News + Announcements
Press Release – Scientists to Recommend Acceptable Biological Catch Limits for Federally Managed US Pacific Island Fisheries (13 October 2018)
Summer 2018 Pacific Island Fishery Newsletter
FR Notice – Hawaii Shallow-Set Pelagic Longline Fishery; Court Order (Oct. 2, 2018)
FR Notice – U.S. Purse Seine Fishery in the WCPO Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS (Aug. 23, 2018)
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare an environmental impact statement; announcement of public scoping period; request for comments. SUMMARY:...
FR Notice – Request for Comments on Ecosystem Component Species (Aug. 8, 2018)
Action Notice of availability of fishery ecosystem plan amendments; request for comments. Summary NMFS announces that the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) proposes to amend the Fishery Ecosystem Plans (FEP) for American Samoa, the...
FR Notice – Request for Comments on Proposed Specifications for 2018 US Territory Bigeye Tuna Catch Limits (Aug. 8, 2018)
Action Proposed specifications; request for comments. Summary NMFS proposes a 2018 limit of 2,000 metric tons (t) of longline-caught bigeye tuna for each U.S. Pacific territory (American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana...
Press Release – US Billfish is Sustainable, Provides Fresh Seafood and Local Revenue (2 August 2018)
US Pacific Billfish Fishery Is Sustainable, Provides Fresh Seafood and Local Revenue HONOLULU (2 August 2018) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is disappointed that America’s seafood consumers may soon be deprived of sustainably harvested...
Western Pacific Region Status of the Fisheries 2017
The 2017 annual reports on fisheries in Hawaii and the U.S. Pacific Islands provide data and trends about last year's fishery participation, catch rates, landings and other fishery performance factors. Each report also covers ecological components that may impact...
NMFS Announces Final Rule Designating ESA Critical Habitat for the Main Hawaiian Islands Insular False Killer Whales
On July 24, 2018, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) published a final rule to designate critical habitat for the Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) insular false killer whale distinct population segment (DPS). The critical habitat encompasses waters from 45-meter...
FR Notice – Closure of Southern Exclusion Zone to Hawaii Longline Vessels (July 18, 2018)
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Temporary rule; area closure; request for comments. SUMMARY: NMFS is closing the Southern Exclusion Zone (SEZ) to deep-set longline fishing...