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U.S. Fishery Managers Support Changes to Address Overfishing for Striped Marlin in the Pacific

March 30, 2021 — Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council members took a bold step last week in response to the internationally overfished North Pacific striped marlin stock. The Council supported a catch limit for U.S. vessels of roughly 1 million pounds, or 457 metric tons in 2022.

The new limit would apply to all U.S. vessels fishing north of the equator and west of 150° W. longitude. An in-season accountability measure would also be implemented to track catch relative to the limit. Retention and landing of striped marlin would be prohibited in longline fisheries when the catch limit is projected to be reached, the Council said in a press release.

Read the full story at Seafood News

U.S. Pacific Fishery Managers Support Changes to Address Overfishing for Striped Marlin

March 26, 2021 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

To address the relative impacts of U.S. vessels on the internationally overfished North Pacific striped marlin, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council recommended an initial catch limit of approximately 1 million pounds (457 metric tons) in 2022. This applies to all U.S. vessels fishing north of the equator and west of 150 °W. An in-season accountability measure would also be implemented to track catch relative to the limit. Retention and landing of striped marlin would be prohibited in longline fisheries when the catch limit is projected to be reached.

Due to highly uncertain historical foreign catch and discards, the Council noted the U.S. relative impacts are unclear. This uncertainty in part will likely be reconciled in 2022 with new analyses by an international science provider. Beginning in 2023, the Council recommended a catch limit corresponding to a proportional fishery-wide reduction to end overfishing. Based on the current best scientific information available, the limit would be 690,000 pounds (313 metric tons), which the Council will specify for 2023.

U.S. Pacific fisheries, including the Hawai‘i longline fishery, landed approximately 19% of reported striped marlin catch from 2013 to 2017, including discards that only the United States reports. “The Hawai‘i fishery has a relatively small impact on the striped marlin stock,” said Council member Roger Dang, owner of longline vessels and Fresh Island Fish of Hawai‘i. “We must remain humble in what we can do and not exhaust our resources without having any real conservation benefit.”

The Council’s international recommendations to move towards ending overfishing include using circle hooks and improving standardized reporting of billfish catch and discards in all Western and Central Pacific Ocean longline fisheries. Recognizing that the United States acting alone would not end overfishing, the Council also recommended limiting Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission member catches to approximately 1.1 million pounds (500 metric tons) per year.

Presidential Executive Orders

The Council directed staff to send letters to the Department of Commerce and Department of Interior regarding President Biden’s Executive Order 14008 on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. The letters will address strategies and conservation of 30% of waters by 2030 and provide information on how to increase the resilience of fisheries and protected species. Regarding the President’s EO 13985 on advancing racial equality and underserved communities, the Council asked staff to review the EO as it applies to the Council’s fishery ecosystem plans, programs and Pacific Island fishing communities.

Council Executive Director Kitty Simonds emphasized that “historically, all of our indigenous people in the Western Pacific Region are underserved, marginalized and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality.”

Oceanic Whitetip Sharks and Gear Changes in the Hawai‘i Longline Fishery

The Council took a step towards a regulatory change to prohibit the use of wire leaders in the Hawai‘i deep-set longline fishery, including a requirement to remove trailing gear from Endangered Species Act-listed oceanic whitetip sharks. This supports the Hawaii Longline Association (HLA) initiative to voluntarily switch from wire to monofilament nylon leaders announced in December 2020 and helps to address the Council’s domestic obligations for the relative impacts of U.S. vessels on international overfishing of Western and Central Pacific Ocean oceanic whitetip sharks.

The Hawai‘i longline fishery uses wire leaders as a safety measure to prevent gear flyback, an unintended consequence of using required weighted branch lines. However, wire leaders make it difficult make it difficult to remove the terminal portion of the branch line from sharks and other protected species that cannot be brought on board.

A joint public comment from HLA, The Ocean Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts emphasized their shared concern for the oceanic whitetip shark stock and support for the transition of the Hawai‘i-based fleet away from wire leaders, focus on crew training and agreement on key actions needed to improve the status of the stock.

International fishery commissions have adopted nonretention measures to help conserve oceanic whitetip sharks. To further address overfishing in international longline fisheries, the Council recommended increased observer coverage in areas where risk of interactions are highest, and improved shark handling and reduction of trailing gear to further safety at sea and promote post-release shark survivability.

The Council manages federal fisheries operating in waters offshore of the State of Hawai‘i, the Territories of American Samoa and Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Pacific Remote Islands Areas.

Western Pacific Scientists Recommend International Actions to End Striped Marlin Overfishing

March 22, 2021 — Scientists are proposing measures to ensure Pacific fisheries end overfishing of the North Pacific striped marlin population.

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee this week suggested several actions in order to satisfy the Magnuson-Stevens Act obligation both internationally via the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission and domestically.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Western Pacific Scientists Recommend International Actions to End Overfishing for Striped Marlin

March 19, 2021 — HONOLULU — The following was released by the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The SSC suggested several actions to end overfishing of North Pacific striped marlin in order to satisfy the Magnuson-Stevens Act (Section 304(i)) obligation both internationally via the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) and domestically. The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council made these and other recommendations during its three-day virtual meeting this week.

International recommendations included improving standardized reporting of billfish catch and discards for all WCPFC fisheries; using circle hooks in all WCPFC longline fisheries; limiting WCPFC member catches to approximately 1 million pounds (500 metric tons) per year; and supporting a consultative rebuilding plan.

A new stock assessment may be provided in 2022 and the SSC proposed that discard mortality (fish that don’t survive capture and release) be included within future rebuilding scenario analyses. The SSC also recommended that future rebuilding efforts utilize a phased-in approach over several years based on a target catch rate rather than a rebuilding timeline.

To support U.S. Pacific Territory data collection efforts, the SSC recommended the integration of creel survey, commercial receipt book, biosampling and app-based data collection systems, such as the Council’s Catchit Logit app, to generate the necessary data from different segments of the fisheries. The Council, territorial fishery management agencies and NMFS are working closely to meet the requirements for stock assessments and address deficiencies in data-limited or data-poor fisheries.

The SSC also recommended supporting an experimental study to evaluate the effectiveness of various mitigation combinations to reduce seabird interactions in the Hawaiʻi shallow-set longline fishery. Currently, if setting off the stern of the boat, conservation measures require the vessel to start setting its gear one hour after sunset (night-setting), use blue-dyed bait and strategic discharge of fish parts and spent bait.

Night-setting, while considered to be a “gold standard” for seabird mitigation, prevents shallow-set longline fishermen from adjusting their setting time according to the moon phase to optimize swordfish catch. Fishermen have expressed interest in testing out a new combination of mitigation measures, including tori (bird scaring) lines, to improve operational efficiency while ensuring impacts to seabirds remain low in the fishery.

Recommendations made by the SSC on these and other matters will be considered by the Council when it meets March 23-25, 2021, virtually with host sites at Tedi of Samoa Building, Suite 208B, Fagatogo Village, American Samoa; BRI Building, Suite 205, Kopa Di Oru St., Garapan, Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI); and Cliff Pointe, 304 W. O’Brien Drive, Hagatña, Guam. On the first day, NMFS will give a briefing on President Biden’s Executive Order 14008 on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.

Instructions on connecting to the web conference, agendas and briefing documents are 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.

Summary of Action Items for the 185th Council Meeting

February 26, 2021 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Wire Leader Regulatory Amendment in Hawaiʻi Longline Fisheries (Initial Action)
US Catch Limits for North Pacific Striped Marlin (Final Action)
Environmental Assessment for the Guam Bottomfish Stock Rebuilding Plan (Final Action)
Update to the Main Hawaiian Islands Deep-Seven Bottomfish Annual Catch Limits (Initial Action)

The 185th meeting of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council will convene March 23-25, 2021, by web conference (Webex) with host sites at the following locations:

Tedi of Samoa Building Suite 208B, Fagatogo Village, American Samoa
Cliff Pointe, 304 W. O’Brien Drive, Hagatña, Guam
BRI Building Suite 205, Kopa Di Oru St. Garapan, Saipan, CNMI

The Webex link is https://tinyurl.com/185CouncilMtg (if prompted, enter event number: 177 669 9488; password: CM185mtg).

The Council will consider and may take action on the issues summarized below (click here for a copy), including any public comments on them. Written public comments on final action items should be received by the Council’s executive director by 5 p.m. (HST), Friday, March 19, 2021, by postal mail, fax or email as indicated below.

Instructions for connecting to the Webex and providing oral public comments during the meeting will be posted on the Council website at http://www.wpcouncil.org/event/185th-council-meeting-virtual.

Mail: Ms. Kitty M. Simonds, Executive Director
Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council
1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI 96813

FAX: (808) 522-8226
E-mail: info@wpcouncil.org

1. Wire Leader Regulatory Amendment in Hawaiʻi Longline Fisheries (Initial Action)

Most vessels in the Hawaiʻi deep-set longline fishery use steel trace wire leaders in the terminal portion of the branchline between the hook and the weighted swivel to reduce the risk of crew injuries resulting from the flyback of weighted branchlines. Wire leaders also make it difficult to remove the terminal portion of the branch line from sharks or other protected species that cannot be brought on board. Longer trailing gear left on sharks and sea turtles have been shown to reduce post-hooking survivorship. Monofilament nylon leaders may facilitate early release of sharks and improve post-hooking survivorship if they sever the line and escape.

In an effort to reduce impacts to ESA-listed oceanic whitetip sharks and other protected species, the Hawaii Longline Association (HLA) announced at the 184th Council meeting in December 2020 that their member vessels will voluntarily eliminate the use of wire leaders by July 1, 2021, and use monofilament nylon leaders or other similar materials in its place. HLA also announced that it will focus on crew safety and work with vessel owners, captains and crew to utilize best practices, including deploying flyback prevention devices and branchline weight configurations and materials that would minimize flyback. In addition, HLA committed to work with the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Council to lead captain and crew training on how to properly implement handling protocols.

The Council commended HLA’s comprehensive initiative to further reduce interactions and post-hooking mortality of oceanic whitetip sharks, leatherback turtles and other protected species while also addressing associated crew safety issues. The Council subsequently directed staff to prepare a regulatory amendment to the Pacific Pelagic Fishery Ecosytem Plan (FEP) to evaluate options to prohibit the use of wire leaders in the Hawaiʻi deep-set longline fishery for Council action at the March 2021 meeting.

At its 185th meeting, the Council will review alternatives evaluating the impacts of regulating leader material in the Hawaiʻi deep-set longline fishery, consider taking initial action and may select a preliminary preferred alternative for further analysis.

2. US Catch Limits for North Pacific Striped Marlin (Final Action)

The North Pacific striped marlin stock is overfished, experiencing overfishing and subject to an interim rebuilding plan by an international commission, the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), but with no specified catch limits. The Council will consider recommendations in response to the stock status, taking into account the relative impacts of U.S. vessels, as required by the Magnuson-Stevens Act. At its 184th meeting, the Council took initial action recommending a catch limit for U.S. vessels proportional to a total North Pacific stock-wide catch limit to end overfishing.

The Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) developed catch-scenario projections that would end overfishing and rebuild the stock based on Council FEP and WCPFC criteria. These projections were used to develop and analyze the following alternatives for Council consideration: 1) no action, while considering U.S. impacts under the status quo, 2) annual catch limit (ACL) of 313 metric tons (mt) that corresponds to a 13.4% reduction from 2013-2017 U.S. landings, 3) ACL of 237 mt that corresponds to a 34.4% reduction from 2013-2017 U.S. landings, and 4) ACL of 457 mt, consistent with previous Council action and WCPFC criteria. These catch limits are for U.S. vessels operating in the WCPFC Convention Area and north of the equator. The Council will also consider timing of the implementation of an ACL, whether it should be applicable for fishing year 2021 or 2022.

At its 185th meeting, the Council may take final action to recommend a preferred alternative for an ACL for North Pacific striped marlin that may proportionally reduce the relative impacts of U.S. vessels and move towards ending overfishing. The Council will consider timing of implementing catch limits and if limits may be applicable for specific years (e.g., until an updated stock assessment is available or within a WCPFC rebuilding plan timeline).

3. Environmental Assessment for the Guam Bottomfish Stock Rebuilding Plan (Final Action)

At the its 184th meeting in December 2020, the Council received the options to address the overfishing bottomfish stock condition in Guam based on the 2019 Benchmark Stock Assessment (Langseth et al., 2019). The Council selected 31,000 pounds as its prelimary preferred alternative that mitigates the short-term impacts to the fishery by allowing moderate levels of take while achieving the rebuilding of the stock within the longest timeframe allowed (10 years or Tmax). Since then, working with the Action Team, Council staff received an updated biomass projection from PIFSC that is consistent with the National Standards 1 (NS1) definition of Tmax. The new information substantially changed the rebuilding timeframes of the options provided in December 2020. It extended the rebuilding timeframe for the 27,000-pound ACL from four to eight years and the 31,000-pound ACL from six to 19 years. This was due to the recreated catch data to fill in the 2020 and 2021 period to do the biomass projection starting in 2022. The high catch of 37,000 pounds in 2019 increased the three-year average catch, which was further adjusted to be consistent with the catch data used in the assessment. This makes the 31,000-pound alternative no longer compliant with the NS1 guideline to rebuild within 10 years. Council staff will present the draft amendment document with an environmental analysis.

At its 185th meeting, the Council will review the new information, reconsider its preliminary preferred alternative and will consider final action to provide NMFS with rebuilding recommendations and management measures.

4. Update to the Main Hawaiian Island Deep-Seven Bottomfish Annual Catch Limits (Initial Action)

PIFSC released the update to the main Hawaiian Islands deep-seven bottomfish stock assessment with catch and effort data updated to 2018 and fishery-independent survey data up to 2020. The stock remains healthy with the biomass reference point indicating it’s not overfished and the fishery is sustainable, with the harvest reference point indicating the fishery is not experiencing overfishing. The assessment provided alternative catch levels at different risks of overfishing from 2021 to 2025 to inform the specification of new ACLs. The Science and Statistical Committee and the Council at their March 2021 meetings will consider the new information to determine if a change in the acceptable biological catch and ACL is warranted.

The current ACL (fishing years 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21) was specified at 40% risk of overfishing, accounting for the assessment information, uncertainty characterization, stock status, productivity and susceptibility of the species in the complex and the social, economic, ecological and management uncertainties. The catch associated with this risk of overfishing is 492,000 pounds.

The catch in fishing year 2019-2020 was 161,825 pounds, which is 33% of the ACL. The catch in 2019-20 is lower than the catch in 2018-19, which is probably due to COVID-19. The stock assessment update simply added recent data and did not change the parameters covered in the Risk of Overfishing Analysis. The 40% risk of overfishing in the updated assessment resulted in an ACL of 496,000 pounds, or 4,000 pounds higher than the current ACL.

Given that the information used in the assessment update did not change the scores in the four dimensions of the scientific and management uncertainties, the stock status remained the same and the average catch is far below the ACL, at its 185th meeting, the Council may consider rolling over the current ACL of 492,000 pounds. Keeping the current ACL is more conservative, with the risk of overfishing being less than 1% lower than a 40% risk of overfishing.

Scientists to Set Acceptable Biological Catch for American Samoa Bottomfish and Consider Rebuilding Plan Options

November 25, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Scientists from throughout the Pacific will meet Nov. 30 to Dec. 1, 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/138th-scientific-and-statistical-committee-meeting. Among the agenda items are the following:

American Samoa Bottomfish

The SSC will set the acceptable biological catch for the American Samoa bottomfish fishery for fishing years 2021-2022. The best scientific information available for fishery management decisions is the 2019 stock assessment from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) with catch projections to 2025. Based on this information, the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) is estimated to be 20,800 pounds and the overfishing limit in 2022 is 5,000 pounds. A panel of fishermen, fishery scientists and managers evaluated the scientific uncertainties associated with the assessment and quantified a risk level for the SSC to consider.

The 2019 benchmark stock assessment found the American Samoa bottomfish fishery to be overfished and subject to overfishing. The Council, in consultation with its SSC, must develop and implement within two years a plan that would rebuild the overfished stock within 10 years. At the same time, the Council must immediately end overfishing. The current projection from NMFS shows the stock could rebuild within 10 years with an annual catch limit ranging between 0 to 1,500 pounds. NMFS has issued a final rule to implement an interim catch limit of 13,000 pounds that would reduce overfishing and allow biomass to increase while minimizing socio-economic impacts to fishing communities. At the end of the 2020 interim measure, NMFS will review the performance of the fishery and could extend the measure for an additional period not to exceed 186 days in 2021.

The SSC may provide scientific advice on potential options that could simultaneously rebuild the bottomfish stock and end overfishing.

Guam Bottomfish

The NMFS 2019 stock assessment found the Guam bottomfish stock to be overfished, but not experiencing overfishing. At its March 2020 meeting, the Council voted to specify the annual catch limit for the bottomfish fishery at 27,000 pounds for fishing years 2020 to 2023. This annual catch level would allow the biomass to rebuild to MSY within four years (2024). However, there are no accountability measures in place that would guarantee that the catch would be kept below this level. The SSC is scheduled to discuss the rebuilding plan options and may provide advice to the Council.

Oceanic Whitetip Sharks

The Council’s Oceanic Whitetip Shark Working Group met and recommended research priorities and identified improvements needed to reduce fishery impacts on the species. Incidental catches of oceanic whitetip sharks have declined since international non-retention measures were enacted throughout the Pacific. According to projections, the stock should recover if catches remain 10-20% below 2016 levels. U.S. impacts on the population are expected to remain low relative to foreign fisheries, with U.S. longline fisheries impacting 1.2% of spawning potential by 2031. Based on the working group’s findings, the SSC may have recommendations on observer coverage and improved handling of released sharks, such as reducing trailing gear.

North Pacific Striped Marlin

Based on a Council recommendation to phase in catch reductions for striped marlin, the SSC will review and may recommend catch and/or effort levels for North Pacific striped marlin and allocations for international catch limits. The stock has been internationally overfished per a 2019 NMFS stock assessment presented at the June 2020 Council meeting. The Council is required to address, within one year, relative impacts of domestic fisheries and international overfishing per the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. U.S. Pacific fisheries, including the Hawaiʻi longline fishery, landed approximately 22% of reported North Pacific striped marlin catch from 2013 to 2017.

Recommendations made by the SSC on these and other matters will be considered by the Council when it meets Dec. 2-4, 2020, virtually with host sites at BRI Building, Suite 205, Kopa Di Oru St., Garapan, Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI); and Tedi of Samoa Building, Suite 208B, Fagatogo 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.