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Local longline fishery faces \potential collapse\ says WestPac Fisheries Council

In an effort to help the local longline fishing fleet, which is "facing a potential economic collapse” the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council will consider during its meeting next month a temporary exemption for longliners, allowing them to fish the “Large Vessel Prohibited Area” of American Samoa’s exclusive economic zone, according to Council officials, who made a presentation last Friday to a Senate committee.

 

Council executive director Kitty Simmonds along with environmental policy coordinator Eric Kingma, were accompanied by American Samoa’s three members on the Council board  during the hearing, where senators were given a briefing which was identical to the Council’s presentation made during a public hearing last Thursday evening and attended by some 50 people, including those in the fishing industry.

 

Kingma explained that the LVPA was established in 2002 to minimize catch competition between large longline vessels — more than 50 feet long — and small longline vessels, including alia.

 

At the time, there were nearly 40 small longline vessels, while there were several large longliners, some of which came from Hawai’i and California. “So there was a need to separate large vessels from the smaller vessels to provide the opportunity for both fleets to be successful” which resulted in the LVPA, said Kingma.

 

However, the number of small longline vessels has been drastically reduced since 2002 to mainly alia vessels — and last year, there were no active alia at all, most of them under 40 feet, while there were 19 active large longliners, he said, and noted that the alia vessel's highest year of participation in the fishery was around 2000- 2001, which was the same time that the larger vessels started to come into Pago Pago.

 

“What we’ve seen over the past decade or so, is that the small vessel fleet [alia] has substantially decreased”, he said and explained that information requested with the U.S. National Marine Fishery Service shows there were “zero longline alia” active last year.

 

He added that the fishing grounds that were reserved in 2002 for small longline alia “is essentially under utilized… because it's not being fished too much by the small vessels”. He also noted that the large longliner fleet numbers have also declined over the years to only 19 active ones in 2014.

 

Also part of the presentation, not only to senators but also at the public meeting, was the explanation on “longline gear” because “there is a little bit of misunderstanding, or a lack of understanding of what longline gear is,” he said, noting that “what’s important to realize here is that longline vessels target albacore tuna [which] is a deep water tuna. It's very difficult for these tuna to be caught on the surface.”

 

Kingma explained that federal regulations require the large longline vessels to use fishing gear at 100 meters and below—so the hook is fishing deep into the water.

 

Kingma also explained federal regulations when it comes to the local longline fishery which is “strictly managed” by having the longliner carry a vessel monitoring system —a satellite based product—that provides information to the U.S. Coast Guard and the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement of the vessel's location on an hourly basis.

 

Additionally, longline vessels are also required to take a human observer onboard their vessel to document and record all catch information — including catch that is retained as well as discarded. “So these fisheries are highly monitored and well regulated,” he said.

 

Kingma went on to explain the important role that longline fishing plays for the local canneries, and the stiff competition they face with the high cost of operations, while the price of tuna has dropped drastically over the years. (See Samoa News edition this week Monday for details)

 

He said the local longline fishery “is facing potentially an economic collapse” which is due to low catch rates, low ex-vessel prices, or low prices... at the canneries and high operation costs. Additionally, since 2011 the longline fishery has operated at a loss — not making a profit.

 

“This fishery is facing dire, dire circumstances in terms of its economic sustainability. This fishery needs to be modified, diversified, or something needs to happen,” he said.

 

With no more active alias, and to help the local longline fishing fleet, the Council is considering a one-year temporary exemption which would allow these vessels to fish in the LVPA — seaward 25 nautical miles to the north of Tutuila and the Manu’a island group and seaward from 12 nautical miles around Swains islands.

 

Kingma stressed the exemption does not apply to waters surrounding the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument, where longline fishing is prohibited.

 

The exemption issue came up in the Council’s meeting last June but a decision had been deferred until next month’s162nd meeting, Kingma said, and noted that the Council wanted to get more feedback and comments from the local community— including those in the fishing industry as well as providing the public more information.

 

The Council is also considering two more options — which include exemption of the LVPA seaward of 12 nautical miles of all islands of American Samoa except for Rose Atoll, said Kingma.

 

And “due to economic circumstances facing the [longline] fleet, we are considering ‘emergency action’ or any other option that allows for prompt decision making and rule making,” he said.

 

Emergency action reduces the normal timeline for rule-making and includes circumstances in fisheries where there is a significant economic loss, or to preserve a significant economic opportunity that might be foregone, according to the Council’s information sheet.