STATUS OF THE U.S. WEST COAST FISHERIES FOR HIGHLY MIGRATORY SPECIES THROUGH 2020 STOCK ASSESSMENT AND FISHERY EVALUATION APRIL 2021 PACIFIC FISHERY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL 7700 NE AMBASSADOR PLACE, SUITE 101 PORTLAND, OREGON 97220 WWW.PCOUNCIL.ORG Cover illustration by Roy Allen, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, La Jolla, California 4/13/2021 8:43 AM Prepared by the Pacific Fishery Management Council in conjunction with the National Marine Fisheries Service, Southwest Region under National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration award number NA20NMF4410011. 2020 HMS SAFE ii April 2021 Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1. SAFE Document Production Schedule ......................................................................................... 1 1.2. Amendments to the Fishery Management Plan ............................................................................ 1 1.3. Management Unit Species and Ecosystem Component Species ................................................... 1 1.4. The Management Cycle ................................................................................................................ 2 1.5. Highly Migratory Species Management Team ............................................................................. 3 2. COUNCIL HMS ACTIVITIES IN 2020 .................................................................................................. 5 2.1. November ...................................................................................................................................... 5 2.1.1. NMFS Report ........................................................................................................................ 5 2.1.2. Recommend International Management Activities ............................................................... 5 2.1.3. Biennial Harvest Specifications and Management Measures ............................................... 5 2.1.4. Drift Gillnet Fishery Hard Caps Update ............................................................................... 5 2.2. September ..................................................................................................................................... 6 2.2.1. Exempted Fishing Permits .................................................................................................... 6 2.2.2. Biennial Harvest Specifications and Management Measures–Preliminary .......................... 6 2.2.3. Essential Fish Habitat Review .............................................................................................. 6 2.3. June ............................................................................................................................................... 6 2.3.1. International Management Activities .................................................................................... 6 2.4. March ............................................................................................................................................ 7 2.4.1. Review of Essential Fish Habitat – Scoping ......................................................................... 7 2.4.2. International Management Activities .................................................................................... 7 2.4.3. Drift Gillnet Fishery Hard Caps Update ............................................................................... 7 3. HMS REGULATORY FRAMEWORK .................................................................................................... 9 3.1. Changes to HMS FMP Regulations in 2020 ................................................................................. 9 3.2. International Management ............................................................................................................ 9 3.2.1. RFMOs .................................................................................................................................. 9 3.2.2. 2020 IATTC and WCPFC Outcomes ................................................................................. 10 Resolutions adopted at the 95th Regular Meeting and 96th Extraordinary Meeting of the IATTC (November 30-December 4 & December 22, 2020) ...................................................................... 10 Conservation measures adopted at the seventeenth regular session of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (December 7-15, 2020).................................................................. 10 3.2.3. Regulations for International HMS Fisheries and Related Activities in the Pacific Published in 2020 10 4. COMMERCIAL FISHERIES ................................................................................................................. 11 4.1. Fishery Descriptions ................................................................................................................... 11 4.1.1. Surface hook-and-line fishery for albacore ......................................................................... 11 4.1.2. Drift gillnet fishery for swordfish and shark ....................................................................... 12 4.1.3. Harpoon fishery for swordfish ............................................................................................ 13 4.1.4. High seas longline fishery for swordfish and tuna .............................................................. 14 4.1.5. Coastal purse seine fishery for yellowfin, skipjack, and bluefin tunas ............................... 14 4.2. Commercial Fishery Performance 2010 – 2019 .......................................................................... 16 4.2.1. HMS landings and revenue compared to other species groups ........................................... 16 4.2.2. Landings and ex-vessel revenue by HMS FMP species ..................................................... 17 North Pacific albacore tuna ............................................................................................................ 17 Swordfish 18 Tunas (other than albacore) ............................................................................................................ 19 Sharks 21 2020 HMS SAFE iii April 2021 4.2.3. Landings and participation by fishery ................................................................................. 23 Participation (number of vessels) ................................................................................................... 23 Surface hook-and-line fishery for albacore .................................................................................... 24 Large mesh drift gillnet fishery ...................................................................................................... 25 Pelagic longline fishery .................................................................................................................. 26 HMS purse seine fishery ................................................................................................................ 27 Harpoon fishery .............................................................................................................................. 28 5. RECREATIONAL FISHERIES .............................................................................................................. 29 5.1. Fishery Descriptions ................................................................................................................... 29 5.1.1. Albacore .............................................................................................................................. 29 5.1.2. Other HMS (Southern California) ....................................................................................... 29 5.2. Recreational Fishery Performance .............................................................................................. 29 6. U.S.-CANADA ALBACORE TREATY DATA EXCHANGE ................................................................... 31 7. PACIFIC-WIDE HMS CATCH, 2008-2018 ........................................................................................ 33 7.1. Eastern Pacific Ocean Landings (IATTC Data): 2009 – 2018.................................................... 33 7.1.1. Landings by Country ........................................................................................................... 33 7.1.2. Landings by Species............................................................................................................ 34 7.1.3. Landings by Gear ................................................................................................................ 35 7.2. Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPFC Data): 2009 – 2018 ............................................. 36 7.2.1. Landings by Country ........................................................................................................... 36 7.2.2. Landings by Species............................................................................................................ 37 7.2.3. Landings by Gear ................................................................................................................ 38 7.3. North Pacific (ISC Data): 2009 – 2018 ....................................................................................... 38 7.3.1. Landings by Country ..........................................................................................................