News + Announcements
Request for Comment – Recommendations for a Comprehensive Interagency Seafood Trade Strategy (Due Aug. 1, 2020)
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice; request for information. SUMMARY: On May 7, 2020, the White House issued an Executive Order on Promoting American Seafood...
FR Notice-2020 US Territorial Longline Bigeye Tuna Catch Limits (July 9, 2020)
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Proposed specifications; request for comments. SUMMARY: NMFS proposes a 2020 limit of 2,000 metric tons (t) of longline-caught bigeye tuna for...
FR Notice-Swordfish Trip Limits in the American Samoa Pelagic Longline Fishery (June 29, 2020)
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Proposed rule; request for comments. SUMMARY: NMFS proposes to remove the swordfish retention limit in the American Samoa deep-set longline...
FR Notice-ESA listing Determination for the Coral Pocillopora meandrina, 12-month finding and availability of status review (July 6, 2020)
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice; 12-month finding and availability of status review documents. SUMMARY: We, NMFS, have completed a comprehensive status review under the...
Press Release – Feds Advance Management of Main Hawaiian Islands Uku, Rebuilding Plan for American Samoa Bottomfish (25 June 2020)
HONOLULU (25 June 2020) During the months of May through July, Hawai'i fishermen and seafood consumers can rely on uku (grey snapper). While available year-round, this flavorful pink to white flesh fish, is most abundant during this time, which is when it spawns....
Press Release – Federal Fishery Managers Weigh-In on Marine National Monument draft plans, COVID-19 Impacts to Fisheries and More (24 June 2020)
HONOLULU (24 June 2020) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council concluded the first day of its three-day virtual meeting yesterday with discussions and recommendations regarding the work of partner agencies and program planning. Topics ranged from...
Press Release – International Fishery Experts Agree on Key Area-Based Management Concepts (19 June 2020)
The participants agreed that simply closing large sections of the ocean is not a silver bullet for managing blue water fisheries and their ecosystems and that marine protected areas (MPAs) are merely a single element within the tool box of area-based management....
Press Release – Feds Set to Address Management of Main Hawaiian Islands Uku, American Samoa Bottomfish and Longline Interactions with Protected Species (19 June 2020)
The uku (Aprion virescens, grey snapper) stock in the main Hawaiian Islands is not overfished nor subject to overfishing according to a NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. The fishery is considered to be data-rich, using a fishery-independent measure of...
Spring 2020 Pacific Islands Fishery News
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Press Release – Scientists Recommend Setting Annual Catch Limits for Uku in Main Hawaiian Islands, Options for American Samoa Bottomfish Management and Protected Species Mitigation Measures (12 June 2020)
HONOLULU (12 June 2020) The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council concluded its three-day virtual meeting yesterday. Key outcomes addressed the main Hawaiian Islands uku stock assessment, American Samoa...
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