News + Announcements
Summer 2020 Pacific Islands Fishery News
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FR Notice – False Killer Whale Take Reduction Plan; Reopening of the Southern Exclusion Zone to the Hawaii Deep-Set Longline Fishery (Aug. 19, 2020)
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Temporary rule. SUMMARY: In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, and the False Killer Whale Take Reduction Plan, NMFS...
FR notice – 2019 Marine Mammal Stock Assessment Reports (Aug. 3, 2020)
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice; response to comments. SUMMARY: As required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS has considered public comments for revisions...
FR Notice – Determination of Overfishing or an Overfished Condition (Aug. 3, 2020)
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: This action serves as a notice that NMFS, on behalf of the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary), has found that Southern Atlantic...
FR Notice – Area of Overlap Between the Convention Areas of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission and the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (June 22, 2020)
Action - Final rule. Summary Under authority of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Convention Implementation Act (WCPFCIA) and the Tuna Conventions Act, NMFS issues this final rule that revises the management regime for U.S. fishing vessels that target tunas...
Request for Comment – Recommendations for a Comprehensive Interagency Seafood Trade Strategy (Due Aug. 1, 2020)
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice; request for information. SUMMARY: On May 7, 2020, the White House issued an Executive Order on Promoting American Seafood...
FR Notice-2020 US Territorial Longline Bigeye Tuna Catch Limits (July 9, 2020)
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Proposed specifications; request for comments. SUMMARY: NMFS proposes a 2020 limit of 2,000 metric tons (t) of longline-caught bigeye tuna for...
FR Notice-Swordfish Trip Limits in the American Samoa Pelagic Longline Fishery (June 29, 2020)
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Proposed rule; request for comments. SUMMARY: NMFS proposes to remove the swordfish retention limit in the American Samoa deep-set longline...
FR Notice-ESA listing Determination for the Coral Pocillopora meandrina, 12-month finding and availability of status review (July 6, 2020)
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice; 12-month finding and availability of status review documents. SUMMARY: We, NMFS, have completed a comprehensive status review under the...
Press Release – Feds Advance Management of Main Hawaiian Islands Uku, Rebuilding Plan for American Samoa Bottomfish (25 June 2020)
HONOLULU (25 June 2020) During the months of May through July, Hawai'i fishermen and seafood consumers can rely on uku (grey snapper). While available year-round, this flavorful pink to white flesh fish, is most abundant during this time, which is when it spawns....