Wake I Northern Mariana Islands Hawaiian Islands Johnston Atoll

160°E 180° 160°W 140°W

Hawaiian Wake I Islands 20°N Northern Mariana Islands Johnston Atoll Guam Palmyra I

Howland & 0° Baker Is Jarvis I

American Samoa

20°S Major Commercial Fisheries Management Plans

• Pelagic Fisheries • Bottomfish and Seamount Groundfish Fisheries • Crustacean Fisheries • Precious Coral Harvesting • Coral Reef Ecosystems TOP US FISHING PORTS

Pago Pago, American Samoa 192.70 232.00 187.30 Dutch Harbor-Unalaska, Alaska 122.60 110.00 140.80 New Bedford, Massachusetts 103.20 93.50 129.90 Agana, Guam NA NA 99.00 Kodiak, Alaska 88.60 78.70 100.80 Brownsville-Port Isabel, Texas 46.10 64.20 65.20 Honolulu, Hawaii 53.70 49.00 52.10 Key West, Florida 54.90 44.80 51.90 Point Judith, Rhode Island 47.60 41.80 51.20 Reedville, Virginia 29.50 42.60 32.40 HIGH PER CAPITA FISH CONSUMPTION POLYNESIA AND MICRONESIA: 110 LB/PERSON/YEAR

HAWAII 42 LB/PERSON/YEAR

US NATIONAL AVERAGE 15 LB/PERSON/YEAR

HIGH LEVEL OF PARTICIPATION IN ALL ISLANDS POLYNESIA AND MICRONESIA

EVERY PERSON IS A POTENTIAL FISHER

EVERY VILLAGE IS A LANDING SITE Coral Reef Fishery ($2.8 million)

• Key species:

Am. Samoa: Surgeonfish, Parrotfish, Groupers, Octopus

Guam: Surgeonfish, Goatfish, Rabbitfish, Jacks, Mullets, Emperors, Parrotfish

Hawaii: Soldierfish, Surgeonfish, Parrotfish, Goatfish, plus aquarium fish

NMI: Surgeonfish, Snappers, Emperors, Rabbitfish, Soldierfish, Groupers, Parrotfish, Jacks

•Methods: Dive-spearing, trap, net, handline

•Status of Resource: Unknown Major Issues in Coral Reef Fisheries

• Understanding impacts of fishing on wide range of reef fish species • Improving reef fishery stock assessments • Data needs especially harvest levels of non- commercial fishing sectors in WPR • MPAs as a management tool for reef fisheries • Non-fishery related impacts to coral reef fish and fish habitat FMP Objectives Sustainable use of multi-species resources

Provide a flexible and responsive management system for coral reef resources

Establish a research and monitoring program to collect fishery data

Minimize adverse human impacts on coral reef resources by , managing fishing pressure, and establishing new—and improving existing—marine protected areas

To improve public and government awareness and understanding of coral reef ecosystems

To collaborate with other agencies and organizations concerned with the conservation of coral reefs

To encourage and promote improved surveillance and enforcement

Provide for sustainable participation by fishing communities in coral reef fisheries General Management Measures

• Established a network of MPAs • Established permit and reporting requirements for fishing in MPAs and harvesting certain CRE-MUS • Permits only selective and non-destructive fishing gears and methods • Prohibits harvest of corals and live rock (limited harvest may be allowed under special permit for scientific) The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act M-S Act Overview

• Enacted in 1976 as Fishery Conservation and Management Act, later re-named Magnuson, then Magnuson-Stevens. • Primary law for conserving and managing fisheries resources in Federal waters (edge of State waters to 200-mile limit). Regional Fishery Councils

• Act created 8 regional fishery management councils.

• Councils funded through Congressional appropriations.

• Council system provides primary stakeholders substantial role in managing fisheries and resources in their respective areas. RegionalRegional CouncilsCouncils andand FMPsFMPs

North Pacific Fishery Mgt. Council 5 FMPs

Dept. Commerce 2 Secretarial FMPs Pacific Fishery Mgt. Council 3 FMPs New England Nationwide: Fishery Mgt. Council 40 FMPs, 535 5 FMPs Species Mid-Atlantic Fishery Mgt. Council 5 FMPs

South Atlantic Fishery Mgt. Council Western Pacific 7 FMPs Fishery Mgt. Council 4 FMPs Gulf Of Mexico Caribbean Fishery Mgt. Council Fishery Mgt. Council 7 FMPs 4 FMPs Council’s Role

• Develop policies to manage fishery resources in US EEZs in Western Pacific Region • Prepare fishery management plans and plan amendments for fisheries and resources needing management • Provide a forum for discussion and decision making • Provide recommendations to the Department of Commerce National Standards

FMP’s must be consistent with 10 National Standards. NS1-3 are relevant in the context of this workshop

(1)Conservation and management measures shall prevent overfishing while achieving, on a continuing basis, the optimum yield from each fishery for the United States fishing industry. [The term "optimum", with respect to the yield from a fishery means the amount of fish which-- is prescribed as such on the basis of the maximum sustainable yield from the fishery, as reduced by any relevant economic, social, or ecological factor]

(2) Conservation and management measures shall be based upon the best scientific information available.

(3) To the extent practicable, an individual stock of fish shall be managed as a unit throughout its range

PMUS Approved Reference Points Skipjack (WCPO) Source: Langley et al. 2003 Terms of Reference

1. Present information on coral reef fisheries stock assessment and management methods.

2. Review information currently available on coral reef fish stocks in the Western Pacific, including catch/effort data collections, fishery and fishery independent surveys and biological studies.

3. Determine best methods for monitoring multi-species stocks to meet the Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) and overfishing control rules as required by the US Magnuson- Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act for federally managed fisheries.

4. Provide advice on what can be accomplished in the short term towards addressing requirements for biomass and fishing mortality-based control rules using existing data. (MSFCMA NS1)

5. Provide advice what additional new data collection and research need to be implemented in the long term for reef fish stock assessment and MSFCMA NS1 requirements