News + Announcements
Press Release-Council Creates Indigenous Committee to Strengthen Traditional Voices in Pacific Fisheries (26 September 2024)
HONOLULU (26 September 2024) Concluding its 200th meeting, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council established an Indigenous Committee to provide recommendations to federal authorities on cultural fishing rights and related issues. Sub-panels for...
Press Release-Council Receives Praise, Spars with NMFS on Policies (25 September 2024)
HONOLULU (25 September 2024) Praise from a top federal administrator combined with an airing of interagency issues energized the second session of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council’s 200th meeting Tuesday. Sam Rauch, Deputy Assistant...
Press Release-Land Acknowledgement Highlights Indigenous Roots & Equity at Western Pacific Council’s 200th Meeting (24 September 2024)
HONOLULU (24 September 2024) Themes of cultural recognition, indigenous legacies and ocean security sparked the opening of the 200th meeting of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council here Monday. Chair Will Sword opened the historic session with a...
Press Release – Fishery Council Celebrates 200th Meeting Milestone (19 September 2024)
HONOLULU (19 September 2024) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is set to hold its 200th meeting next week, a significant milestone in its 48-year history. The meeting will take place September 23-25, 2024, at the Ala Moana Hotel Hibiscus...
Press Release – SSC Advances Guam Bottomfish Rebuilding Plan and Evaluates Seabird Bycatch Mitigation Techniques (13 September 2024)
HONOLULU (13 September 2024) At its meeting this week, the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) reviewed and discussed options for modifying Guam's bottomfish rebuilding plan, focusing on balancing sustainable fishing opportunities with stock recovery...
Press Release – SSC Meeting to Tackle Key Fisheries Management Issues Next Week (6 September 2024)
HONOLULU (6 September 2024) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will convene Sept. 11-13, 2024, to address important issues impacting fisheries management in the Pacific Islands. Noncommercial Fisheries...
*Update-public comment period extended; Notice of Proposed Rule: Listing Determinations for 10 species of Giant Clams under the Endangered Species Act
NEW *Public Comment Period extended to February 19, 2025. See FR notice here. NMFS will hold seven public hearings and three listening sessions related to their proposed rule to list five species of giant clams as endangered and five species of giant clams as...
Public Meeting Notice: Uku Western Pacific Stock Assessment Review
The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and NMFS will convene a Western Pacific Stock Assessment Review (WPSAR) of the main Hawaiian Islands Aprion virescens (locally known as uku or gray/green jobfish) stock assessment update. The WPSAR meeting will...
Proposed Rule: Discontinue Rebuilding Plan for American Samoa Bottomfish and Implement Annual Catch Limits and Accountability Measures for Fishing Years 2024–2026
NMFS proposes to amend the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for the American Samoa Archipelago (FEP) to discontinue the rebuilding plan for American Samoa bottomfish and to implement single-species annual catch limits (ACL) and accountability measures (AM) for bottomfish in the...
Federal Register Notice: Protective Regulations for the Oceanic Whitetip Shark Public Hearings
NMFS will hold two public hearings related to the proposed rule to apply protective regulations to the oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Public hearings on the proposed protective regulations for the oceanic...