HONOLULU — The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council will meet March 10 to 12, 2015, to consider and make recommendations on three issues concerning American Samoa, including an exemption for the American Samoa longliner fleet to temporarily operate in the Large Vessel Prohibited area.

The proposed regulatory amendment to the Pelagic Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP) would temporarily allow permitted American Samoa longline vessels of 50 feet or greater to operate within the Large Vessel Prohibited Area (LVPA) located within the US Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) waters around American Samoa.

According to the Management Council, the proposed action would provide relief to the American Samoa longline fishery, which has not been profitable the past several years. The economic collapse of the longline fishery has been documented across the Central South Pacific including not only American Samoa but also Fiji, Samoa and other Pacific Islands.

Longline fishermen in these areas believe that an influx of Chinese longline vessels across the region is mostly responsible for the collapse by reducing regional catch rates and lowering wholesale prices. The Chinese government has encouraged and facilitated substantial longline vessel construction and provides Chinese vessels generous subsidies on fuel, licensing, freight costs, exports, tax, loans and labor.

Other contributing factors are higher operating expenses. Opening the LVPA to the American Samoa longline vessels would increase their efficiency by reducing trip times, distances and associated trip costs. It would also address the underutilization of the LVPA by alia and other small vessels, which has resulted in the fishery's inability to achieve optimum yield within the EEZ around American Samoa. The action would also promote the potential for local vessels to continue to supply sustainably caught, high quality albacore to the Pago Pago based canneries and to diversify by providing fish for fresh fish markets.

AMERICAN SAMOA LONGLINE ALBACORE CATCH LIMIT

The SSC will also consider the establishment of a South Pacific albacore annual catch limit for the longline fishery operating in the EEZ around American Samoa. The measure would be consistent with the regional approach proposed by the Forum Fisheries Agency and members of the Tokelau Arrangement that would have the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission endorse EEZ-based annual catch limits as well as set flag-based high seas annual catch limits and a total annual catch limit of South Pacific albacore in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean.

2015 US PACIFIC TERRITORY LONGLINE BIGEYE SPECIFICATION

The SSC will make recommendations to the Council on the issue of establishing catch limits for bigeye tuna for the longline fisheries in American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The specification would include limits on the amount of catch that could be transferred to federally permitted US vessels operating under Specified Fishing Arrangements pursuant to Amendment 7 of the Pelagic FEP.

PUBLIC ENCOURAGED TO MAKE COMMENTS

The SSC will convene at the Council office, 1164 Bishop St., Ste. 1400, Honolulu. The public is invited and will have opportunities to provide comments. Once the March 10-12 meeting concludes, the Council will consider the recommendations of the SSC and its other advisory groups along with public comments at its 162nd Council meeting to be held March 16 to 18, 2015, at the Laniakea YWCA-Fuller Hall, 1040 Richards Street, Honolulu.

Written comments for the Council to consider should be received by the Council's executive director by 5 p.m. (Hawai'i time) March 13, 2015, by mail, fax or email or 40 copies can be provided at the Council meeting. Fax (808) 522-8226; email: WPcouncil@noaa.gov