Pacific Fisheries
Overview of 2002 US Pacific Islands Fishery Management and Conservation Activities
Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council
The ocean and its resources define our way of life in the Pacific Islands. Ensuring that these resources remain healthy for future generations of US Pacific Islanders is the work of the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, which develops fishery management plans for federal waters (generally 3 to 200 miles offshore) of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Guam, Hawaii and US Pacific island possessions. In 2002, the Council focused on reducing fishery interactions with protected species, bolstering the fishery rights of indigenous communities and educating island youths to respect our ocean resources.
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In February, the Council convened the Western Pacific Sea Turtle Cooperative Research and Management Workshop, a forum to exchange information and promote greater regional collaboration for the conservation and recovery of depleted Pacific sea turtle populations. Fifty-three representatives from 18 Pacific nations participated in the workshop. They agreed to work towards the development of a meta-database for tag information; better delineate stock boundaries and breeding, foraging and migratory ranges; and increase capacity building through future technical training, workshops and distribution of educational materials.
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Also in February, the Council co-sponsored an experiment in Hawaii to test a device developed in New Zealand to reduce the unwanted catch of seabirds by longline vessels. The 29-foot pipe sends baited hooks 16 feet underwater before releasing them. The results of the experiment were astounding. Of 6,491 hooks set without the chute, seabirds contacted 419 (6.5 percent of the hooks) and 24 seabirds were killed. Of 6,168 hooks set with the chute, seabirds contacted 10 (0.2 percent of the hooks) and no seabirds were killed or even hooked. In other words, the chute reduced bird bycatch to zero!
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Efforts to address fishery’s interactions with seabirds and sea turtles continued in November, with the Council hosting the Second International Fishers Forum at the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu. Fishermen comprised nearly half of the more than 200 participants from 28 countries and 14 states meeting to address this global problem. The remaining participants included researchers, gear manufacturers, fishery managers and other interested parties.
The Council worked equally hard in 2002 to protect the fishery rights of indigenous communities. In June, the Council approved a limited entry program for the longline fishery in federal waters surrounding American Samoa. The program was developed to protect the livelihoods of local longline fishermen who utilize small alia catamarans. It also recognizes the strong cultural dependence on fishery resources by indigenous American Samoans. Program specifics were developed in August and then forwarded to the Secretary of Commerce for approval.
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Also in June, the Council received 15 proposals for Western Pacific Demonstration Projects. These projects must benefit the indigenous communities in the US Pacific Islands. In October, the Council approved four proposals for funding. They include improving and restoring the He’ei’a pond ecosystem on the island of Oahu, State of Hawaii; providing pole-and-line aku fishing and training for teens and young adults on the island of Molokai, State of Hawaii; developing remote fishing stations on two Northern Islands in the CNMI; and testing modern longline vessel gear in waters around Guam and training fishermen to properly store and transport the fish.
Education, along with regulation, is the most effective way to regulate the 1.5 million square miles of ocean that constitutes the Western Pacific Region. In 2002, the Council, in partnership with the Hawaii Department of Education and the Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL), produced a three-part television series focusing on fisheries and fisheries management. It features fisheries in American Samoa, CNMI, Guam and Hawaii, highlighting their importance to island communities and the complexity of managing them. The program began airing in classrooms and homes in September.
| Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council |
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The Council is the policy-making organization for the management of fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ, generally 3 - 200 miles from shore) around the Territory of American Samoa, Territory of Guam, State of Hawaii, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and U.S. Pacific island possessions – an area of nearly 1.5 million square miles. The Council is tasked with maintaining opportunities for domestic fishing while preventing adverse impacts to stocks, habitat, protected species and ecosystem resources. |
Western Pacific
Regional Fishery Management Council
1164 Bishop Street Suite 1400 • Honolulu
Hawaii 96813 • USA
Tel: (808) 522-8220 • Fax: (808) 522-8226
Website: www.wpcouncil.org
