October 4, 2024 — After wrapping up their 200th meeting, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC) established an Indigenous Committee to recommend to federal authorities on cultural fishing rights and related issues.
WPRFMC represents fisheries in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Pacific Remote Islands and has authority over all fisheries in state and territorial waters. Their decisions are based on science and informed decisions by traditional knowledge and practices of the local users for the benefit of the island communities and the nation. WPRFMC was established by Congress in 1976 under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act as one of the eight regional fishery management councils.