News + Announcements
Press Release – Fishery Management Council Asks for Remedies to Long-Standing Issues in Western Pacific Region (24 March 2022)
HONOLULU (24 March 2022) At the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council meeting today, Chair Archie Soliai reiterated concerns about NOAA Pacific Islands Regional Office (PIRO) delays in completing Endangered Species Act (ESA) consultations for the...
Press Release – Western Pacific Council Supports Protection of False Killer Whales, Leads US Fisheries Interests in Pacific (23 March 2022)
HONOLULU (23 March 2022) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council discussed today its position on the future direction for the False Killer Whale (FKW) Take Reduction Plan and agreed to not support adoption of weaker hooks under the Plan due to the...
FR Notice – Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Pacific Islands Logbook Family of Forms (Mar. 23, 2022)
The Department of Commerce will submit the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, on or after the date of publication of this notice. We...
Press Release – Federal Fishery Managers to Develop Fishing Regulations for Proposed Hawai‘i National Marine Sanctuary (22 March 2022)
HONOLULU (22 March 2022) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council said at its meeting today it will develop fishing regulations as part of the proposed Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) sanctuary designation. The NOAA sanctuary designation process...
FR notice: Experimental Fishing Permit (Mar. 18, 2022)
AGENCY:National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION:Notice; issuance of permit. SUMMARY:NMFS is issuing an experimental fishing permit (EFP) to the Hawaii Longline Association (HLA) to evaluate the...
Press Release – US Pacific Scientists Discuss Next Generation Data Collection, New Pacific Strategy to Advocate for Fisheries (17 March 2022)
HONOLULU (17 March 2022) At the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) meeting this week, the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) Director Michael Seki presented the NOAA Next Generation Data Acquisition Plan (NG-DAP) that will guide data...
Press Release – Western Pacific Scientists Found “Weak Hook” Study Inconclusive as a False Killer Whale Mitigation Strategy ( 15 March 2022)
HONOLULU (15 March 2022) The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) found that a National Marine Fisheries Service 2021 “weak hook” study was inconclusive and did not provide scientific support for adopting weaker hooks as the primary strategy for reducing impacts...
FR Notice – Request for Comments on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (Mar. 11, 2022)
AGENCY: Department of Commerce. ACTION: Request for comments. SUMMARY: On October 27, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden announced that the United States would explore the development of an Indo-Pacific Economic Framework to deepen economic relations in the Indo-Pacific...
Press Release – Fishing Industry Members Advise Managers on Proposed Sanctuaries and Other Issues Important to Western Pacific Region (10 March 2022)
HONOLULU (10 March 2022) The Fishing Industry Advisory Committee (FIAC) met today to provide advice and recommendations to the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council when it meets March 22-24. NWHI and Marianas Trench Proposed SanctuariesThe FIAC...
FR Notice – Review of Nomination for Mariana Trench National Marine Sanctuary (Mar. 10, 2022)
AGENCY: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce (DOC). ACTION: Notice; reopening of public comment period. SUMMARY: On January 21, 2022, NOAA published a...