Western Pacific Region
Status of the Fisheries 2022 A commercial longline vessel heads out to sea from Honolulu Harbor. Hawai'i longline vessels target bigeye tuna and North Pacific swordfish, producing more than 90% and 50% of the U.S. domestic supply, respectively. Photo: Joshua DeMello.
The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council promotes sustainable fisheries and provides stewardship of marine resources seaward of the state waters of Hawai‘i, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and the Pacific Remote Island Areas (PRIA). The Council’s authority over commercial and non-commercial fisheries is mandated by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA).
albacore are not overfished and not experiencing overfishing. However, NP striped marlin in the WCPO are overfished and experiencing overfishing, primarily due to foreign landings. Domestic Pelagic Management: In 2022, the Council initiated a project to conduct a preliminary evaluation of seabird interaction risks in the Hawai‘i shallow-set longline fishery. The study tests the use of tori (bird scaring) lines with gear setting starting at dusk, instead of the current requirements to start setting one hour after sunset, use bluedyed bait and strategically discharge offal. The alternative methods are intended to maintain effectiveness of seabird deterrence while providing operational flexibility during setting.
The Council publishes annual reports for each of its five Fishery Ecosystem Plans that are maintained through periodic amendments. This publication summarizes and highlights some of the interannual changes described in the annual reports. For the full reports, please visit www. wpcouncil.org/annual-reports. Fishery statistics can be influenced by numerous factors, including environmental changes and socioeconomic variables. In recent years, the impacts and subsequent recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic also affected fisheries in multiple ways. Some of these effects are shown through the summary trends below, in addition to recent stock statuses and management measures.
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Internationally Managed Pelagic Species: Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) stock assessments indicate Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) skipjack, yellowfin, bigeye and South Pacific albacore tunas are sustainably harvested. Stock assessments by the International Scientific Committee for Tuna and TunaLike Species in the North Pacific Ocean (ISC) found North Pacific (NP) blue sharks, blue marlin, NP swordfish and NP
Tori lines comprise a series of streamers suspended above the water, positioned over baited hooks as the fishing gear is deployed to deter the accidental hooking or entanglement of albatross and other seabirds. The Council has worked with the commercial fishing industry since the early 2000s to minimize impacts on protected species, including seabirds. Photo: IKE Solutions.
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