Source: Samoa News
The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council on Saturday concluded its four-day meeting in Honolulu with recommendations for pelagic, bottomfish and non-commercial fisheries as well as protected species in the US exclusive economic zone... (3 to 200 miles offshore) waters around Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).
It also elected its 2012 officers: Chair Manuel Duenas (Guam) and vice chairs David Itano (Hawaii), Stephen Haleck (American Samoa), Mariquita “Tita†Taitigue (Guam) and Arnold Palacios (CNMI).
On Tuna conservation and management the following matters were discussed:
The United States is party to the convention that established the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), which sets national limits and other management measures for tuna and other highly migratory species in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean.
The WCPFC at its December 2011 meeting in Palau will review management measures for bigeye tuna. Current measures limit the Hawaii longline fishery to 90 percent of its 2004 catch.
The fishery is projected to reach the annual limit and close down in mid-November this year, just at the start of the holiday season when bigeye tuna is in high demand. Last year the fishery reached its limit and closed in late November.
On Saturday, the Council strongly recommended that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) request the WCPFC to conduct a scientific investigation to determine an appropriate base time-frame for the Western Pacific tuna fisheries taking into account stock assessment and socioeconomic factors. The Council noted that the choice of a time-frame to serve as a basis for making projections of future stock conditions or defining a “current†state of the fishery is more complicated than picking a base year.
The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council was established by Congress in 1976 to manage fisheries in EEZ waters surrounding Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam and CNMI. Recommendations by the Council are transmitted to the Secretary of Commerce for final approval. The Council provides local people with a voice in the decisions that are made regarding fishery management; prevents overfishing; protects the ocean’s ecosystem; supports the fishing industry and the livelihood and culture of fishermen; and provides consultation and recommendations as required by law.