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 Hawai‘i, American Samoa, Guam and the CNMI will include members with expertise in traditional fishing practices and community ocean activities in their respective regions. The new committee will augment the Council’s Fishery Rights of Indigenous People Standing Committee, which was established in the mid-1980s.

Throughout its 48-year history, the Council has addressed indigenous issues and sought to modify the impact of federal fishery management on Native Hawaiians, Samoans, Chamorros and Carolinians, who have fished in the Western Pacific for centuries.

With the growing emphasis on ecosystem-based management, traditional ecological knowledge, equity, and environmental justice, the Council created the new Indigenous Committee to ensure culturally relevant recommendations that include indigenous perspectives in the region’s decision-making process.

The Council requested a presentation on how the recognition process for indigenous peoples could work and the benefits an existing system now provides to Native American Tribes. Currently, the United States does not recognize the indigenous peoples of the Western Pacific Region—Kānaka Maoli, Samoans, CHamoru and Refaluwasch—in the same way it does federal Native American Tribes. This difference puts the Pacific groups at a disadvantage in federal relations.

The Endangered Species Act, for example, allows subsistence use of endangered species as a food source for Native American Tribes, but such exceptions were not considered for regional indigenous peoples when the U.S. entered international agreements to protect green sea turtles, a traditional food in the Pacific. Expanded recognition could address existing and future issues affecting Pacific Islanders.

National Marine Sanctuaries in the Pacific
The Council reviewed a NOAA status update on the proposed national marine sanctuaries in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) and Pacific Remote Islands (PRI). Since March 2024, public hearings have been held across the Hawaiian islands on the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the NWHI sanctuary, with no action yet reported on a draft EIS for the PRI sanctuary.

The Council expressed concerns over the process for establishing fishing regulations under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, section 304(a)(5), contending it fails to provide a clear rationale for why such regulations are necessary. The Council stressed the need for assessing potential threats to sanctuary resources—including fishing—before determining regulations to address those concerns.

The Council bid a fond farewell to Manny Dueñas from Guam whose 3-year term ended in August 2024. He was a Member of the Council for a total of 12 years, having previously served between 2003 and 2012, including as Chair from 2011-2012. Dueñas has led the Guam Fishermen’s Cooperative Association for nearly 40 years, and has been a passionate champion of his culture and fishing rights. During his tenure, the Council provided funds supporting projects for indigenous fishing practices throughout the Western Pacific Region. Seabird, sea turtle and oceanic whitetip shark bycatch mitigation measures were established for the Hawai‘i longline fishery. A major restructuring of managing fisheries was adopted by the Council–instead of species-based, four archipelago ecosystem plans were developed for American Samoa, the CNMI, Guam and Hawai‘i.

The Council’s 201st meeting will be held virtually Dec. 16-18, 2024. Major agenda items will include actions on the Guam bottomfish rebuilding plan, striped marlin stock sustainability, uku stock assessment and catch limits in Hawai‘i, longline vessel crew training and electronic monitoring. Information will be posted on our website at www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars.

Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council: Secretary of Commerce appointees from nominees selected by American Samoa, the CNMI, Guam and Hawai‘i governors: Will Sword, noncommercial fisherman/engineer (American Samoa) (chair); Roger Dang, Fresh Island Fish Co. (Hawai‘i) (vice chair); Judith Guthertz, University of Guam (Guam) (vice chair); Pete Itibus, noncommercial fisher (CNMI); Shaelene Kamaka‘ala, Hawaiian Islands Land Trust (Hawai‘i); Frank Perez, AC Sales and Service, (Guam); Matt Ramsey, Conservation International (Hawai‘i); and Gene Weaver, Tasi to Table (CNMI). Designated state officials: Dawn Chang, Hawai‘i Dept. of Land & Natural Resources; Sylvan Igisomar, CNMI Dept. of Lands & Natural Resources (vice chair); Chelsa Muña, Guam Dept. of Agriculture; and Archie Soliai, American Samoa Dept. of Marine & Wildlife Resources (vice chair). Designated federal officials (voting): Sarah Malloy, NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office. Designated federal officials (nonvoting): Colin Brinkman, U.S. State Dept.; Brian Peck, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; and RADM Sean Regan, U.S. Coast Guard 14th District.