Fishery council backs fishery ecosystem plans

HONOLULU—The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council on Friday concluded a four-day meeting in Guam to address management of fisheries in federal waters surrounding Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and several U.S. small remote island areas.

Federal waters refer to seas generally 3-200 miles offshore of these areas.

Among the key decisions made on the final day was tentative approval of four archipelagic Fishery Ecosystem Plans for American Samoa, the Marianas (Guam and Northern Mariana Islands), Hawaii and the U.S. Remote Island Areas (islands and atolls of Baker, Howland, Jarvis, Johnston, Kingman Reef, Midway, Palmyra and Wake).

These four place-based FEPs will supplant existing species-based Fishery Management Plans (FMPs) for bottomfish, crustaceans, precious corals and coral reef ecosystem resources. A Pacific Pelagic FEP will also supplant the existing Pelagic FMP for tuna, billfish and other open-water species.

The change from species-based FMPs to place-based FEPs will allow the Council to make fishery management decisions based on information about the total ecosystem surrounding an area and not just the fisheries information. The initial step will require consolidating the existing fishery management regulations for bottomfish, crustaceans, precious corals and coral reef ecosystems for each archipelagic area. For example, the regulations for these fisheries in federal waters surrounding Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands will be consolidated under an FEP for the Mariana Archipelago.

On Friday, the Council also voted to:

– Direct its staff to continue to work closely with the communities and governments of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands to locate funding and scientific expertise to support community-based initiatives that have been pursued over the past year as the Council’s Mariana FEP Pilot Project. These initiatives enhance the ecosystem-based approach of the Mariana FEP and include:

– Better use of fishermen’s knowledge to understand local ecological rhythms;

– Education of youth and adults to foster more responsible fishing,

– Revitalization of cultural fishing practices that promote respect and responsibility, and

– Partnerships in restoring fish habitats and mitigating impacts from upland.

– Request that NOAA withdraw its Oct. 24, 2005, findings document that rejected the Council’s draft fishing regulations for the proposed Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) National Marine Sanctuary. The Council recommended that NOAA instead establish a process whereby the two agencies may work together to develop a scientifically and legally supportable fishery management program for the proposed NWHI sanctuary.

– Work with other agencies to develop enforceable ways to reduce fishing effort and mortality of main Hawaiian Island bottomfish with minimal impact to fishermen. For example, analysis should be completed on recent underwater surveys that show that some of the State of Hawaii Reserve Fishing Areas (no-take zones) for bottomfish, established eight years ago to deal with overfishing of these species in the main Hawaiian Islands, do not include bottomfish habitat.

For more information, go to www.wpcouncil.org. (PR)