Category Archives: Western Pacific
US-Pacific fishing treaty negotiations stall – Video
The treaty will soon expire, meaning if the US fails to negotiate with the Pacific Islands before the end of the year it will no longer be able to fish legally for tuna in the Pacific. Negotiations have currently stalled, because Kiribati believes it can get more money from Europe in a bilateral deal. Read more here 08:42
Judge: Dongwon knew seiner was unseaworthy before sinking
A judge with the District Court of Guam has determined Dongwon Industries knew about the unseaworthy condition of a vessel it allegedly owned and operated before sending its captains out to sea, and in turn, to their deaths. This determination is included as part of judge Joaquin V.E. Manibusan, Jr.’s decision to deny a Dongwon-linked company, Majestic Blue Fisheries, LLC, its petition to limited its liability for the June 2010 sinking of the fishing vessel Majestic Blue and the deaths of the vessel’s captain and chief engineer. Read more here 20:54
American Samoa: Loss of tuna treaty will hurt canneries
Pressure mounting for US tuna fleet to secure tuna rights after ‘no deal’
A shareholder in the largest U.S. tuna fleet this week decrying the ‘no deal’ conclusion of American treaty negotiations with Pacific Island nations that leaves the United States tuna fleet without fishing access to the Pacific Ocean in 2015. Read more here 10:06
WWF, “THE” Authority on Fish tells fishery managers, Halve catches or lose Pacific bluefin tuna
The long term sustainability of the Pacific Bluefin Tuna fishery can only be guaranteed by following the science and halving catch limits, WWF will tell the two Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) covering the Pacific.,,, tuna breeding stock have declined from their unfished levels by more than 96 percent. Read more here 17:03
Rise in human trafficking impacts Hawaii – Oahu farms, Commercial fishing industry, Child Prostitution
The State Department report said forced labor on inland, coastal and deep sea fishing vessels is growing. Bryant Carvahlo, a former federal investigator with the U.S. Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, said the Hawaii commercial fishing industry is rife with the exploitation of illegal aliens. Read more here 08:06
Chiefs welcome delay in WPRFMC vote
Traditional leaders who petitioned against changing the rules to allow longliners to fish in near shore waters now relegated for small alia vessels, have welcomed the decision by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council to delay a vote until more discussions in the territory. Read more here 19:34
Obama’s Marine Monument Expansion “Betrays US Fishermen,” Says Western Pacific Fishery Council
I hate fishing so much, I’m gonna shut it down, and Valerie’s gonna help me do it!
The voting members of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC) from the State of Hawaii, Territories of American Samoa, and Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, have analyzed the Obama Administration’s newly announced plan to expand the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. Read more here Read the WPRFMC’s response to President Obama here WPRFMC Press Conference (6-25-14) video 16:30
WPFMC Press Release: Fishery Scientists Address Overfished Striped Marlin Stock,
HONOLULU (20 June 2014) A group of prominent scientists, resource economists, sociologists, population modelers and other knowledgeable experts from throughout the Pacific concluded its three-day meeting Thursday in Honolulu with recommendations for the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council on federally managed Read more here 10:51
Fishery Scientists and Managers to Address Fishery Collapse in American Samoa, Overfishing in the Western Pacific Region
HONOLULU (17 June 2014) The American Samoa longline fishery is suffering from a potential economic collapse. In 2013, many vessels in the fishery operated at a loss as catches of South Pacific albacore were insufficient to cover operating costs. This and other issues,,, Read more here 21:00
Pacific fishing nations warn more price rises ahead
Pacific nations have warned foreign fishing countries, including the United States, to expect more price hikes to the cost of fishing in their territorial waters. The nations that makeup the have told disgruntled nations that they will raise the daily fishing rate from $US6,000 to $US8,000 per boat from next January. It will raise their total income to around $370 million. Read more here 09:17
Three comments received on rule change to open some of the now closed waters to longliners to fish
The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council has received only a few comment letters since its public hearing last month in American Samoa on a proposal to open some of the now closed waters to longliners to fish. Read more here 13:37
Hawaii commercial longline fishermen consider strike
Faced with soaring business expenses and soft wholesale fish prices, some struggling commercial fisherman are considering going on strike. About thirty captains and owners of l
fishing vessels met Wednesday to discuss a potential stoppage. “They’re really thinking about going on strike to send a message,” said “Jenny,” who works for one of Hawaii’s 2,600 fishing vessels. Read more here 11:36
Tuna prices to rise: PNA nations to lift day rate from US$6,000 to US$10,000 in 2015
The fee system had allowed Pacific nations to increase earnings from their tuna fisheries from US$60 million in 2010 to more than US$240 million last year. The PNA allocates 50,000 fishing days a year to tuna boats, with demand high from both international and local operators. Read more here 08:28
Navigating the WPFMC process – 6th Edition
What to learn more about ecosystem-based management of fisheries in the US Pacific Islands? Check out the 6th Edition Read more here 20:23
Distant Water Tuna Fleet – Higher risk of fatal injuries than in most other U.S. fishing fleets.
A NIOSH assessment of workplace hazards in the Distant Water Tuna Fleet found that workers in the fleet face a higher risk of fatal injuries than workers in most other U.S. fishing fleets. While falling overboard is the leading cause of death, NIOSH researchers also concluded that workers are at risk of head injuries, asphyxiation and amputations of fingers. In its report, NIOSH provides a number of recommendations, including: Read more here 13:01
Half of Hawaii’s Bottomfishing Restricted Areas Opening Up
A long-simmering dispute over the state’s Bottomfishing Restricted Areas (BRFA’s) between Hawaii’s fishing community and the state’s and fisheries scientists has resulted in a move by the state to open six BRFAs and keep six BRFAs closed. Read more here 17:45
Spring 2014 edition of Pacific Islands Fishery News
Our Spring 2014 edition of Pacific Islands Fishery News is now available online! To download the complete edition, please click here and allow a few extra seconds for the file to upload. Council Explores Measures to Provide Relief to American Samoa Fishermen, South Pacific Albacore Crash is Region-wide, Amendment 7 Approved, US Territories to Benefit, and more 16:35
Trouble in Paradise? WPFMC Destroys Tape of Secret Meeting – Council Staff Limits Public’s Access to Documents
On Feb. 24, just a few days after learning of the existence of the recording, we filed a formal Freedom of Information Act request to obtain a copy of it. The response came on April 4. “The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council staff has advised that an audio recording of the subcommittee meeting was erased on February 22, 2014,” stated the letter signed by Samuel D. Rauch III, administrator of the National Marine Fisheries Service. “We are in the process of reviewing the circumstances of this action.” Read more here 16:05
American Samoa: Strong views about fishing rights
Utulei and Fagatogo resident Christina Lutu-Sanchez urged alia vessel owners and fishermen not to label owners and fishermen of longline vessels as “they” or people from “outside” because they are not. Tuala-uta resident Esther Fiatoa points out that the waters around American Samoa are not owned by the federal government but by the Samoan people.Read more, and two audios here 16:48
Longliners vs alia fishermen – Read more here
Kampachi Farms want to release grouper, but face resistance
Eventually Kampachi acquired broodstock from Taiwan, intending to raise them and hoping to release their offspring. Sarver figured there would be no problem from a regulatory standpoint considering the fish is native to the region. Then he found out that state Department of Agriculture rules prohibit release of the grouper or any imported fish, into Hawaii waters. Read more here 21:55
American Samoan Fishermen get help from DMWR
Fishermen of alia vessels and small motorized boats are now getting help from the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources to pay for their fuel when they go fishing. Earlier this year, the Governor’s Office allotted $150,000 to DMWR to begin providing assistance to fishermen and small boat owners. Read more here 22:20
“Ask Any Mermaid You Happen to See…” Whats her name? Catalina the Mermaid from Chicken of the Sea!
Chicken of the Sea Picks Name for Its Mermaid after 60 Years of Anonymity . Today, though, she finally swims home with her own name. After seafood fans submitted more than 49,000 entries in a nationwide contest to christen the brand’s beloved icon — and earn a chance to win a $10,000 grand prize — one perfect name floated to the top: Catalina. Read more here reuters.com 06:55
Center for Biological Diversity Legal Petition Seeks Ban on Pacific Bluefin Tuna Fishing
SAN FRANCISCO— The Center for Biological Diversity today filed a legal petition urging the National Marine Fisheries Service to prohibit fishing for Pacific bluefin tuna, which has suffered a 96 percent decline since large-scale fishing began. Read more here 08:20
USCG investigation of the sinking of the U.S. Distant Water Tuna Fleet F/V Majestic Blue
The investigation revealed twenty-two crewmembers safely abandoned ship and were rescued by a sister ship but the master and chief engineer remain missing and presumed deceased. The investigation was unable to determine the exact cause of flooding that originated in the steering compartment where steel work was previously performed during an overseas shipyard visit. However, the investigation determined that the immediate secondary cause of the sinking was due to a shipboard practice of leaving watertight doors open. Read the Report here 12:45
South Pacific Tuna Corp. continues course for improved safety
South Pacific Tuna Corporation pointed to the tuna industry’s 2013 record of zero fatalities in response to a recent report, implication of safety concerns and 2012 violations from foreign officers license certification, as cited in a March 18th press release issued by Coast Guard Sector Guam. South Pacific Tuna Corporation is a United States-based tuna vessel management company headquartered in San Diego, California. Read more here 14:18
CNMI Got ‘Jacked,’ Western Pacific Fishery Management Council Is Told – “We were blind-sided and treated unfairly,”
Inos said it is possible for NOAA and US Fish and Wildlife Service to continually disapprove any management agreement so they can retain control over the submerged lands within the monument. He asked the Council to support Commonwealth efforts to have the submerged lands “presently being held hostage by the US Departments of Commerce and the Interior returned to their rightful owners.” But President Barack Obama’s,,, Read more here 16:16
