Category Archives: Western Pacific
American Samoa – Center for Biological Diversity criticized
In addition to voicing objections against the NOAA Fisheries for the proposal to list American Samoa corals under the Endangered Species Act, residents also complained about the organization that initiated the listing. Read more here
American Samoa – Local fising boat owners plead for help
Port charges, clearance requirements, and the drop in the price of albacore are being cited by local boat owners as the reason most of American Samoa longliner fleet are not out fishing. Most of the boats are tied up at the harbor; some haven’t gone out fishing in months. The situation has led to 9 boat owners writing to the governor for help for the survival of the American Samoa longliner fleet. Read more here
American Samoa – Strong opposition to coral listing
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More than 20 residents attended the meeting and the majority expressed concerns about the economic, social and cultural impact the listing would have on fishing activities in the territory. The opponents were even more disheartened after hearing that the ESA process does not take economic impacts into consideration in their review. The listing was prompted by the Center for Biological Diversity, a conservation group based in Arizona. Read more here, audio
US Commerce shortchanges’ American Samoa of monies that fishing companies pay for polluting territorial waters
At a meeting yesterday at the Tauese Ocean Center to inform district governors, county chiefs, and village mayors about the National Sanctuary of American Samoa, Alo expressed sadness that the territory is getting just a small portion of fines and citations levied against companies that harm our ocean. Read more here
American Samoa – Comments welcomed on coral species listing
A team from NOAA Fisheries held a public hearing in American Samoa back in August and the majority of those who attended expressed concerns about the social, cultural and economic impact the listing would have on fishing activities in the territory. NOAA is now requesting public comment on the proposed rule and will review the comments received for any additional information before a final decision is made. Read more here
Hawai‘i fishermen in uproar about cascade of environmental protections
HONOLULU — Hawai‘i fishermen say they are being pushed to the limit by a barrage of proposed federal and state laws that threaten their livelihood. “It stresses me out. It stresses a lot of fishermen out, because how many other people have to fight to maintain their way of life?” Monk seal and coral proposals. Read more here
Ocean Industrialization American Samoa – Future leaders briefed on sea mining prospects
Seabed mining may be a foreign idea to American Samoa but other islands of the South Pacific like Papua New Guinea and the Cook islands are already reaping benefits from allowing their seafloor to be exploited for high in demand minerals. Read more here Audio included
US Pacific fisheries treaty negotiations under time pressure
MAJURO — Time is running out for the United States tuna industry to complete an agreement that will keep its boats fishing in the lucrative waters of the Pacific islands. A joint U.S. government and industry team heads into a crucial series of negotiations with Pacific island representatives starting Monday in Auckland, New Zealand that will determine if American purse seiners can continue to fish beyond June, when the current 10-year funding package expires. Read more here
Tri Marine International pleased with Cape Breton repairs
The Cape Breton, a 247-ft fishing vessel, spent 40 days at the shipyard and it was the longest and heaviest vessel that the shipyard serviced since becoming a government authority. Nearly 50 employees and some outside contractors conducted repairs and maintenance to the state of the art super seiner. Carlos Sanchez, chairman of the Shipyard Services board, said the work on the Cape Breton is proof that the shipyard can provide the critical maintenance and repair services needed by the locally-based fishing fleet. Read more here
Coast Guard transports monk seal to Oahu for urgent care
HONOLULU — Coast Guard crews, working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration transported a Hawaiian monk seal from the Big Island to Oahu for urgent medical care, Friday. The HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point, Oahu, received the seal at Kona International Airport, Kailua-Kona, Friday morning. Read more
Governor Lolo Matalasi Moliga wants fishing in research zone of National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa.
Governor Lolo Matalasi Moliga has asked the US Department of Commerce to allow bottom fishing in one of the two areas of Aunu’u that is now part of the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa. His request was made in a letter to Acting Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank. Specifically, Lolo is requesting changes to the two areas of Aunu’u that’s now part of the sanctuary. Read more
Request to amend American Samoa National Marine Sanctuary rule
The US Secretary of Commerce has been requested to make changes to the federal rule which established the American Samoa National Marine Sanctuary. The Governor’s Office said local fishermen raised their concerns regarding the sanctuary rules because they say it limits their ability to earn a living. Read more Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Tri Marine American Samoa cannery set to open in 2014
Tri Marine has major activity underway in American Samoa with the large fleet of purse seiners operating here. The cannery is now expected to be up and running sometime in 2014. A crucial part of the cannery project is construction of a seawall and dock to the east of the plant. Sullivan said up to now the US Army Corps of Engineers has still not issued a permit for the seawall and dock. Read more
NZ fishing company Sanford fined $2.3m – dumped oily waste in waters off American Samoa.
An Auckland-based commercial fishing company has been fined $1.9 million ($NZD2.3 million) after being found guilty in a US court of dumping oily waste in waters off American Samoa. Read more
Pacific Tuna Stocks Have Plummeted, Scientists Warn – fished relentlessly for decades, in trouble.
A report issued this week by fisheries scientists on behalf of fishing nations, including the United States and Japan, shows that decades of uncontrolled overfishing have left stocks vulnerable, with conservationists warning that there is a real possibility of their collapse. The fisheries scientists, working for an organization known as the International Scientific Committee to Study the Tuna and Tuna-Like Species of the North Pacific Ocean, spell out the crisis in unusually stark language. Read more!
Dick Grachek- Pew laboring overtime on Tuna, in the Biblical sense. Read more
Limits set on bigeye tuna catches in Pacific – World Wildlife Fund says move by fishing panel doesn’t go far enough. Yeah yeah. We know.
The WWF’s Peter Trott criticized the system, saying plans to put monitors on boats would cover as little as 5 percent of the fishing fleets for all but two months of the year. It will make it almost impossible to prevent countries from underreporting their catches, he said. The commission is responsible for regulating commercial fishing in the region, which stretches from Hawaii to Asia and as far south as Australia. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28196049/ns/world_news-world_environment/
Agency agrees to new long-line fishing rules
HONOLULU (AP) – The National Marine Fisheries Service has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by environmentalists and says it will issue new rules aimed at preventing Hawaii fishermen when they’re fishing for tuna and swordfish. http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/567130/Agency-agrees-to-new-long-line-fishing-rules.html
Scientists mull over 2013 fish quotas for US Pacific Islands
A group of international scientists concluded its three-day meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii late last week after determining the level of fishing mortality that various fish stocks in the US Pacific Islands can sustainably withstand in 2013.
http://fis.com/fis/worldnews/worldnews.asp?l=e&ndb=1&id=56513
Coast Guard Responds to Fishers Fears of Compliance – WPMC searching for potential exemptions
In Hawaii, National Marine Fisheries Service relaxes bycatch limits on endangered sea turtles
The National Marine Fisheries Service has relaxed its limitson the number of endangered sea turtles that can be captured and possibly killed by Hawaiian swordfish fishermen using a long hooked fishing line. Fishermen are now allowed to catch 16 leatherback sea turtles and 17 North Pacific loggerhead sea turtles. In November the leatherback catch can go up to 26, more than a 60 percent increase, and the loggerhead catch to 34, about a 100 percent increase.
Tuna cannery owner wants to boost region’s processing capacity AMERICAN SAMOA
The owner of the Samoa Tuna Processors cannery wants the territory to become the regional hub for fish processing to grow its business Tri Marine International, which owns the cannery, wishes to advance its plans by helping Pacific island countries take greater ownership of the fish harvested from their territorial waters. Managing director Joe Hamby said that unlike American Samoa, many Pacific island countries do not have the land mass, population or infrastructure to have boats unload fish on their land and implement fish processing. Therefore, American Samoa is a logical choice for a processing hub.
Pulling one out the archives for Stephen Taufen. “Ted Steven’s may be dead, but his virus is affecting every American!”
“Hesitating in the face of evil is equivalent to siding with the enemy” – Marion Pritchard
Senator Ted Stevens. THE Stevens in Magnuson Stevens Act. The much revered Senator from Alaska. The Icon to every quota holding participant in Alaska, and now New England, soon in California. The hero of Catch Shares. Consolidation.
About Stephen Taufen A public watchdog and advocate for fishermen and their coastal communities. Taufen is an “insider” who blew the whistle on the international profit laundering between global affiliates of North Pacific seafood companies, who use illicit accounting to deny the USA the proper taxes on seafood trade. The same practices are used to lower ex-vessel prices to the fleets, and to bleed monies from our regional economy. Worked 20 years in the Alaska seafood industry for processors in cost accounting, fleet management, operations.
Groundswell Fisheries Movement
Welcome to Groundswell’s Public Advocacy website for Alaskan Fisheries
