PACIFIC ISLANDS FISHERY NEWS Newsletter of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council / Spring 2023 ISSN 2151-2329 (PRINT) ISSN 2151-2337 (ONLINE)
Potential Economic and Political Fallout
of Tuna Fishery Closures in Proposed PRIA Sanctuary
US purse seine vessels in American Samoa
TROLL ON IN TO THIS ISSUE 1
Potential Economic and Political Fallout of Tuna Fishery Closures in Proposed PRIA Sanctuary
4 194th Council Meeting Highlights 6 Council Finalizes Recommendations for Fishing Rules in NWHI at March Meeting 8 NMFS Determines Hawai‘i and American Samoa Tuna Longline Fisheries Not Likely to Threaten Survival of Protected Species 9 Archipelagic Fisheries: Progress Through Management 10 State of Hawai‘i Solicits Input on New Fishing Licenses 11 Ensuring Fishing Access in Light of Offshore Wind Development 12 WPRFMC Out in the Community! 15 New Licensing System for American Samoa-Based Purse Seine Fleet 16 Congressional corner 16 Council Family Updates 17 New Outreach Resources 17 Recipe: Ono in a Creamy Tahini Sauce 18 Summary of Action Items at the June 2023 Council Meeting 19 Upcoming Events 20 2023 Council Calender
On March 21, 2023, President Biden directed the Secretary of Commerce to consider initi ating the designation process for a proposed National Marine Sanctuary covering all U.S. waters around the Pacific Remote Island Areas (PRIA). NOAA launched the designation process in April and held scoping meetings in May 2023 throughout the Western Pacific Region. The public comment period closed June 2. The draft sanctuary goals and objectives NOAA presented at the scoping meetings were vague and included language to "conserve, protect, and restore the marine biodiversity and ecosys tems of the Pacific Remote Islands" and to "provide the necessary policy, programs, structure, and processes to ensure effective, integrated management..." The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council has had sustainable fishing regulations in place under the Magnuson-Stevens Act for this area since the 1980s. In restructuring its management framework from species-based plans to place-based plans in the late 2000s, the Council was the first to recognize the importance of a comprehensive ecosystem approach. By doing so, the Council aimed to maintain the overall balance and functioning of the ecosystem, thereby supporting the long-term viability of fish stocks and the preservation of vulnerable species. Achieving the presented goals and objectives would not be mutually exclusive to wellmonitored and sustainable fisheries. If the proposed sanctuary were to prohibit tuna fishing, the fishing industry and the communi ties that depend on it would face significant challenges. However, the conservation benefits of such a move to tuna stocks and the international landscape remain unclear as the proposal lacks supporting narratives. Principal tuna species in tuna fisheries within the western and central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) are not overfished or experiencing overfishing (yellowfin, bigeye, skipjack, albacore). This is based on internationally accepted best scientific information available.1 These fisheries do not interact with vulnerable reef or deep sea habitats either. In fact, these fisheries cannot legally operate within 50 nautical miles of the PRIA, well beyond the range of coral reefs at any depths where they could possibly interact with tuna fisheries. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2