The Commercial, Subsistence, and Recreational Fisheries of American Samoa

PETER CRAIG, BONNIE PONWITH, FINI AITAOTO, and DAVID HAMM

Introduction residents can utilize. Fish resources, Canned tuna is the only significant ex­ from traditional subsistence fishing in port, which supplies about 25% of all Many tropical islands in the South times past to today's more modern canned tuna consumed in the United Pacific Ocean are confronted by rap­ boat-based fisheries, have always been States. idly growing human populations, but an important component of island have few economic resources that their Data Collection System economies (Doulman and Kearney, 1991). It is therefore of interest to ex­ The Department of Marine and Wild­ Peter Craig, Bonnie Ponwith, and Fini Aitaoto amine the current use and potential de­ life Resources (DMWR) in American are with the Department of Marine and Wild­ life Resources, Box 3730, Pago Pago, Ameri­ velopment of such fisheries. An Samoa provides fisheries information can Samoa 96799. David Hamm is with the overview of recent trends in the small, to the National Marine Fisheries Ser­ National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 2570 Dole St., Honolulu, Hawaii 96822. but locally important, domestic fisher­ vice (NMFS) through its Western Pa­ ies in American Samoa is presented in cific Fisheries Information Network this paper. This includes four fisher­ (WPACFIN) and to the Western Pa­ ies: I) a shoreline subsistence fishery, cific Regional Fishery Management ABSTRACT-Domestic fisheries in 2) an artisanal fishery for offshore pe­ Council (WPRFMC). The Council is American Samoa landed 587,000 lb offish and invertebrates in 1991 worth $993,000. lagic fishes, 3) an artisanal fishery for responsible for managing fisheries Most of the catch (78%) and value (80%) offshore bottomfish, and 4) a recre­ within the 200-mile Exclusive Eco­ was taken by the shoreline subsistencefish­ ational tournament fishery. For com­ nomic Zones (EEZ) around American ery that occurs on the coral reefs sur­ pleteness and contrast, the much larger Samoa, Hawaii, Guam, the Common­ rounding the islands. Artisanal fisheries distant-water fleet of commercial ves­ wealth of the Northern Marianas, and for offshore pelagic fishes (primarily skip­ jack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis; and yel­ sels that deliver tuna to canneries in other U.S. possessions in the Pacific. lowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares) and American Samoa is also briefly described. The historical development of bottomfishes (snappers, emperors, grou­ DMWR has been described by Itano Study Area pers) accounted for 16% and 3%, respec­ (1991). DMWR (initially the Office of tively, ofthe domestic catch. Recreational tournament catches for pelagic fishes rep­ American Samoa, the only U.S. Ter­ Marine Resources) was established in resented the remainder (3%). ritory in the southern hemisphere, con­ the 1960's to oversee fisheries devel­ While sportfishing is becoming increas­ sists of 7 small islands in the central opment projects and conduct resource ingly important, other domestic fisheries South Pacific Ocean (Fig. I). The larg­ assessments. In 1972, the development have declined in recent years. The shore­ est islands are Tutuila and the Manu'a of artisanal fisheries began in earnest line subsistence fishery has dropped by about 25% over the past decade owing group (Ofu, Olesega, and Ta'u Islands). as did DMWR's data collection efforts. 2 to socioeconomic factors and possibly The total land area is only 77 mi. . With assistance from WPACFIN in the overexploitation. Artisanal fisheries have Most of the islands have steep volca­ 1980's, the data collection program was also declined precipitously in recent years nic slopes with limited flat land suit­ significantly upgraded and expanded owing to hurricane-related damages, at­ trition offishermen, and competition with able for human habitation or to provide better coverage and statis­ imports. Artisanalfisheries show some po­ agriculture. The Territory's population tics for all local boat-based fisheries. tentialfor growth, but may be constrained (46,600 in 1990), located primarily on General procedures for DMWR data by marketing issues, vessel capabilities, Tutuila Island, is growing rapidly collectors are to sample the artisanal and limited stock sizes (for bottomfish) or (3.7% per year) and has a doubling fisheries two weekdays and one week­ local availability of high-value (pelagic) fishes. time of only 19 years (EDPO, 1991). end (or holiday) per week, as described In contrast to the small-scale domestic The two major employers are the tuna in detail by Aitaoto et al. (1991). Dur­ fisheries, American Samoa is also canneries and the local government, ing sample days, a creel survey is con­ homeport to a distant-water fleet of large which employ 33% and 31 % of the ducted as boats dock at designated purse seiners and longliners that fish be­ yond the EEZ and deliver about 160,000­ labor force, respectively. There is a harbors between 0500 and 2100 h. The 220,000 short tons of tuna per year to heavy reliance on imports for food, fishermen are interviewed and tl1eir local canneries. fuel, and materials (EDPO, 1991). catches examined. To produce annual

55(2), 1993 109 ever, will be to insure that local resi­ dents have opportunities to participate in future fisheries developments that do occur. Preferential rights for indig­ enous people are currently being re­ searched, and a control date (1 Jan. 1991) was set for possible implemen­ HAWAII tation of a limited entry program for GUAM longline fishing. Occasional poaching by foreign vessels occurs in the EEZ,

Equator but no enforcement vessels or aircraft /AMERICAN SAMOA are available for surveillance. ~- Territorial regulations that apply to FIJI!! 0 TAHITI the management of local fisheries in­ 'Q, TONGA clude record keeping for commercial fishermen, seafood dealers, and fish processors, as well as specific laws (mostly pertaining to reef users) re­ garding illegal fishing methods, gear restrictions, and species size limits. Enforcement of territorial regulations Figure I.-Location of American Samoa (14· S, 170· W) in the South Pacific Ocean. is at an early stage of development. catch statistics, the creel survey infor­ procedures are described by Honda et Domestic Fisheries 2 mation is computerized, verified, and al.I and Ito and Yamasaki . The annual harvest of combined do­ expanded to account for times and ar­ Regulations and Enforcement mestic fisheries in 1991 was 587,000 eas not sampled. In the Manu'a Is­ pounds, valued at $993,000 at local lands, the fishing fleet is small and the Few ofWPRFMC's regulations have market prices. By far the majority of catch from nearly every boat is moni­ focused on American Samoa's EEZ, this catch (78%) and value (80%) was tored; data are adjusted for the few because no major commercial fishery taken by the shoreline subsistence fish­ trips not sampled. For recreational tour­ operates there at present. A goal, how­ ery (Fig. 2). It should be noted, how­ naments, DMWR provides the official 'Honda, Y., G. Yamasaki, and R. Ito. 1988. ever, that none of the domestic fisheries weigh-in station and tallies landings American Samoa purse seine fishery sampling. is strictly a commercial, subsistence, from all participating boats. U.S. Dep. Commer., NOAA, Natl. Mar. Fish. or recreational enterprise. These terms Serv., Southwest Fish. Center., Honolulu Lab., The shoreline subsistence fishery on are used only to describe the principal Tutuila Island was first examined in Admin. Rep. H-88-20, 35 p. 2Ito, R., and G. Yamasaki. 1988. Status of the nature of the fishery because some fish the late 1970's by Hill (1978) and Wass American Samoa foreign longline tuna fishery, are sold and others are retained for (1980). Beginning in 1991, the fishery 1982-86. U.S. Dep. Commer., NOAA, Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv., Southwest Fish. Cent., Hono­ personal use in each fishery. The per­ is again being monitored by a creel lulu Lab., Admin. Rep. H-88-19, 30 p. centage of fish sold varies consider- and participation survey, conducted 3 days a week, stratified by time of day and type of day (weekday/weekend)

(Ponwith, 1992). Catch data were first 800.000 DOLLARS expanded to the entire study area along = POUNDS the south shore of Tutuila, where 35% 600.000 of the people live. Then, on a per­ capita basis, results were expanded to 400.000 produce a Territorial catch.

The distant-water fleet that delivers 200,000 tuna to canneries in American Samoa has been monitored by NMFS, either directly or by contract to DMWR, since SHORELINE ARTI$ANAL ARTI$ANAL RECREATlONAL SUBSISTENCE PELAGICS BOTTOMFI$H TOURNAMENTS 1963. The NMFS port sampling pro­ FISHERY FISHERY FISHERY gram collects vessel logbooks, length­ frequencies of tuna species, and Figure 2.-Annuallandings and value of four domes­ cannery summaries of vessel landings tic fisheries in American Samoa in 1991. Units on the by species and gear type. Sampling vertical axis refer to both dollars and pounds. llO Marine Fisheries Review Table 1.-Catch composition of the shoreline sub­ ably: Recreational tournaments (10% sistence fishery on Tutuila Island in 1991. variable migrant to the shoreline area, sold), shoreline subsistence fishery tend to obscure an even greater decline Catch Average (25%), artisanal bottomfish fishery Composition Weight in catch. In 1979 the atule catch was (65%), artisanal pelagic fishery (85%). Reef species group (%) (Ib) relatively small, only 13% of the total Coastal Migrants catch compared to 46% in 1991. By Shoreline Subsistence Fishery Atule Se/ar removing this species from the analy­ (big-eye scad) crumenoph­ The islands of American Samoa are fha/mus 46 03 ses and considering only the reef-resi­ Reef Residents partially surrounded by a narrow fring­ Jacks Carangidae 10 1.4 dent species, a major drop is apparent ing coral reef, the top of which is ex­ Surgeonfish Acanthuridae g 0.5 in the adjusted island-wide catch Mullet Mugilidae 6 0.9 posed at low tide. The reeftop and Octopus Octopus sp. 5 2.2 (-54%) over the past 12 years, while adjacent shallow waters are inhabited Groupers Serranidae 3 0.4 effort decreased only 8% (Fig. 3). Sea urchins Echinoid 3 by a diverse array of fish and shellfish Palolo worms Eunice viridis 2 Downward trends in catch and ef­ species (Wass, 1984; USACE3,4) that Squirrelfish Holocentridae 2 fort seem even more significant since Snappers Lutjanus spp. 1 0.3 are harvested by local residents on al­ Parrot/ish Scaridae 1 there was a 46% increase in the human Sea snails Gastropoda 1 most a daily basis throughout the year Other 11 population during the same period (Hill, 1978; Wass, 1980; Ponwith, Total catch: 439,000 pounds (EDPO, 1991). With this influx of 1992). Most fishing is accomplished people and reduced fishing effort, the by individuals on foot who fish in ar­ per capita subsistence catch on Tutuila eas adjacent to their own village. Prin­ nated the harvest in 1991 (Table I). Island dropped from 19.4 to 9.8 pounds. cipal fishing methods used are rod and Jacks, surgeonfish, mullet, and octo­ Some possible explanations for the re­ reel (which accounted for 37% of the pus made up the majority of the reef­ duced catch and effort include a de­ annual catch in 1991), handline (25%), resident species taken. The average cline in resource abundance (reflected free diving (14%), gill netting (9%), sizes of fishes taken were surprisingly by a drop in CPUE) or sociological gleaning (8%), and throw netting (5%). small (Table 1), particularly for grou­ changes such as less leisure time, a Gleaning involves the collection of fish pers and snappers which had very low shift in dietary preferences, or a pref­ and invertebrates at low tide, usually mean weights (0.3-0.4 pound). Some erence to buy fish at the market rather by hand, stick, or steel rod. favored species, such as giant clams, than to catch them personally. Imports The 1991 island-wide subsistence Tridacna spp., were generally absent in of reef fish from Western Samoa and catch on Tutuila Island was 439,000 reef catches because of overharvesting. Tonga have occurred in recent years pounds and was worth $768,000 at the One unique species taken was the (at least 10,200 pounds in 1991) and average rate of $l.75/pound (Ponwith, palolo worm Eunice viridis, a burrow­ appear to be increasing. 1992). Expanding these data to include ing polychaete. Palolo generally In general, the shoreline subsistence limited catches in the Manu'a islands emerge once a year to release their fishery appears to be declining, al­ produces a total subsistence catch in reproductive segments (epitokes) into though it still far exceeds harvests of the Territory of 456,000 Ib, worth nearshore waters (Caspers, 1984; Hano other domestic fisheries in American $798,000. The average catch per unit and Buckley, 1988). Samoans, who Samoa. Two notable exceptions to this of effort (CPUE) was 3 pounds/gear-h; consider the epitokes a delicacy, gather apparent decline in interest are the di­ highest CPUE was obtained by gill net­ in large numbers (up to 1,000's) at rected fishing efforts for two highly ting (12.2 pounds/gear-h), followed by midnight of the predicted night ofemer­ prized species, the atule and palolo. throw net (4.9 pounds/gear-h), free div­ gence to collect the epitokes using ing (2.9), rod and reel (2.9), gleaning scoop nets or long lengths of screen. Artisanal Fisheries (l.7), handline (1.4), and bamboo pole Ponwith (1992) reported that palolo While local fishermen in American hook and line (0.7). catches were highly variable (3,400 Samoa have harvested inshore fishes Virtually all fish and invertebrate pounds in 1990,600 pounds in 1991) over the millennia, they have also made species caught were retained for con­ because of the strength of the swarm­ significant catches of offshore fishes sumption or sale. Altogether, 69 spe­ ing event and the presence of offshore since the 1970's. Hano (1991) describes cies or species groups were harvested; winds that concentrate the epitokes near in detail several "boom and bust" cycles fishes accounted for 86% of the total the shoreline, making them more ac­ that occurred over the years as various catch by weight. One coastal migra­ cessible to the villagers. fisheries development projects were tory fish species, the atule or bigeye An opportunity to identify trends in introduced. One of the more lasting scad, Selar crumenophthalmus, domi­ the shoreline fishery was provided by projects was the small-boat "Dory two similar studies conducted in 1979 Project" (1972-75) in which subsidized 3USACE. 1980. Coral reef inventory of Ameri­ (Wass, 1980) and 1991 (Ponwith, 1992) dory-type boats were made available can Samoa. U.S. Army Corps Eng., Honolulu, on Tutuila Island. During this 12-year to fishermen who then supplied catch Hawaii, 314 p. period, the island-wide catch decreased information to DMWR. Though the 4USACE. 1994. Coral reef inventory of Ameri­ can Samoa. U.S. Army Corps Eng., Honolulu, by 26%; however, differences in the project faded because of a variety of Hawaii. run strength of the atule, an annually problems, Itano (1991) notes that it

55(2), 1993 III lated damage (Hurricanes Tusi in 1987, Ofa in 1990, and Val in 1991), and the c=J MIGRANT ATUL, 600.000 departure of several "highliners" from REEF RESIDENTS the fishery. Declines in revenue gener­ ated by the pelagic fishery (Fig. 6) 400.000 from 1988 to 1990 were a result of drops in both landings and price; how­ ever, revenue made a slight comeback 200.000 in 1991 owing to an increase in price. The pelagic fishery competes with an inexpensive and readily available sup­

1979 1991 1979 1991 ply of frozen fish that is purchased or CATCH (LB) EFFORT (PERSON-HR) bartered from foreign longline vessels delivering tuna to the canneries in American Samoa. In some cases, the Figure 3.-Comparison of catch and effort in the shore­ line subsistence fishery on Tutuila Island in 1979 domestic skippers themselves act as (Wass, 1980) and 1991 (Ponwith, 1992). middlemen in such transactions. It is difficult to assess the influence that this fish source has on the market sup­ inaugurated the current artisanal fish­ ley et a!., 1989). The lifespan of FAD's plied by local fishermen, though Itano eries in American Samoa. Although ranges about 3-30 months, and in re­ (1991) speculates that it inhibits the catch statistics from the Dory Project cent years, 1-5 FAD's have been on development of a viable artisanal fish­ are incomplete, CPUE data are avail­ station at any given time. ery in the Territory. able for comparison to current catch The artisanal catch of pelagic fish rates. totaled 94,900 pounds in 1991, worth The two components of the current about $144,200 (this includes the value offshore artisanal fishery are 1) troll­ of pelagic fish retained for personal Table 2.-Catch composition of the artisanal pelagic fishery, 1989-91. ing for pelagic fishes in surface waters use) at an average price of $1.52/pound. Catch in and 2) vertical handlines (with baited Catches have ranged from 100,000 to 1989-91 (%) hooks) for bottomfish (Aitaoto et a!., 240,000 pounds in recent years (Fig. 4), 1991). Fishing is typically conducted and consisted primarily of skipjack and Pelagic species Mean Range from small boats (e.g., 28-foot alumi­ yellowfin tuna (Table 2). CPUE was Skipjack tuna Katsuwonus pelamis 55 48-60 Yellowfin tuna Thunnus albacares 28 26-32 num catamarans) fishing 1-25 miles variable (Fig. 5), as might be expected Blue marlin Makaira mazara 6 4-8 offshore on I-day trips. In 1991, boats for oceanic migratory species, but cur­ Sharks Miscellaneous 3 2-4 Dolphinfish Coryphaena hippurus 2 2-3 participating in the pelagic fishery (30 rent CPUE's are generally similar to Barracudas Sphyraena spp. 2 1-2 Little tuna Euthynnus affinis 1 0-3 boats) and bottomfish fishery (20 boats) CPUE's obtained during the start-up Wahoo Acanfhocybium solandr; 1 1 landed relatively small amounts offish, of the fishery in the 1970' s (i.e., the Dogtooth tuna Gymnosarda unicolor 1 1-2 thus indicating the part-time nature of Dory Project). Other 1 0.2-1 their participation in the fisheries. The The recent drop in pelagic landings Mean annual catch (Ib): 124.200 average catch was about 130 pounds reflects, in part, recent hurricane-re­ Range (Ib): 83.500-198,200 per trip in both fisheries, and the an­ nual catch per vessel averaged 910 pounds of bottomfish and 3,030 pounds 300,000,------, of pelagic fish. PELAGIC FISH Artisanal Pelagic Fishery ~ Most pelagic fishing occurs in 200,000 if> CJ coastal waters, near seamounts, where Z (5 Z seabird flocks are feeding (thus indi­ ~ <] I cating the presence of baitfish that tuna I 100.000 , ' 10,000 may also be feeding upon), or at fish EfFORT ~/ '-',, .... e"0 6,000 aggregation devices (FAD's) deployed >­ "' around Tutuila Island. FAD's were in­ 2.000 g w troduced to American Samoan coastal 198-5 1985 1987 1989 1991 waters in 1979 and have proven to be a popular way to increase the CPUE of Figure 4,-Annuallandings and effort of the artisanal fishery for offshore widely dispersed pelagic fishes (Buck­ pelagic fishes,

112 Marine Fisheries Review ~----- $400.000,------­ REVENUE

40 /\ BOTTOM FISH '":::> ' o $300.000 ,, ' I , ' I , ' :;: , ' o , ' CD , $200.000 ,/ "...... '"W , , PELACICS "­ , ,, oV1 , z , :::> , o $100.000 , , "­ \ ... "

1975 1980 1985

Figure 6.-Annual revenue (inflation adjusted) for artisanal Figure S.-CPUE trends for artisanal fisheries for bOtlomfish fisheries for bOltomflsh and pelagic fishes. This graph illus­ and troll-caught pelagIc fIshes. Data in 1977 were insufficient t~ates commercIal sales but does not include the value of for pelagic catches, and no data were recorded in 1979-81. fish retaIned for personal use.

Artisanal Bottomfish Fishery Snappers, emperors, and groupers imports of bottomfish were at least accounted for most of the 18,100 ~ounds, Bottomfish fishing occurs at depths 19,400 thereby exceeding lo­ pounds of bottomfi sh landed in 1991 of 15-100 fm around Tutuila Island cal landmgs of bottomfish. (Table 3). This catch was worth and offshore seamounts. Suitable habi­ $32,800 (this includes the value of Tournament Fishery tat for bottomfish is limited because bottomfish retained for personal use) the islands slope steeply into deep wa­ at an average price of $1.81/pound. Tournaments for pelagic fishes are ter and there are few seamounts in the popular events in the Territory. Typi­ Territory. The 100-fm isobath extends CPUE has varied between 10 and 20 pounds/boat-h, which is similar to cally, 7-14 local boats and 55-70 fish­ 110 n.mi. around the seven islands of CPUE's from the Dory Project in the ermen participate in each tournament American Samoa and 34 n.mi. around whi.ch are held 2-5 times per year, each its seamounts (Hano, 1991). Dalzell and 1970's (Fig. 5). Revenue trends for the bottomfish lastmg about 3 days. Tournament land­ Preston (1992) estimate that the maxi­ i~gs have been monitored almost yearly mum sustainable yield (MSY) for deep fishery parallel the decline in catch (Fig. 6) .. Fishermen are also beginning smce 1974. slope bottomfish is about 8-27 t/year. Du~ing to expenence marketing conflicts with . 1974-92, the average fish­ A small fishery for bottomfish was mg tnp lasted 10 h and caught 12.3 developed as a result of several gov­ the recent influx of fresh bottomfish imported from Western Samoa and pounds fish, for a daily trip average of ernment-funded projects in the 1970's 118 pounds (range 0-949 pounds), all and 1980's, and some high-valued fish Tonga. In 1991 (the first year for which nearly complete data are available), specIes combined. After cancellation (e:g., deepwater snappers) were sh~pped to Hawaiian markets for higher pnces. But as these projects terminated and catches dropped, interest waned, 150.000,------~ and the fishery declined. The fishing BOTTOMFISH grounds were "fished out" and catches EFFORT probably exceeded MSY during this ~ period (ltano, 1991). - 100.000 10.000 0:­ oV1 r z ..'­ In the past several years, the is z o'" ~ bottomf!sh fishery has collapsed to only --S CATCH ~ 14% of Its 1985 peak year (Fig. 7), and 50.000 5.000 '" no fish are being marketed off the is­ [ land. This decline appears to be due to several factors in addition to overfish­ ing: Decreased subsidies to the fishery 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 (Hano, 1991), the departure of several highliners from the fishery, and hurri­ Figure 7.-Annual landings and effort of the artisanal fishery for cane-related damage to local boats. bottomflsh.

55(2), 1993 113 of most tournaments in 1990 in the maximum weights of fishes caught but it is beyond the scope of this paper aftermath of Hurricane Ofa, a sharp (Table 4) are smaller than Hawaiian to document these changes (see reports increase in participation and catches records, perhaps due to a much lower by Otsu and Sumida, 1968; Yoshida, (as well as monitoring efforts) occurred sport fishing effort in American Samoa. 1975; Doulman, 1987; Schug and in 1991 (Fig. 8). All reported landings The tournament CPUE for targeted Galea'i, 1987; Honda et al. l ; Ito and (Fig. 8) are considered minimum esti­ species (blue marlin, yellowfin tuna, Yamasaki2). mates because 1) skipjack tuna and wahoo, and mahimahi) has been in­ The current fleet consists of I) U.S. sharks were caught but often not re­ creasing over the years (Fig. 8), prob­ purse seiners that fish for skipjack and ported because there was no tourna­ ably for several reasons. The fishermen yellowfin tuna (about 30 vessels), 2) ment prize for them and 2) a fish caught are using better fishing gear and they U.S. trollers that fish for albacore might not be reported if a larger prize­ have larger boats that can go farther (about 30 vessels), and 3) foreign winning one had already been landed. offshore to fish around seamounts. In longliners that fish for albacore, yel­ The species composition of the five addition, the introduction of FAD's lowfin tuna, and bigeye tuna (about 70 tournaments in 1991 consisted prima­ around Tutuila Island has resulted in vessels, mostly Taiwanese). In addi­ rily of yellowfin tuna, blue marlin, and higher catch rates (Buckley et aI., tion, transshipments of tuna are deliv­ skipjack tuna (Table 4). Average and 1989). ered to American Samoa by freezer Tournament fishing is becoming in­ vessels, and foreign sashimi longliners creasingly important in American Sa­ occasionally deliver part of their catch Table 3.-Catch composition of the artisanal bollomfish fishery. 1989-91. moa, and it contributed 3% of the total to the canneries. domestic landings in 1991 in only 16 Annual tuna landings in American Catch in 1989-91 ('Yo) days of fishing. The catch during this Samoa have run about 160,000­

Bottomfish species Mean Range short period nearly equalled the yearly 220,000 short tons in recent years. artisanal bottomfish harvest and Skipjack tuna accounted for most of Bluelined snapper LUfjanus kasmira 17 14-20 Redgill emperor Lethrinus rubrioperc. 12 11-14 amounted to 19% of the artisanal pe­ the deliveries, followed by yellowfin Gray jobfish Aprian virescens 10 7-14 lagic harvest. tuna and albacore (Fig. 9). The catch Longnose emperor Lethrinus elongarus 7 4-10 by gear type was purse seine (50%), Lunartail grouper Variola louti 6 5-8 Commercial Tuna Fishery Other groupers Serranidae 6 2-10 longline (14%), and troll (1%). The Humpback snapper Lutianus gibbus 5 4-6 Ambon emperor Lethn'nus amboinensis 4 3-5 In contrast to the small-scale nature remainder (34%) was fish caught by Squirrel. snapper (ehu) Etefis carbunculus 4 3-6 of the domestic fisheries, American purse seine and delivered to the can­ Jacks (unidentified) Carangidae 4 3-6 Samoa is also homeport to a distant­ neries by freezer vessels. Black jack Caranx lugubris 3 3-4 water fleet of large commercial ves­ TwinspoVred Discussion snapper Lutianus bohar 3 2-4 sels that deliver tuna to the canneries Longtail snapper (onaga) EteJis coruscans 3 2-4 on Tutuila Island. These vessels fish Domestic fisheries may be small by Other emperors Lethrinidae 3 2-4 beyond American Samoa's EEZ in the commercial standards, but they are lo­ Peacock grouper Cephalophofis sonners!; 2 2-3 central and western Pacific Ocean. cally significant to the economy of Silverjaw jobfish (Iehi) Aphareus rutilans 2 1-3 Fleet composition and landings have American Samoa. The yearly harvest, Opakapaka Pristipomoides spp. 2 1-3 changed over the nearly 40 years that originating primarily from the subsis­ Kusakar's snapper Paracaesio kusakarii 2 0-5 Flower snapper Pristipomoides the canneries have been in operation, tence fishery on the coral reefs around (gindai) zonatus 1 1-2 Other 3 1-5

Mean annual catch (lb): 26,300 Range (Ib): 15,400-45,300 20,000

2 Table 4.-Catch composition and weight of fish ~ I caught in recreational fishing tournaments. Note that 15,000 150 "­ I ~ record weights for sharks and skipjack tuna may be ~ artificially low because these were not target species. u ::l 8 § 10,000 100 Q. Tournament records' (Ib) U1 Composition 0 '" "w Species in 1991 ('Yo) Mean Maximum ~ <.') cr '"-' ;0 Yellowfin tuna 36 16 185 « 5,000 50 Blue marlin 23 132 542 (636)3 § e'" Skipjack tuna 192 9 36 w :0 Wahoo 8 19 54 Q. u Mahimahi 6 23 51 Sailfish 4 75 110 1975 '980 '985 1990 Shark 12 87 125

1 1974-1992 Figure 8.-Total reported catch of all species in fishing tourna­ 2 Minimum estimate due to incomplete reporting 3 A nontournament blue marlin weighing 636 pounds ments (bars) and CPUE (line) for the four principal target spe­ was caught in 1984, and a larger one was caught but cies: Blue marlin, yellowfin tuna, wahoo, and mahimahi. No data not recorded (H. Sesepasara, personal commun.). are available for 1975-76 and 1982.

114 Marine Fisheries Review Acknowledgments

TUNA DELIVERIES The Department of Marine and Wild­ 60 life Resources appreciates the assis­

50 tance provided by NMFS and g WPACFIN in developing programs to z 0 40 ;:: monitor commercial fisheries within iii 0 30 the Territory. The U.S. Fish and Wild­ Q. life Service provided funding through 0 u'" 20 the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restora­

10 tion Act to examine noncommercial catches. We also thank Dave Hano and 0 Dick Wass for their comments on this SKIPJACK YELLOW FIN ALBACORE BleEYE OTHER paper; Elliott Lutali for data process­ ing; and Ioelu Seve, Alama Tua, Figure 9.-Species composition of tuna delivered to can­ Aitofele Sunia, Pita IIi, and Fa'apouli neries in American Samoa by the distant-water fleet of Niumata for data collection. large commercial purse seiners and longliners. Literature Cited Aitaoto, F., B. Ponwith, and P. Craig. 1991. Fisheries catch statistics for American Sa­ the islands, amounted to 587,000 those species. However, considering moa, 1990. Dep. Mar. Wildl. Resour. Am. pounds worth nearly a million dollars the low level of fishing that occurs at Samoa, BioI. Rep. Ser. 21,40 p. in 1991. This dollar value does not present, the bottomfish fishery could Buckley, R., D. llano, and T. Buckley. 1989. Fish aggregation device (FAD) enhancement fully represent the economic or social withstand some increase in harvest. of offshore fisheries in American Samoa. significance of this resource because Probably the least developed domes­ Bull. Mar. Sci. 44(2):942-949. of the subsistence component of Sa­ tic fishery is that for pelagic fishes Caspers, H. 1984. Spawning periodicity and habitat of the palolo worm Eunice viridis moan culture and the generally low (tuna, marlin, swordfish, etc.) in the (Polychaeta: Eunicidae) in the Samoan Is­ wage scale received by islanders who offshore waters of the Territory. These lands. Mar. BioI. 79:229-236. are employed. fishes are presumably part of large oce­ Dalzell, P., and G. Preston. 1992. Deep reef slope fishery resources of the South Pacific: A general decline in the catch and anic stocks which are unlikely to be a summary and analysis of the dropline fish­ effort in the shoreline subsistence fish­ diminished by small-scale artisanal ing survey data generated by the activities of the SPC Fisheries Programme between ery has been noted, as might be ex­ fishing efforts. Rather, any expansion 1974 and 1988. S. Pac. Comm. New pected in a society undergoing a shift of this fishery will likely depend on Caledonia. Inshore Fish. Res. Proj. Tech. from a subsistence economy to a cash several other factors. First, there are Doc. 2,90 p. Doulman, D. 1987. Development and expansion economy. Nonetheless, the shoreline few local vessels at present that are of the tuna purse seine fishery. In D. Doulman subsistence fishery still accounts for large enough to undertake the multiple­ (Editor), Tuna issues and perspectives in the Pacific islands region, p. 133-160. East-West the major share of the total domestic day fishing trips necessary to fish prof­ Cent., Univ. Hawaii, Honolulu. catch and value. Consequently, there itably. None have freezer capabilities, __--,--- and R. Kearney. 1991. The domestic is a continuing need for the islands to and an adequate shoreside supply of tuna industry in the Pacific islands region. Pac. lsI. Develop. Program, East-West Cent., better protect their reef resources from ice is not yet available. Second, an Univ. Hawaii (Honolulu). Res. Rep. Ser. 7. adverse impacts, some of which are increased supply of fish would quickly 75 p. readily apparent (e.g., pollution, silt­ saturate local demands for fish, thus EDPO. 1991. American Samoa statistical di­ gest, 1991. Econ. Develop. Plan. Off., Am. ation, destructive fishing practices). necessitating off-island marketing and Samoa Gov., Pago Pago, 220 p. The scarcity of some highly sought shipping costs. Third, although pelagic Hill, H. 1978. The use of nearshore marine life reef species (e.g., giant clams), and the resources are vast, their local avail­ as a food resource by American Samoans. MA thesis, Univ. Hawaii, Misc. Work. Pap. small sizes of fishes presently caught ability may fluctuate because of sea­ 1978:1-164. in the shoreline fishery also indicate sonal variations or local depletions. llano, D. 1991. A review of the development of bottomfish fisheries in American Samoa. S. that overfishing is probably occurring Thus, a successful fishing enterprise Pac. Comm. New Caledonia. Pap. Fish. Sci. for some species. by local residents would need to re­ Pac. lsI., Vol. I. Inshore Fish. Res. Tech. Which of the domestic fisheries, if solve important issues regarding ves­ Pap., 22 p. _---;:-:-- and T. Buckley. 1988. Observations any, holds promise for further devel­ sel capabilities, marketing, and the of the mass spawning of corals and palolo opment? For the reasons outlined availability of high-valued pelagic (Eunice viridis) in American Samoa. Dep. above, the shoreline subsistence fish­ fishes in Territorial waters. However, Mar. Wildl. Resour. (Am. Samoa), BioI. Rep. Ser. 10, 12 p. ery is an unlikely candidate. Similarly, an expansion of the sport fishery for Otsu, T., and R. Sumida. 1968. Distribution, the bottomfish fishery has already pelagic fishes is not similarly encum­ apparent abundance, and size composition of albacore (Thunnus alalunga) taken in the peaked because of the limited amount bered, and indeed appears to be gain­ longline fishery in American Samoa, 1954­ of suitable bottom habitat required by ing popularity. 1965. Fish. Bull. 67:47-69.

55(2),1993 U5 Ponwith, B. 1992. The shoreline fishery of East-West Cent., Univ. Hawaii, Honolulu. Organization (Paris), p. 51-83. American Samoa: a 12-year comparison. Wass, R. 1980. The shoreline fishery of Ameri­ _-;:,--=-_. 1984. An annotated checklist of the Dep. Mar. Wild!. Resour. (American Samoa), can Samoa, past and present. In J. Munro fishes of Samoa. U.S. Dep. Commer., Bio!. Rep. Ser. 22, 51 p. (Editor), Marine and coastal processes in NOAA, Nat!. Mar. Fish. Serv., NOAA Tech. Schug, D., and A. Galea'i. 1987. American Sa­ the Pacific: ecological aspects of coastal zone Rep. NMFS SSRF-781, 43p. moa: the tuna industry and the economy. In D. management. Proc. UNESCO Seminar, Yoshida, H. 1975. The American Samoa longline Doulman (Editor), Tuna issues and perspec­ Motupore Is!. Res. Center, July 1980. United fishery, 1966-1971. Fish. Bul!. 73:747-765. tives in the Pacific islands region, p. 191-202. Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural

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