Press Releases
Press Release-Voices from the Sea: Shaping the Future of Fishing in American Samoa (23 June 2025)
HONOLULU (23 June 2025) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is coming to American Samoa to hear directly from the people who know the ocean best—the local fishermen. Through a series of community meetings, the Council aims to gather first-hand...
Press Release-WP Council Reaffirms NWHI Fisheries Were Sustainable, Urges Policy Shift Aligned with EO 14276 (12 June 2025)
HONOLULU (12 June 2025) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council has reaffirmed its longstanding position that commercial fisheries in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) were sustainably managed prior to the designation of Papahānaumokuākea as a...
Press Release-WPRFMC Approves Mandatory Electronic Monitoring for Hawai‘i and American Samoa Longline Fleets (11 June 2025)
HONOLULU (11 June 2025) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council took final action today to authorize the use of electronic monitoring (EM) as a mandatory tool for data collection aboard longline vessels operating under Hawai‘i and American Samoa...
Press Release-Fishers Forum Sheds Light on the Challenges and Passion Behind Hawai‘i’s Commercial Fishing Industry (10 June 2025)
HONOLULU (10 June 2025) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC) hosted a lively and thought-provoking Fishers Forum last night, June 9, at the Ala Moana Hotel. Titled “From Hanapa‘a to How Much? What It Takes to Fish and Sell in Hawai‘i,” the...
Press Release-Council to Review Monument Policy Shifts, Take Final Action on LL Monitoring & Uku Catch Limits (04 June 2025)
HONOLULU (4 June 2025) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council will convene June 9–11 in Honolulu to review major federal policy changes that could reshape fisheries access across the Pacific Islands, and to take final action on several critical...
Press Release-SSC to Tackle Key Pacific Fisheries Challenges at 156th Meeting (02 June 2025)
HONOLULU (02 June 2025) From shifting ocean temperatures to changing fishery participation, the Pacific’s marine ecosystems are in flux. The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will meet June 4–6, 2025, to...
Press Release-Clarifying Impact of President Trump’s Action on Pacific Fishing (23 April 2025)
HONOLULU (23 April 2025) Recent media responses to President Trump’s April 17 Proclamation to restore access for American fishermen to the waters between 50 to 200 nautical miles (nm) offshore within the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument (PIHMNM) have...
Press Release-President Trump Returns Fishing to US Fishermen in the Pacific Islands (18 April 2025)
WASHINGTON D.C. (18 April 2025) “By doing this, we are giving you back your lives.” President Trump’s words echoed across the Pacific as he signed a Presidential Proclamation to restore access for American fishermen to the waters between 50 and 200 nautical miles...
Press Release-Western Pacific Fishery Council Urges Increased Federal Funding (27 March 2025)
HONOLULU (27 March 2025) In a critical call to action, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is urging the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) to address severe funding shortfalls that threaten the future of fisheries management and vital...
Press Release-Changing Environment and Presidential Executive Orders (26 March 2025)
HONOLULU (26 March 2025) “This is our food, our way of life and the management of these waters impacts our communities.” Today, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council heard a report from the Pacific Islands Fisheries Group (PIFG) summarizing community...