October 25, 2019 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:
Fishermen from Tutuila and Manu’a islands concerned about the future of the Territory’s bottomfish fishery attended the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council meeting yesterday and today in Utulei, American Samoa. A recent draft stock assessment by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) indicates that the federally managed bottomfish complex in American Samoa is overfished and experiencing overfishing. It also indicates that the federally managed Guam bottomfish stock complex is overfished but not experiencing overfishing.
Brian Langseth, a stock assessment scientist with NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), presented the 2019 draft assessment to the Council. The different outcome between the 2019 and previous stock assessments, he said, had to do largely with the way the data was filtered. The data is collected by the American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR) through creel surveys, in which DMWR staff interview fishermen about their catch and fishing trip. The Council expressed concerns about the robustness of the data from DMWR that was used in the assessment.
During public testimony, fishermen from Manu’a questioned the accuracy of the data used in the model. They said they haven’t been surveyed yet even though they fish principally for bottomfish due to cost and low availability of fuel as well as the small sizes of their vessels. Fishermen from Tutuila also questioned the data, noting that the creel surveys don’t capture the fishermen who return to port at night. One fisherman estimated that the creel surveys capture only about 5 percent of the catch. The fishermen also said the catch and catch per unit effort (CPUE) are affected by the wind and current conditions, cost of fuel and market demand. One fisherman shared that the boat owner may have only a $50 to $100 profit from a trip after fuel, ice and crew expenses. Fishermen noted that fuel costs have been high and the weather has been rough the past six months to a year. They stressed to the Council that the livelihoods of their families and communities depend on the ability for them to continue to fish.