8 April 2005
United States The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council concluded a four-day meeting in Honolulu last week where they unanimously voted “to undertake a suite of domestic and international initiatives to address the over fishing of bigeye tuna in the Pacific Ocean.†The western central Pacific accounts only for 4-5 % of the total Pacific catch of bigeye. Most is caught in the Eastern Pacific.
The council is the agency responsible for preparing fishery management plans for federal waters surrounding the U.S. Pacific Islands, including American Samoa.
The topic of bigeye tuna over fishing was recognized by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in its annual report to Congress last year in June, and by December 2004, NMFS notified the council that they along with the Pacific Fishery Management Council, had to take action to end over fishing of the bigeye tuna by June 14, 2005.
At about the same time, according to information received from Sylvia Spalding of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), “the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) is requiring large-scale tuna longline vessels fishing in the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO) to limit their 2004, 2005, and 2006 catch levels to their 2001 level.â€
A statement from the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council pointed out that “the council recognizes that any unilateral action it takes will not stop the over fishing of the species in the Pacific, as the fisheries under its jurisdiction account for only 4 to 5 percent of the bigeye tuna caught in the Pacific.â€
Nonetheless, according to a press release, “the council recognizes its responsibility to work to reduce the over fishing problem and therefore, unanimously voted to develop a plan that would require the Hawaii off shore, small-boat tuna handling fishery operating in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), where appropriate, to be federally permitted with mandatory logbooks, limited entry, and observers.â€
When they meet again come June 2005, the council will review alternatives for a phased approach for obtaining commercial and recreational catch and fishing effort data for all types of fishing on pelagic fishes.
The council members have recognized the progress already made in obtaining this type of information from commercial and recreational pelagic fisheries in American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
