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Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Program

Electronic Monitoring in Longline Fleets

At its June 2025 meeting, the Council approved full implementation of electronic monitoring (EM) on all Hawai‘i and American Samoa tuna longline vessels. EM uses cameras and gear sensors to collect data on catch, bycatch and protected species interactions, supplementing or replacing human observers.

This action aims to meet domestic and international monitoring requirements, including those under the ESA, MMPA, IATTC, and WCPFC. EM has been piloted in the region since 2009 and on 20 Hawai‘i vessels since 2017, proving effective for monitoring bycatch of sea turtles, seabirds, marine mammals and ESA-listed species.

Starting in 2025, EM will be phased in on 50 Hawai‘i vessels per year through 2027, with American Samoa’s 10 vessels added in 2027. The Council recommended that NMFS continue to fund EM, which will partially replace at-sea monitoring by human observer coverage that historically covered about 20% of the deep-set longline trips targeting tunas in Hawai‘i and American Samoa and 100% of shallow-set trips targeting swordfish out of Hawai‘i. Funded by NMFS through 2027, EM offers a cost-effective way to enhance fishery monitoring while reducing reliance on human observers.

Commercial Fishing in Marine National Monuments

  • September 2025 – Council to Consider Fishing Access
    At its 204th meeting, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council will decide whether to recommend lifting commercial fishing prohibitions in parts of the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument (PIHMNM). Members will also review whether commercial fishing should be allowed in the Rose Atoll, Marianas Trench, and Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monuments. The Council meeting provides the public an opportunity to weigh in on how the United States balances conservation with responsible, sustainable fishing access.

  • April 17, 2025 – Proclamation 10918
    President Donald Trump issued Proclamation 10918, “Unleashing American Commercial Fishing in the Pacific.” The Proclamation recognized that well-managed commercial fishing would not threaten the monument’s scientific and historic resources. It directed the Secretary of Commerce to remove prohibitions that have barred U.S. fishermen from sustainably harvesting valuable species in these waters for more than a decade.

  • April 17, 2025 – Executive Order 14276
    On the same day, President Trump issued Executive Order (EO) 14276, “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” The EO sets policies to promote U.S. seafood harvests, reduce regulatory burdens, combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and protect domestic markets from unfair foreign trade practices. It follows earlier directives under EO 13921 for the Secretary of Commerce to review marine national monuments and recommend any that should be reopened to commercial fishing. The Council contributed by reviewing historical fisheries, economic and cultural values, market impacts, and resource considerations, and provided options on which fisheries could be allowed in these areas.

  • Fishing Regulations Background
    Fishing regulations for the Hawai‘i longline fleet have been in place since 1991 under the Magnuson-Stevens Act. The Council may consider additional regulations to reopen access from 50 to 200 nautical miles around Wake, Johnston, and Jarvis Islands — waters where U.S. fishermen harvested bottomfish, pelagic species, and crustaceans before the 2014 prohibitions.

  • Regional Perspectives
    The governors of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and American Samoa have asked the President to restore fishing access to the monuments in their areas. Domestic fishermen have been locked out of historic grounds while foreign fleets continue to operate in the Pacific. 

See correspondence regarding fishing regulations and marine national monuments.  For more on marine national monuments visit the marine spatial management page.