26 economies, ranging from Japan and China to Fiji and Indonesia.

The Hawaii-based Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council has supported raising U.S. catch limits for at least six years and was disappointed by the result, according to its executive director Kitty Simonds.

Read the full story at Honolulu Civil Beat

More Bigeye for Pacific Longliners? Scientists Say Yes, Along with Increased Monitoring

December 7, 2021 — U.S. fishery managers propose increasing its Pacific bigeye tuna annual catch limit and gets the Western Pacific Fishery management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee’s blessing.

The SSC discussed issues related to bigeye tuna management last week at the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission meeting and endorsed the U.S. proposal to increase its bigeye tuna catch from 3,554 metric tons to 6,554 metric tons for the U.S. longline fishery. That endorsement includes an increase in minimum observer coverage for Western and Central Pacific longline fisheries from 5% to 10%.

WCPFC analyses demonstrate the Pacific bigeye tuna stock may sustainably withstand a modest increase in longline catch for the Hawai‘i-based fishery, noting it operates in a region of low levels of biomass depletion, the Council said in a press release.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Scientists Support New Measures, Changes to Hawaii Longline Tuna Fishery

December 3, 2021 — Blue bait or tori lines: Which is better for saving seabirds?

To the Scientific and Statistical Committee of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, tori lines.

The SSC continued to support replacing blue-dyed fish bait and strategic offal discard requirements in the Hawai‘i deep-set longline fishery with tori lines for seabird bycatch mitigation when it met recently.

Read the full story at SeafoodNews.com

 

Western Pacific Scientists Endorse US Proposal to Increase Bigeye Tuna Quota

December 3, 2021 — 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 this week discussed issues related to bigeye tuna management at the ongoing Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) meeting. The SSC endorsed the U.S. proposal to increase its bigeye tuna catch from 3,554 metric tons to 6,554 metric tons for the U.S. longline fishery, and to increase the observer coverage minimum for WCPFC longline fisheries from 5% to 10%. WCPFC analyses demonstrate the Pacific bigeye tuna stock may sustainably withstand a modest increase in longline catch for the Hawai‘i-based fishery, noting it operates in a region of low levels of biomass depletion.

The SSC also endorsed the continuation of fishing agreements between Hawai‘i-based U.S. vessels and participating U.S. Pacific Island Territories, and the agreements’ formal recognition within the WCPFC. Under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the U.S. bigeye tuna quota can be exchanged between the Territories and Hawai‘i according to procedures established under the Council’s Pelagic Fishery Ecosystem Plan.

The SSC heard the Hawai‘i and American Samoa longline catch rates were low during the 2020-2021 COVID-19 pandemic period. In Hawai‘i, bigeye tuna catch rates were well below historical levels, likely due to atypical La Nina oceanographic conditions. The SSC noted an ongoing study that found preliminary 2021 revenue was 84% higher than 2020 (March to August timeframe) largely due to significant price increases from supply limitations, and 35% higher than a 2015-2019 baseline.

Although the South Pacific albacore tuna stock is not overfished and not experiencing overfishing, the SSC was concerned that the American Samoa catch rates were the lowest on record—well below the rate needed to make the fishery viable. The SSC noted that a continuous downward trend of the stock coincides with declines of numerous Pacific Island fisheries and uncertainty in reported fishing capacity and catches of South Pacific albacore.

The WCPFC is responsible for the waters around Hawai‘i and the U.S. Pacific Islands. The member countries, including the United States, aim to reach consensus annually on conservation and management measures such as catch limits for tropical tunas and billfish, and spatial fishing effort limits.

Regarding area-based management, the SSC endorsed a work plan from a committee subgroup and expects to have an outline for a policy-focused paper in March 2022 about domestic and international issues impacting Western Pacific Region fisheries. The SSC working group aims to provide advice on using area-based management to achieve goals under President Biden’s 30×30 land and ocean conservation initiative and similar negotiations on the high seas, and address the changing international fisheries landscape.

The SSC also commended development of the Hawai‘i Community Tagging Program, a collaborative research project on sharks between the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and small-boat fishermen. The program aims to quantify shark-fisher interactions, depredation and mortality rates for silky sharks and Endangered Species Act-listed oceanic whitetip sharks, among others. Scientists educate fishers on shark population status and species identification, while identifying and testing bycatch and depredation mitigation strategies.

The program plans to integrate tag, fishing interaction and environmental data to create species distribution models that can be created under various future climate change scenarios. SSC suggested the Science Center extend its efforts to reduce depredation in Hawai‘i bottomfish fisheries as well as the U.S. Pacific Island territories, which have both noted high depredation rates.

Recommendations made by the SSC will be considered by the Council when it meets virtually next week, Dec. 7-9, 2021, with host sites at Tedi of Samoa Building, Suite 208B, Fagatogo Village, American Samoa; BRI Building, Suite 205, Kopa Di Oru St., Garapan, Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI); and Cliff Pointe, 304 W. O’Brien Dr., Hagatña, Guam.

For more information on the agenda, meeting documents and web conference connection, go to www.wpcouncil.org/event/189th-council-virtual-meeting. Host sites are subject to local and federal safety and health guidelines regarding COVID-19; check the Council website for updates.

 

WPRFMC: Western Pacific Scientists Support Tori Lines Over Blue-Dyed Bait in Tuna Fishery and Exploring New Bottomfish Management Approach

December 1, 2021 — 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 continued to support replacing blue-dyed fish bait and strategic offal discard requirements in the Hawai‘i deep-set longline fishery with tori lines for seabird bycatch mitigation. Results from field experiments conducted in the past three years under an experimental fishing permit showed that Laysan and black-footed albatross were 4 times less likely to come in contact with baited hooks when participating vessels used tori lines, or bird scaring lines, versus blue-dyed bait. Tori lines have proved effective in other longline fisheries around the world.

SSC members discussed various impacts the management alternatives could have on the U.S. longline commercial fishery, including additional crew time required to create and clean up the blue-dyed bait. The SSC supports removal of strategic offal discharge as a requirement since there is inconclusive scientific evidence that it provides a conservation benefit, especially in light of the tori line effect on seabird interaction rates. In lieu of this requirement, the management measure would include best practice training for longline vessel owners and operators on offal management at the required annual National Marine Fisheries Service protected species workshop.

The SSC provides scientific advice to the Council, which is considering modifications to a regulatory amendment to improve seabird conservation. The Hawai‘i deep-set longline fishery, which targets bigeye tuna, has been using a suite of seabird mitigation measures since 2001 under the Council’s Pelagic Fishery Ecosystem Plan.

After reviewing a workshop report on American Samoa bottomfish data evaluation, the SSC supported a single-species management approach for the next stock assessment scheduled for 2023. The American Samoa bottomfish fishery is managed in an 11-species complex, which is overfished and experiencing overfishing, according to a 2019 Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) assessment. The PIFSC Stock Assessment Program reported there are sufficient data to explore the use of single-species assessments for most managed bottomfish species except for pink snapper (palu-‘ena‘ena, Pristipomoides filamentosus).

The report summarized information collected from six systems and highlighted the data quantity, quality and changes over time. The catch per unit effort data from the creel surveys and the resulting estimated catch are highly uncertain, particularly for species that are not well represented in the surveys. However, there is sufficient information for a single species, age-based assessment using length information from the PIFSC diver surveys and biosampling program, and territory boat-based creel surveys.

Creel surveys collect general fisheries data provided voluntarily by commercial and noncommercial boat and shore fishermen. Moving forward with a single-species approach may require changes in conservation and management measures.

The SSC meeting continues tomorrow with discussions on pelagic and international fisheries. Instructions on connecting to the web conference, agenda and briefing documents are posted at www.wpcouncil.org/event/142nd-scientific-and-statistical-committee-virtual-meeting.

 

Western Pacific Scientists to Consider Seabird Conservation Measures, Research to Inform Management Decisions

November 29, 2021 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Scientists will meet Nov. 30 to Dec. 2, 2021, to provide advice and comments to the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council on domestic seabird conservation measures, tagging studies to inform management decisions, tropical tuna annual catch limits and other topics. The Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) meeting 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/142nd-scientific-and-statistical-committee-virtual-meeting. Among the agenda items are the following:

Revisions for Seabird Conservation Measures

The SSC will consider an impact analysis of management alternatives to help the Hawai‘i longline fishery avoid hooking seabirds. The Council is evaluating using tori lines, or bird scaring lines, as part of a suite of mitigation measures that have been in place since 2002. 

Two field trials to develop and test tori lines in the deep-set longline fishery were conducted in 2019-2021 under a cooperative research project between the Council, Hawaii Longline Association and Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC). Results show that tori lines are significantly more effective in preventing longline gear interactions with black-footed and Laysan albatrosses than an existing method of using blue-dyed bait. 

Cutting-Edge Research

The SSC will discuss reports on research that could inform future management decisions. PIFSC will describe a collaborative research program aimed at reducing depredation rates and mortality of sharks incidentally captured in small-scale fisheries around Hawai‘i. The Hawai‘i Community Tagging Program (“Shark Tagger” program) was created to facilitate outreach to resource users and to bridge the gap between scientists, fishers and managers. 

Another study looks at yellowfin tuna movement patterns in the eastern and central Pacific Ocean. Tuna were tagged and released in specific areas to allow scientists to track their dispersion and interaction with oceanic conditions. Knowing the stock structure of these tunas helps managers make appropriate management decisions.

An SSC working group on area-based management will also present its plan to achieve the goals of the Biden Administration’s 30×30 Initiative and the United Nations’ international negotiations to conserve and sustainably use ocean areas beyond national jurisdiction.

Possible Tropical Tuna Quota Increase

The SSC will hear about U.S. preparations for the 18th Regular Session of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), which will be held virtually Nov. 28 to Dec. 6, 2021. Key topics include a revised tropical tuna (bigeye, yellowfin and skipjack) conservation and management measure, South Pacific albacore tuna management and a U.S. proposal to strengthen international shark measures by banning wire leaders in longline fisheries, as the Council recommended this year for the Hawai‘i longline fishery.

The Permanent Advisory Committee to the U.S. delegation recommended the United States propose an increase of at least 3,000 metric tons (mt) to the current domestic longline catch limit of 3,554 mt for bigeye tuna. The increase would not exceed management objectives since nearly 10,000 mt of accepted catch among other nations goes unused annually. The Hawai‘i longline fishery has more than 20% observer coverage (international requirement is 5%), does not transship at-sea and operates in a portion of the ocean where regional depletion of bigeye tuna has been estimated to be minimal.

The WCPFC is responsible for the waters around Hawai‘i and the U.S. Pacific Islands. The Commission meets annually in December to review stock assessments and other information from sub-groups and committees that start meeting in July.

American Samoa Bottomfish Data Workshops

PIFSC will report on a data workshop held with Council and American Samoa fisheries staffs to evaluate data to be used for the next American Samoa bottomfish benchmark stock assessment to be completed in 2023. The SSC’s working group will report on their meeting with PIFSC and Council staffs on the availability, quality and appropriateness of the data for use in various stock assessment models.

Recommendations made by the SSC on these and other matters will be considered by the Council when it meets Dec. 7-9, 2021, virtually, with host sites at Tedi of Samoa Building, Suite 208B, Fagatogo Village, American Samoa; BRI Building, Suite 205, Kopa Di Oru St., Garapan, Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI); and Cliff Pointe, 304 W. O’Brien Dr., Hagatña, Guam. 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.

 

Patricia Saiki: Hawaii Has Benefited From Kitty Simonds’ Leadership

November 17, 2021 — I read with interest Civil Beat’s recent series “On the Hook.” While I applaud the substantial research that went into the series, I must disagree with the criticisms — direct and suggested — of Kitty Simonds, the long-time executive director of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council.

As the series noted, she has no shortage of critics. But what she has been, everyone seems to agree, is an effective advocate for Hawaii’s commercial fishing fleet. That’s an important part of her role as executive director.

The councils were created by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, which was passed in 1976 to assure local participation in matters governing fishing in U.S. federal waters, specifically maintaining populations of fish and sustainability of fishing industries. This is a subject with which I have some personal experience.

When I served in the Congress (1987-1990) representing Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District, I was appointed to a seat on the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee. I sought that committee assignment because I knew how important its decisions were to Hawaii and its aquatic and fishing industries.

Read the full opinion piece at the Civil Beat

HUFFMAN, GRIJALVA, CASE ISSUE JOINT STATEMENT ON INSPECTOR GENERAL AUDIT OF WESTERN PACIFIC REGIONAL FISHERY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL

November 16, 2021 — The following was released by the Office of Congressman Jared Huffman:

Water Oceans and Wildlife Subcommittee Chair Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawaii) and Rep. Gregorio Sablan (D-CNMI) issued the following joint statement regarding the recent audit of the Western Pacific Sustainable Fisheries Fund (WPSFF) conducted by the Department of Commerce Office of the Inspector General.

The audit found that the Western Pacific Fisheries Management Council (WESPAC) and its sub-recipients claimed questionable costs of more than $1.2 million in awards – 40% of all costs it examined – and didn’t obtain required approvals or have sufficient documentation.

“The results are deeply alarming. The Inspector General’s audit is a necessary first step towards the transparency and accountability that is needed to ensure WESPAC is not wasting the taxpayers’ money it is entrusted with,” Chair Grijalva said. “As damning as this report is, it raises more questions about WESPAC than it answers. Their financial activities should continue to be examined.”

“The Western Pacific Council’s management of the Western Pacific Sustainable Fisheries Fund Award has long been questionable, and this audit of the Fund paints an unflattering picture of WESPAC’s financial activities, to say the least,” said Rep. Huffman. “As Chair of the Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee, it is clear Congress must take action to improve oversight and management of WESPAC and ensure that government funds are being spent responsibly. On Tuesday, we are holding a hearing on my and Rep. Case’s bill, the Sustaining America’s Fisheries for the Future Act, which takes steps to address these issues by adding transparency and reporting requirements for the Fund.”

“The Inspector General’s report underscores the need for substantial reforms in the way that WESPAC does business. Our federal dollars should be spent on the critical mission of sustaining and conserving vital marine ecosystems, not on controversial awards and questionable and unsupported spending at the behest of council staff with potential conflicts of interest,” said Rep. Case. “This report is just the beginning of our inquiry and response. We must act on the report’s findings to prevent any further waste and abuse of government funds by WESPAC and potentially other regional fishery councils operating under the same rules.”

“The Inspector General found $1.2 million in questionable expenditures by WESPAC and breaches of the rules on sole-source contracts and other financial controls. This all confirms the concerns that led Chair Grijalva, Representatives Huffman and Case, and me to request this in-depth audit of how WESPAC uses federal funds,” said Rep. Sablan. “I look forward to the decision of NOAA’s Grants Management Division on the appropriate next steps to recover any money that was improperly paid.”

The WPSFF administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was established under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation Act (MSA) and was intended to support conservation efforts in the U.S. Pacific territories and Hawai’i. Funds are provided by NOAA to WESPAC, which carries out contracts and subawards for projects. However, concerns raised from oversight of NOAA led to the audit request by Chair Grijalva, Rep. Huffman, Rep. Case and Rep. Sablan more than two years ago.

Read the release here

WPRFMC: 2021 Public Meetings Notice

November 15, 2021 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council announces the following public meetings on fisheries management in offshore waters of Hawai‘i (HI), American Samoa (AS), Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and the Pacific Remote Island Areas (PRIAs). Unless otherwise noted, the meetings will be held by web conference. Host sites are subject to local and federal safety and health guidelines regarding COVID-19; check the Council website for updates. All times listed are local island times. For more information on the virtual meeting connection and complete agendas, go to www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars, email info@wpcouncil.org, fax (808) 522-8226 or phone (808) 522-8220.

Fishing Industry Advisory Committee

November 16 (T)     1 p.m. to 3 p.m. (HST)

Major agenda items: Fishing and market issues/impacts; Seabird mitigation measure revisions in the HI deep-set longline (DSLL) fishery; Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) meeting reports; False killer whale acoustic study and Take Reduction Team research priorities; AS gear diversification project report; and CNMI bottomfish (BF) development and training report.

Non-Commercial Fisheries Advisory Committee 

November 16 (T)     3 p.m. to 5 p.m. (HST)

Major agenda items: Fishery allocation discussion; National Recreational Fishing Summit update; and Fishermen observations.

AS Archipelago Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP) Advisory Panel (AP)

November 16 (T)     6 p.m. to 8 p.m. (SST)

Major agenda items: AS Sustainable Fisheries Fund (SFF) project reports; AS outreach and education update; AS BF Data Workshop report; Territorial BF Fishery Management Plan update; AS fishermen observations update; and AP plans.

Pelagic and International Standing Committee

November 17 (W)    1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (HST)

Major agenda items: Seabird mitigation measure revisions in the HI DSLL fishery; Endangered Species Act Biological Opinions report; Hawaii Longline Assoc. and Tautai o Samoa Longline & Fishing Assoc. reports; and WCPFC meeting reports.

Social Science Planning Committee

November 18 (Th)   1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (HST)

Major agenda items: Socioeconomic modules for the annual Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation reports; Social Science Strategic Plan update; and Environmental justice in fisheries management.

Mariana Archipelago FEP-CNMI AP

November 18 (Th)   1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. (ChST)

Major agenda items: Fish aggregating devices (FADs) and fishery infrastructure reports; Military issues and concerns; Catchit Logit transfer and mandatory reporting requirements; SFF project updates; CNMI fishermen observations update; and AP plans.

Mariana Archipelago FEP-Guam AP

November 18 (Th)   6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (ChST)

Major agenda items: Military issues and concerns; FAD issues and solutions; Council Coral Reef Program update; AP outreach and education report; Guam fishermen observations update; and AP plans.

HI Archipelago FEP AP

November 19 (F)     1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (HST)

Major agenda items: Seabird mitigation measure revisions in the HI DSLL fishery; Proposed Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) sanctuary update; Green turtle management update; HI Dept. of Aquatic Resources sportfish funding report; HI fishermen observations update; and AP plans and working group reports.

142nd Scientific and Statistical Committee

Direct link to meeting: https://tinyurl.com/142SSCMtg. If prompted, password SSC142mtg.

November 30 – December 2 (T – Th)  11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (HST)

Major agenda items: Seabird mitigation measure revisions in the HI DSLL fishery (action item); Environmental justice report; AS BF Data Workshop report; and SSC and Council Coordination Committee area-based working group reports.

Executive and Budget Standing Committee

December 6 (M)  3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. (HST)

Major agenda items: Financial and administrative matters; and Council family changes.

189th Council Meeting

Direct link to meeting: https://tinyurl.com/189CouncilMtg. If prompted, password CM189mtg.

Host sites: Tedi of Samoa Bldg., Suite 208B, Fagatogo Village, AS

BRI Bldg., Suite 205, Kopa Di Oru St., Garapan, Saipan, CNMI

Cliff Pointe, 304 W. O’Brien Drive, Hagatña, Guam

December 7 – 9 (T – Th)   11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (HST)

Major agenda items: Territorial creel survey expansion; Seabird mitigation measure revisions in theHI DSLL fishery (action item); False killer whale weak hook study report; AS BF Data Workshop report; WCPFC meeting reports; and Proposed NWHI sanctuary update.

Written comments on final action items on the 189th Council meeting agenda received by Dec. 3, 2021, will be distributed to Council members prior to meeting. Direct comments to Kitty M. Simonds, Executive Director, WPRFMC, and mail to 1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI 96813; fax to (808) 522-8226; or email to info@wpcouncil.org. Written comments on all other agenda items may be submitted for the record by email throughout the duration of the meeting.