Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council DRAFT AMENDMENTS TO THE FISHERY MANAGEMENT PLANS OF THE WESTERN PACIFIC REGION REGARDING FISHING ACTIVITIES IN THE PROPOSED NORTHWESTERN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SANCTUARY Amendment 12 to the Bottomfish and Seamount Groundfish FMP Amendment 1 to the Coral Reef Ecosystems FMP Amendment 14 to the Crustaceans FMP Amendment 15 to the Pelagics FMP Amendment 7 to the Precious Corals FMP Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council 1164 Bishop St. Suite 1400 Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 April 3, 2006 This page intentionally left blank ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On January 18, 2006 the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (also known as the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, or Council) received a letter from the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere stating that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) plans to publish a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and draft fishing regulations for the proposed Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) sanctuary in June 2006. The Under Secretary informed the Council that NOAA is considering three alternatives in its DEIS. The first would allow limited fishing activities within the proposed sanctuary to continue indefinitely, the second would end such fishing by 2025, and the third would end it after five years following sanctuary designation. The first two alternatives include catch levels and permit limits for the proposed sanctuary. For the five year alternative, the number of permits would be limited to those permits active at the (yet to be determined) time of designation. The Under Secretary went on to say that while a factual basis supporting the legality of establishing catch and permit limits has not been fully developed, NOAA believes that there is a credible basis for moving forward with proposing such limits through amendments to the Council’s existing Fishery Management Plans (rather than as regulations under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act). However to meet NOAA’s DEIS timeline, the Council was informed that it would have transmit its amendment package(s) to NOAA no later than May 1, 2006. If one of the alternatives described above is selected by NOAA as a preferred alternative, the agency would review the Council’s proposed MSA regulations as a potential implementation mechanism. In response to the above proposal, this document presents a range of alternatives considered by the Council regarding fishing regulations within the proposed NWHI sanctuary. In brief, these are two versions of the “no action” alternative, an alternative that includes measures for each of the three alternate timeframes under consideration by NOAA, and a preliminarily preferred alternative developed and recommended by the Council at their 131st meeting held March 13-16 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Also described are the NWHI environment and a summary of the anticipated impacts of the alternatives on the environment including fishery participants and support industries, Hawaii’s broader communities, and the nation as a whole. iii This page intentionally left blank iv TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...........................................................................................................iii TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................................................ v 1.0 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION................................................................................. 1 1.1 Purpose and Need ........................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Responsible Agencies................................................................................................. 3 1.3 Management Objectives for the Proposed NWHI National Marine Sanctuary.............. 4 1.4 National Marine Sanctuary Act Purposes and Policies................................................... 4 1.5 National Marine Sanctuary Program Goals and Objectives ........................................... 5 1.6 Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council Goal and Objectives for Fisheries Within the Proposed NWHI Sanctuary ....................................................................... 9 1.7 Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act National Standards.. 10 1.8 Bottomfish and Seamount Groundfish Fishery Management Plan Objectives ............ 11 1.9 Crustaceans Fishery Management Plan Objectives ...................................................... 12 1.10 Precious Corals Fishery Management Plan Objectives ................................................ 12 1.11 Coral Reef Ecosystems Fishery Management Plan Objectives .................................... 12 1.12 Pelagics Fishery Management Plan Objectives ............................................................ 13 2.0 CHAPTER TWO: DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT..................................... 15 2.1 Physical Environment ................................................................................................... 15 2.2 Biological Environment................................................................................................ 17 2.2.1 Bottomfish and Seamount Groundfish Stocks...................................................... 17 2.2.2 Crustacean Stocks................................................................................................. 21 2.2.3 Precious Coral Stocks ........................................................................................... 26 2.2.4 Coral Reef Ecosystem Stocks ............................................................................... 34 2.2.5 Pelagic Stocks ....................................................................................................... 48 2.2.6 Essential Fish Habitat ........................................................................................... 52 2.2.7 Protected Species.................................................................................................. 53 2.2.7.1 Marine Mammals............................................................................................. 53 2.2.7.2 Sea Turtles ....................................................................................................... 81 2.2.7.3 Seabirds............................................................................................................ 83 2.2.7.4 Fishery Impacts on Protected Species.............................................................. 90 2.3 Description of Hawaii’s Fisheries................................................................................. 96 2.3.1 Bottomfish and Seamount Groundfish Fishery..................................................... 96 2.3.2 Crustacean Fishery.............................................................................................. 115 2.3.3 Precious Corals Fishery ...................................................................................... 124 2.3.4 Coral Reef Ecosystems Fishery .......................................................................... 126 2.3.5 Pelagic Fishery.................................................................................................... 131 2.4 Regional Economy and Society.................................................................................. 133 2.4.1 Overview of the Economy .................................................................................. 134 2.4.2 Fishing Related Economic Activities.................................................................. 136 2.4.3 Hawaii’s Population Size and Ethnicity ............................................................. 139 2.4.4 Sociocultural Setting........................................................................................... 140 2.4.5 Social Aspects of Fish Harvest ........................................................................... 140 2.4.6 Social Aspects of Fish Distribution and Consumption....................................... 147 2.4.7 Social Significance of Fishing to the Broader Community ................................ 149 v 2.4.8 Native Hawaiian Community ............................................................................. 150 3.0 CHAPTER THREE: ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED.............................................. 157 3.1 Alternative 1A: FMP Status Quo (No Action A)........................................................ 158 3.1.1 Bottomfish and Seamount Groundfish FMP....................................................... 158 3.1.2 Crustaceans FMP................................................................................................ 159 3.1.3 Precious Corals FMP .......................................................................................... 160 3.1.4 Coral Reef Ecosystems FMP .............................................................................. 161 3.1.5 Pelagics FMP...................................................................................................... 162 3.2 Alternative 1B: Reserve Status Quo (No Action B) ................................................... 165 3.2.1 Executive Order 13178 ....................................................................................... 166 3.2.2 Executive Order 13196 ....................................................................................... 168 3.3 Alternative 2: Limited NWHI Sanctuary Fishing....................................................... 170 3.3.1 Scenario 1: Allow Limited NWHI Sanctuary Fishing Indefinitely