The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (Council) is soliciting proposals for a contractor to implement an ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) project for protected species impacts assessment for Hawaii and American Samoa longline fisheries.
Proposals must be submitted and received at the Council office by Thursday, July 11, 2019, at 5pm Hawaii Standard Time.
Please see the full RFP for details on the scope of work, proposal requirements, and submission guidelines.
Request for Proposals -Ecosystem-based Fisheries Management Project for Protected Species Impacts Assessment for Hawaii and American Samoa Longline Fisheries
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Press Release – Hawai’i Longline Fishery for Swordfish Poses No Jeopardy to Sea Turtles, Federal Managers to Finalize Turtle Interaction Measures This Summer (27 June 2019)
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Leatherback turtle. (NOAA photo).
The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council has deferred making final recommendations on the management of loggerhead and leatherback sea turtle interactions in the fishery three times since October 2018 as it awaited the final document. Today it again deferred action as the 500-page document was provided to them only 30 minutes before it took up this item on its agenda.
Press Release – Council Responds to Honolulu Civil Beat Series, Acts on Hawai’i Fisheries and Protected Species (26 June 2019)
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Council Executive Director Kitty Simonds (center) with (from left) Chair Archie Soliai and Vice Chairs John Gourley (CNMI), Dean Sensui (Hawai’i) and Michael Duenas (Guam).
Vice Chair John Gourley (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or CNMI) said the Civil Beat articles implied that funding he received from the Sustainable Fisheries Fund for fish biosampling continued after he became a Council member. Honolulu Civil Beat statements about Gourley were included in a section titled “Conflicts of Interest.” Gourley said he received no such funding after he became a Council member and there was no conflict of interest. He said he feels Civil Beat has possibly damaged his reputation and that of his environmental consulting business.
Marine Mammal Commission 2019 Annual Meeting
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Date: May 21-22, 2019 Time: 8:30 am – 5:30 pm
May 23, 2019 Time: 9:30 am – 1:30 pm
Location: Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay, Kailua-Kona, HI
FR Notice – List of Fisheries for 2019 (May 16, 2019)
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AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Final rule.
SUMMARY: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) publishes its final List of Fisheries (LOF) for 2019, as required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The LOF for 2019 reflects new information on interactions between commercial fisheries and marine mammals. NMFS must classify each commercial fishery on the LOF into one of three categories under the MMPA based upon the level of mortality and serious injury of marine mammals that occurs incidental to each fishery. The classification of a fishery on the LOF determines whether participants in that fishery are subject to certain provisions of the MMPA, such as registration, observer coverage, and take reduction plan (TRP) requirements.
DATES: The effective date of this final rule is June 17, 2019.
ADDRESSES: Chief, Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jaclyn Taylor, Office of Protected Resources, 301–427–8402; Allison Rosner, Greater Atlantic Region, 978–281–9328; Jessica Powell, Southeast Region, 727–824–5312; Dan Lawson, West Coast Region, 562–980–3209; Suzie Teerlink, Alaska Region, 907–586–7240; Kevin Brindock, Pacific Islands Region, 808–725–5146. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the hearing impaired may call the Federal Information Relay Service at 1–800– 877–8339 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. VerDate Sep<11>2014 15:57 May 15, 2019 Jkt 247001 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 E:\FR\FM\16MYR1.SGM 16MYR1 khammond on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with RULES 22052 Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 95 / Thursday, May 16, 2019 / Rules and Regulations Eastern time, Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holidays.
Click here for complete FR Notice.
Press Release – Turtles, Whales, Birds among Fishery Science Discussions This Week in Honolulu (12 March 2019)
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HONOLULU (12 March 2019) Renowned scientists from throughout the Pacific began a three-day meeting today in Honolulu to consider a range of issues facing the offshore fisheries of Hawai‘i and the US Territories of American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Recommendations from this group known as the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will be forwarded to the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, which meets in Honolulu on March 18-21. The Council develops fishery management measures for the fisheries, which are transmitted to the US Secretary of Commerce for approval and implemented by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
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