Press Releases
Press Release – Western Pacific Council and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Managers Collaborate to Draft Management Plan (25 June 2021)
HONOLULU (25 June 2021) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council and managers of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM) agreed to work together yesterday at a meeting in Honolulu to develop a draft management plan ahead of the formal...
Press Release – Western Pacific Council Defers Action on American Samoa Bottomfish Rebuilding Plan (23 June 2021)
HONOLULU (23 June 2021) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council voted to defer action on the rebuilding plan for the federally managed bottomfish complex in American Samoa at its virtual meeting today in Honolulu. In February 2020, the National Marine...
Press Release – US Pacific Fishery Managers Vote to Prohibit Wire Leaders and Remove Trailing Gear in New Shark Conservation Measure (22 June 2021)
HONOLULU (22 June 2021) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council voted today to prohibit wire leaders in the Hawai‘i deep-set longline fishery and require removal of trailing gear for all longline vessels operating under the Pacific Pelagic Fishery...
Press Release – Western Pacific Scientists Support Fishermen Input on Annual Reports, Gear Requirements to Protect Sharks (17 June 2021)
HONOLULU (17 June 2021) The SSC supported inclusion of a new section on fishermen observations to the annual status of the fisheries regional and pelagic reports for American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Hawai‘i and the Pacific...
Press Release – Scientists Support Combined Management Measures for Uku, Review Mitigation Tactics for False Killer Whales (15 June 2021)
HONOLULU (15 June 2021) The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council supported the combined management of the commercial and noncommercial sectors of the main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) uku fishery. Commercial...
Press Release – Pacific Scientists to Consider Snapper Catch Limits, Evaluate Gear Requirements in Longline Fisheries (10 June 2021)
HONOLULU (10 June 2021) Scientists from throughout the Pacific will meet June 15 to 17, 2021, to provide advice on managing the main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) uku fishery, longline fishery gear and release requirements, and other topics to the Western Pacific Regional...
Press Release – U.S. Pacific Fishery Managers Support Changes to Address Overfishing for Striped Marlin (25 March 2021)
HONOLULU (25 March 2021) To address the relative impacts of U.S. vessels on the internationally overfished North Pacific striped marlin, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council recommended an initial catch limit of approximately 1 million pounds (457...
Press Release – Western Pacific Council Defers Action on Guam Bottomfish Rebuilding Plan ( 25 March 2021)
HONOLULU (25 March 2021) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council deferred action on the Guam bottomfish stock rebuilding plan to a future meeting yesterday in Honolulu. This allows for a coordinated effort among the relevant agencies to finalize the...
Press Release – Western Pacific Scientists Recommend International Actions to End Overfishing for Striped Marlin (18 March 2021)
HONOLULU (18 March 2021) The SSC suggested several actions to end overfishing of North Pacific striped marlin in order to satisfy the Magnuson-Stevens Act (Section 304(i)) obligation both internationally via the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC)...
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...