News + Announcements
Request for Proposals – Coordinate Community Engagement on Issues Related to Hawaii’s Small-boat Fisheries (proposals due by Sept. 8, 2023)
The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (Council), established through Congress under the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MFCMA) of 1976, has the responsibility for preparing management plans for those fisheries within its...
Western Pacific Region Status of the Fisheries 2022
To monitor and evaluate fishery performance, the Council publishes annual reports for each of its five fishery ecosystem-based management plans. The Council’s Western Pacific Region Status of the Fisheries 2022 report is now available. The publication highlights some...
Green Sea Turtle Critical Habitat Proposed in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam and CNMI; Public Comment Period through October 17, 2023
On July 18, 2023, US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) published proposed rules to designate critical habitat for populations of green sea turtles listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). USFWS and NMFS will...
Press Release – Western Pacific Council Challenged by NOAA Prohibition on Commercial Fishing for Proposed Pacific Remote Islands Sanctuary (3 July 2023)
HONOLULU (3 July 2023) Congresswoman Amata Radewagen from American Samoa expressed her deep concern regarding the lack of consultation with the U.S. territories affected by the NOAA proposed sanctuary in the Pacific Remote Islands. In a video message during the...
Request for Information: National Strategy for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (Due August 28, 2023)
AGENCY: Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). ACTION: Notice of request for information (RFI). SUMMARY: The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), on behalf of the interagency Ocean Policy Committee...
Press Release: American Samoa Governor Stresses Importance of Fisheries and Respect to the US Territory (28 June 2023)
UTULEI, AMERICAN SAMOA (28 June 2023) “You must be mindful of the decisions you make…so that the interests of small fishing communities are not disregarded” was the main message heard in the remarks of the Honorable Gov. Lemanu Peleti Mauga, who opened the 195th...
FR Notice: Marine Conservation Plan for the Pacific Insular Area for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (June 20, 2023)
AGENCY:National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION:Notice of agency decision. SUMMARY:NMFS announces approval of a Marine Conservation Plan (MCP) for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana...
Press Release – Council Science Advisors Recommend Peer Review for NOAA False Killer Whale Population Assessment, Approve Bottomfish Stock Assessment to Set Catch Limits (16 June 2023)
HONOLULU (16 June 2023) This week the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) discussed a NOAA assessment to quantify the population of pelagic false killer whales (FKWs) both inside and outside the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around Hawai‘i to...
FR Notice: 2023 U.S. Territorial Longline Bigeye Tuna Catch Limits (June 15, 2023)
AGENCY:National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION:Final specifications. SUMMARY:NMFS specifies a 2023 limit of 2,000 metric tons (t) of longline-caught bigeye tuna for each U.S. Pacific territory...
US Pacific Territories Fishery Capacity-Building Scholarship Applications
UPDATE: The application period for Council’s US Pacific Territories Fishery Capacity-Building Scholarship has been extended until funds are no longer available. HONOLULU (19 June 2024) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council and its Education Committee...