Press Releases
Press Release – As Canned Tuna Fly Off Shelves, Operations of US Boats Are Compromised (17 March 2020)
HONOLULU (17 March 2020) Consumers bracing against Covid-19 have raised demands not only for health and safety products but also for many food staples, including tuna. According to an NPR report yesterday, tuna sales were up more than 31 percent last week compared to...
Press Release – Hawaii Longline Fishery Producing Fresh Seafood for Hawaii Food Security (16 March 2020)
HONOLULU (16 March 2020) Due to COVID-19 impacts, local food security, self-sufficiency and access to healthy food and fish are increasingly important. Hawaii longline vessels are positioned to continue supplying fish to Hawaii restaurant and retail markets for local...
Press Release – 2020 Bigeye Tuna Catch and Allocation Limits Recommended for US Pacific Territories (12 March 2020)
HONOLULU (12 March 2020) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council today in Honolulu recommended that the federal catch limits for longline-caught bigeye tuna for the US Territories of American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana...
Press Release – Feds, Local Managers to Work with Fishermen on Bottomfish Issues in US Pacific Territories (11 March 2020)
HONOLULU (11 March 2020) Recent stock assessments by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) determined that the bottomfish stocks in the Territories of American Samoa and Guam are overfished and the bottomfish fishery in American Samoa is undergoing overfishing....
Press Release – Council Urges Reopening of Fishing Grounds Based on New False Killer Whale Study (11 March 2020)
HONOLULU (11 March 2020) A new study indicates that the pelagic stock of false killer whales around the Hawaiian Islands may be healthier than previously thought. Amanda Bradford of NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center presented the research yesterday to the...
Press Release – Mandatory Hawai‘i Pelagic Small Boat Fishery Permit and Reporting to Be Explored (10 March 2020)
HONOLULU (10 March 2020) Federal fishery managers today in Honolulu voted to explore mandatory permit and reporting requirements for the pelagic small-boat fishery in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) waters (3 to 200 miles offshore) around Hawai‘i. The Western...
Press Release – Meeting on Management of US Pacific Island Fisheries Next Week Allows Web Participation (06 March 2020)
HONOLULU (06 March 2020) Members of the public concerned about the coronavirus can participate in next week’s 181st meeting of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council by web conference. The public may also participate in person in the March 10 to 12...
Press Release – Scientists Set Acceptable Biological Catches for Mariana Archipelago Bottomfish, Recommend New Stock Assessment for Mariana and American Samoa Bottomfish (05 March 2020)
HONOLULU (05 March 2020) The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council concluded its three-day 135th meeting today in Honolulu. Key outcomes addressed the Mariana and American Samoa Archipelago bottomfish...
Press Release – Scientists to Address 2020 Bottomfish and Bigeye Tuna Catches for US Pacific Territories (28 Feb. 2020)
HONOLULU (28 February 2020) Scientists from throughout the Pacific will meet March 3 to 5 in Honolulu to discuss acceptable catch of bottomfish in Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and catch and allocation limits for longline-caught...
Press Release – Reviewers Approve Stock Assessment for Uku (Hawai‘i Gray Snapper), Emphasize the Need for Accurate Recreational Catch Data (28 Feb. 2020)
HONOLULU (28 Feb. 2020) In Hawai‘i, consumers prefer deep-water snappers for their red and pink color, which has cultural significance especially around the winter holidays. However, in May and June, fishermen switch to target the less desired, but just as delicious,...