Press Releases
Press Release – Hawai’i Swordfish Harvest Is Back after Nine-Month Hiatus – New Measures Will Aid Fishery and Protect Sea Turtles (16 January 2020)
Swordfish landed by the Hawai'i longline fleet being prepared for auction in Honolulu. HONOLULU (16 January 2020)The Hawai'i swordfish fishery is expected to land its first catch in nine months tomorrow. This healthy fishery produces approximately 55 percent of...
Press Release – Interim Bottomfish Measure Addresses Overfishing, Allows American Samoa Fishery to Operate (24 October 2019)
UTULEI, AMERICAN SAMOA (24 October 2019) Fishermen from Tutuila and Manu'a islands concerned about the future of the Territory's bottomfish fishery attended the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council meeting yesterday and today in Utulei,...
Press Release – Lt. Governor, Congresswoman, Territory Commerce Department Stress Importance of Fisheries to the U.S. Territory of American Samoa (23 October 2019)
UTULEI, AMERICAN SAMOA (23 October 2019) "Fisheries sustains our livelihoods in all aspects of our lives" was the core message that reverberated through the remarks of Lt. Gov. Lemanu Peleti Mauga, who opened the 180th meeting of the Western Pacific...
Press Release – Hawai‘i Shallow-Set Longline Fishery Has No Discernable Impact on Sea Turtle Populations (16 October 2019)
HONOLULU (16 October 2019) Scientists from throughout the Pacific meeting this week in Honolulu found that mortality by the Hawai'i shallow-set longline fishery on loggerheads and leatherbacks are "trivial" and have no impact on their population levels....
Press Release – Researchers and Feds to Address Quality of Science Used to Manage US Pacific Island Fisheries (9 October 2019)
HONOLULU (9 October 2019) Scientists from throughout the Pacific region will meet Oct. 15 to 17, 2019, in Honolulu to address the quality of the data used to manage federal fisheries and other topics. The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) of the Western...
Press Release – Federal Managers Finalize Turtle Interaction Measures with Hawai’i Swordfish Fishery (9 August 2019)
HONOLULU (9 August 2019) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council met yesterday to amend the Pelagic Fishery Ecosystem Plan with revisions to the loggerhead and leatherback turtle mitigation measures for the Hawai'i shallow-set longline fishery. The...
Press Release – Federal Managers to Make Final Recommendations on Leatherback and Loggerhead Sea Turtle Interactions with Hawai’i Swordfish Fishery (6 August 2019)
Leatherback sea turtle. Photo courtesy USFWS. HONOLULU (6 August 2019) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council will meet on Aug. 8, 2019, to consider final recommendations on the management of the Hawai'i swordfish fishery's interactions with...
Press Release – Hawai’i Longline Fishery for Swordfish Poses No Jeopardy to Sea Turtles, Federal Managers to Finalize Turtle Interaction Measures This Summer (27 June 2019)
HONOLULU (27 June 2019) A long-awaited final biological opinion (BiOp) on the Hawai'i shallow-set longline fishery was released today by the National Marine Fisheries Service. It shows the fishery does not jeopardize loggerhead or leatherback sea turtles. The Western...
Press Release – Fishery Managers Recommend Removing Bigeye Tuna Quota Limit for US Pacific Territories Consistent with International Provisions (27 June 2019)
HONOLULU (27 June 2019) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, yesterday in Honolulu, recommended removing the 2,000 metric (mt) annual catch limit for bigeye tuna caught by longline in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) for the US Pacific...
Press Release – Council Responds to Honolulu Civil Beat Series, Acts on Hawai’i Fisheries and Protected Species (26 June 2019)
HONOLULU (26 June 2019) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council yesterday in Honolulu responded to the Honolulu Civil Beat's three-part series suggesting members of the Council's Executive Committee engaged in decision-making for self-profit. Vice...