September 3, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:
Scientists from throughout the Pacific will convene Sept. 9-10, 2020, to discuss fishery management issues and make management recommendations for fisheries in the Western Pacific Region. The meeting of the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council will be held virtually and is open to the public. The full agenda, background documents and instructions for connecting to the meeting and providing oral public comments are available at www.wpcouncil.org/event/137th-scientific-and-statistical-committee-meeting. Among the agenda items are the following:
Main Hawaiian Islands Uku
The SSC will set the acceptable biological catch for the main Hawaiian Islands uku (grey snapper) fishery for fishing years 2022-2025. The best scientific information available for fishery management decisions is the 2020 stock assessment with catch projections to 2026. Based on this information, the maximum sustainable yield is estimated to be 204,972 pounds and the overfishing limit is 301,948 pounds. A panel of fishermen, fishery scientists and managers evaluated the social, ecological, economic and management uncertainties associated with the assessment and quantified a risk level for the SSC to consider.
Hawaiʻi Small-Boat Fisheries
Information on Hawaiʻi small-boat fisheries, which does not include the Hawaiʻi longline vessels, is currently insufficient for robust fisheries management. The Council will consider options that include no action, variations on a mandatory permitting and reporting system (including by sector or by species), a registry system and a pilot permit system. The Council held a virtual Fishers Forum and public meeting to discuss these options Aug. 27, 2020. The SSC will hear a report about the public meeting and an analysis of the options and may choose to recommend one for Council consideration.
Oceanic Whitetip Sharks
The SSC will hear a report on population projections for the western and central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) stock of oceanic whitetip sharks, a species that was overfished per a 2019 assessment and listed under the Endangered Species Act. Population projections for the stock assess the impact of internationally implemented conservation and management measures since 2013 (which prohibit shark retention and ban the use of “shark lines”) and are based on expected catches throughout the Pacific. The projections use updated estimates of post-release mortality. The SSC may make recommendations on the projections and report.
North Pacific Striped Marlin
Following a Council recommendation on phased catch reductions for striped marlin, the SSC will also review and may make recommendations on a rebuilding plan for North Pacific striped marlin and allocations of international catch limits. The stock has been internationally overfished per a 2019 stock assessment. The Council is required to address relative impacts of domestic fisheries and international overfishing per the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Approximately 6% of reported North Pacific striped marlin landings since 1975 is attributed to U.S. Pacific fisheries, including the Hawaiʻi longline fishery.
Recommendations made by the SSC on these and other matters will be considered by the Council when it meets Sept. 14-17, 2020, virtually with host sites at Cliff Pointe, 304 W. O’Brien Dr., Hagatna, Guam; Hyatt Regency Saipan, Royal Palm Ave., Micro Beach Rd., Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI); and Department of Port Administration, Airport Conference Room, Pago Pago International Airport, Tafuna Village, American Samoa. Instructions on connecting to the web conference, agendas and briefing documents will be posted at www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars. Host sites are subject to local and federal safety and health guidelines regarding COVID-19; check the Council website for updates.