Saving Seafood

Western Pacific Council Supports Protection of False Killer Whales, Leads US Fisheries Interests in Pacific

March 24, 2022 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council discussed today its position on the future direction for the False Killer Whale (FKW) Take Reduction Plan and agreed to not support adoption of weaker hooks under the Plan due to the potential economic impacts and lack of clear conservation benefit. 

Fishermen are required to use 4.5 mm or less diameter circle hooks intended to straighten and release accidentally hooked FKWs, while retaining bigeye tuna and other fish species of market value. However, this weak hook has not been successful, with only approximately 10% of the interactions resulting in the hook straightening since the Plan’s implementation in 2013. A 2021 study showed that the weight and value of bigeye tuna may be reduced if even weaker hooks are required in the fishery. 

“Weak hooks are not the best way to reduce the false killer whale interactions with the Hawai‘i fleet,” emphasized Roger Dang, Council vice chair for Hawai‘i. “Considering the prices of fuel and bait are up, any economic impacts from using weaker hooks would increase the difficulties in operating under these conditions. We need to focus our limited resources on what we believe will have the greatest impact.”

Council member McGrew Rice pointed out that a weak circle hook will not straighten if the hook is caught in the corner of the animal’s mouth. “The key is to cut the line close to the hook. A hook in a mouth will not kill a fish.”

The Council said the Plan’s priority should be to develop strategies to reduce trailing gear and find solutions to reduce depredation based on the latest FKW abundance estimates and other factors. The Council’s position was also based on input from its advisory groups. 

The Hawai‘i deep-set longline fishery interacts with the pelagic population of FKWs, estimated to be approximately 25,000 in the central Pacific around Hawai‘i, with 2,100 individuals estimated to occur inside the three to 200-mile exclusive economic zone around the State.

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Council members expressed frustration at the continued delay of the Endangered Species Act consultations for the Hawai‘i deep-set longline (DSLL), American Samoa longline (ASLL), and Hawai‘i and territory bottomfish fisheries. Completion dates have been shifting with every Council meeting report for the last two years. Michael Tosatto, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) regional administrator for the Pacific Islands, reported that the current dates presented at the meeting (April to May 2022) are unlikely to be met. Apparently  reported that the current dates presented at the meeting (April to May 2022) are unlikely to be met. Apparently internal and external review steps are required. The Council asked NMFS to provide a timeline for Council’s draft review to assist with planning for advisory body meeting schedules.

Call for US Government to Work Better with Pacific Island Nations

The Council, with representatives from U.S. tuna industries, developed a paper that calls for a task force of federal agencies to work together to implement a new Pacific strategy. The paper’s holistic approach addresses greater U.S. trade and national security interests and how they are tied to the prosperity of U.S. tuna fisheries in the Pacific.

The Council endorsed the new Pacific strategy and recommended the U.S. delegations to the WCPFC coordinate with longline and purse seine fishing industries to implement it. Coordination efforts should lead toward an increase in the Hawai‘i longline fishery’s bigeye tuna quota and enhance opportunities for the American Samoa longline and purse seine fisheries. The U.S. government should ensure U.S. Pacific Island Territories take an active role in developing and implementing these objectives.

In American Samoa, Starkist cannery is the largest private employer. Will Sword, Council vice chair for American Samoa, noted the Council’s Pacific strategy is just what is needed. “It’s imperative to get the U.S. government and state and territory governments working closely with other Pacific Islands to implement a strategy that meets our goals,” said Sword.

“The current playing field is not level for American Samoa because our purse seine fleet is not seeing the benefits that we deserve as a territory” added Archie Soliai, Council chair from American Samoa. “The United States should take seriously the needs of its territories and this plan will help to move this forward.”

The Council recommended a letter be sent to the State Department and NOAA expressing concerns regarding the lack of acknowledgement of American Samoa’s rights afforded to small island developing States (SIDS) in the WCPFC. Under Articles 30 and 43 of the WCPFC Convention, SIDS and Territories receive certain benefits recognizing their aspirations and sovereign rights to manage their own fisheries. They are entitled to special provisions to prevent “disproportionate burdens” from conservation action.

The Council also recommended a letter be sent to the Biden Administration in response to its request for comment on development of its Indo-Pacific Strategy. The letter should reinforce the importance of fisheries to the Pacific Islands and the uniqueness of the Pacific Islands to the Indo-Pacific.

The Council meeting concludes tomorrow with discussions on American Samoa bottomfish and aquaculture management, and equity and environmental justice efforts, among other topics. Instructions on connecting to Webex, agendas and briefing documents are posted at www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars. 

 

North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission tackles circle hooks through fishery management plans

March 3, 2021 — Recreational and commercial fishermen may see new requirements for circle hooks on a species-by-species basis in the future.

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission met online Feb. 25 via Webinar, during which the commission unanimously agreed to maintain current circle hook requirements while considering additional rules on a species-by-species basis through the fishery management plan process. Circle hooks are a type of gear recommended by conservationists and marine scientists to reduce dead discards.

N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries Executive Assistant for Council Steve Poland delivered a report on a commission-requested study on the effectiveness of barbless circle hooks. According to the report, current scientific opinions support the use of hook modifications to reduce discard mortality.

“The general consensus is the science supports circle hooks,” Mr. Poland said. “However…science also suggests not all circle hooks are created equal.”

Existing state and interstate regulations require circle hooks for some fisheries, but not all. The DMF requires them in areas of Pamlico Sound when fishing for red drum. Meanwhile, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission requires non-offset circle hooks when fishing for sharks in state waters and when using natural bait to fish for striped bass in the Atlantic Ocean. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council also has some circle hook regulations, requiring the hooks when fishermen are in possession of snapper-grouper species in South Atlantic Ocean waters.

Read the full story at the Carteret County News-Times

New rules mandate circle hooks to protect dusky sharks

February 28, 2017 — The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has officially made final some new recreational shark fishing regulations to fulfill a legal obligation they have to provide additional conservation for dusky sharks which will likely take effect in 2018.

The news will probably confuse some anglers who know a thing or two about shark fishing and shark regulations as dusky sharks have been a no-take-prohibited species for more than a decade.

So how could they, and why would they initiate new fishing regulations for a fish anglers are not allowed to fish for in the first place?

The short answer to that question is that according to the (very questionable) catch data that NMFS has to work with, recreational anglers along the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico are catching and keeping a fair number of dusky sharks that they mistakenly think are legal species of sharks.

According to NMFS, even though the reported number of dusky sharks harvested is low, they are required by law to do something that will help reduce the mortality of these sharks by the recreational fishery.

Read the full story at DelmarvaNow

New York State extends restrictions on hooks for shark fishing

July 26, 2016 — ALBANY, N.Y. — New York state will require fishermen use circle hooks for catching sharks for two more years in an effort to protect them.

A new law continues the ban on shark fishing with the traditional J-hooks that sharks are considered likelier to swallow, potentially gutting them.

The ban continues through 2018. Circle hooks are bent farther toward the hook’s shaft than J-shaped hooks, nearly forming a circle.

In his sponsor’s memo, Assemblyman Fred Thiele, a Long Island independent, said several shark species are endangered and others are threatened with worldwide populations dwindling.

“Scientific studies predict higher survival rates for released fish when circle hooks and catch-and-release techniques are used, as circle hooks are more likely to hook a fish in the mouth rather than the gut,” Thiele wrote. They’re also easier to remove than J-hooks, can reduce potential harm to the fish and have been well received by the fishing industry, he wrote.

Read the full story from the Associated Press in the Connecticut Post