News + Announcements
FR Notice – False Killer Whale Take Reduction Plan; New Trigger Value for Southern Exclusion Zone Closure (December 15, 2020)
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and the False Killer Whale Take Reduction Plan, NMFS is publishing...
FR Notice – 2020–2023 Annual Catch Limit and Accountability Measures for Hawaii Kona Crab (December 11, 2020)
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: In this final rule, NMFS implements an annual catch limit (ACL) of 30,802 lb (13,972 kg), and an annual catch...
FR Notice – Experimental Fishing Permit (December 8, 2020)
Action Notice of application for experimental fishing permit; request for comments. Summary The Hawaii Longline Association (HLA) has applied for an experimental fishing permit (EFP) to test the conservation and management usefulness of tori lines (bird scaring...
Press Release – U.S. Pacific Federal Managers Set Annual Catch Limit to Rebuild Overfished Guam Bottomfish Stock (04 December 2020)
HONOLULU (04 December 2020) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council voted to adopt a bottomfish annual catch limit (ACL) of 31,000 pounds starting in fishing year 2023 to rebuild the overfished bottomfish stock in Guam. The limit corresponds to a...
Press Release – Western Pacific Council Supports Hawaiʻi Industry Request to Test Bird Scaring Lines as Seabird Interaction Mitigation Measure (03 December 2020)
HONOLULU (03 December 2020) The Hawaii Longline Association has requested an experimental fishing permit for the deep-set longline fishery to test tori line efficacy without the use of blue-dyed bait when fishing north of 23° N. The Western Pacific Regional Fishery...
Press Release – U.S. Pacific Fishery Managers Urge Increase in U.S. Bigeye Tuna Quota at Upcoming Multilateral Meeting, Support New Industry-Backed Shark Conservation Measures (03 December 2020)
HONOLULU (03 December 2020) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council supported the U.S. proposal to revise the conservation and management measure for tropical tunas, which expires in February 2021, and increase the U.S. bigeye tuna quota by 3,000...
FR Notice – 2020 U.S. Territorial Longline Bigeye Tuna Catch Limits for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; Correction (Dec. 2, 2020)
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Announcement of a valid specified fishing agreement; correction. SUMMARY: NMFS published a document in the Federal Register of November 23,...
Press Release – Scientists Set Acceptable Biological Catch for American Samoa Bottomfish, Recommend Rebuilding Plans for American Samoa and Guam Bottomfish (01 December 2020)
HONOLULU (01 December 2020) The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council concluded its two-day virtual meeting today. Key outcomes addressed the American Samoa and Guam bottomfish fisheries and measures to...
Press Release – Scientists Recommend Improved Mitigation Measures for Protected Species (30 November 2020)
HONOLULU (30 November 2020) Scientists overwhelmingly supported a proposal from the Hawaii Longline Association (HLA) to voluntarily switch to monofilament leaders to promote protected species conservation. The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) of the Western...
Press Release – New Publication Showcases History of U.S. Pacific Billfish Fisheries and Their Management (30 November 2020)
HONOLULU (30 November 2020) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council has released the second of seven new issues in its historical Pacific Islands Fishery Monographs series. Each monograph looks at some of the most important federal fisheries and...