Fishing is central to life in the Western Pacific, providing food
and sustaining the livelihoods of island communities.

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council—one of eight regional councils established by Congress in 1976—manages fisheries in federal waters around Hawai‘i, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Pacific Remote Islands. Guided by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the Council’s decisions are grounded in science and informed by traditional knowledge and cultural practices. Its mission is to ensure responsible, sustainable fisheries that support local economies, uphold indigenous resource stewardship, and contribute to the nation’s food security.