(BASED ON A PRESS RELEASE) — The group of scientists who advise the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council are meeting at the New Otani Hotel, Honolulu (June 22-24, 2010), to make decisions that could have significant impact on the amount of fish that fishermen can catch in the US Pacific Islands.
The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) are considering methods to set annual catch limits (ACLs) for species caught in the exclusive economic zone waters of the Western Pacific Region, which span 3 to 200 miles offshore of Hawaii, American Samoa and Guam and 0 to 200 miles offshore of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and eight US Pacific Remote Island Areas.
The need to set ACLs for all species in federal fisheries (both targeted and non-targeted stocks) by 2011 was established by Congress in the 2006 reauthorized Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Species that are exempt are those managed internationally and those that are considered ecosystem species, i.e., species that are not caught or targeted. The SSC is expected to provide recommendations regarding the criteria for determining the status of the stocks as well as the maximum sustainable yield for each species.
The biggest challenge for the scientists is to meet these objectives for the thousands of fish species that are part of the coral reef ecosystems of the US Pacific Islands, especially as the scientific data on the vast majority of these species is limited or lacking. Another hurdle is addressing species that inhabit waters that fall under the jurisdiction of both the federal government and the state/territorial government.
Currently, there are two fisheries for which ACLs have been set.
The main Hawaiian Islands bottomfish fishery, which is managed jointly by the federal government and the State of Hawaii, and the longline caught bigeye tuna fishery, which is managed by the federal government consistent with the measures of international regional fishery management organizations, such as the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC).
Other major agenda items to be considered by the SSC and the Council include Hawaii longline catch limit for bigeye tuna and trip catch limit for swordfish, Hawaii bottomfish essential fish habitat and total allowable catch, American Samoa longline limited entry program, marine national monuments, aquaculture management and WCPFC transshipment measures.
For more information or the agendas, visit www.wpcouncil.org or email info.wpcouncil@noaa.gov; ph. (808) 522-8220, or fax (808) 522-8226.
(Source: WPRFMC media release)
