Fishery Council Celebrates 200th Meeting Milestone

HONOLULU (19 September 2024) – The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is set to hold its 200th meeting next week, a significant milestone in its 48-year history. The meeting will take place September 23-25, 2024, at the Ala Moana Hotel Hibiscus Ballroom.

The meeting will feature insights from the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS):

• Rear Admiral Sean Regan, 14th Coast Guard District, Department of Homeland Security
• Sam Rauch, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, NMFS/NOAA, Department of Commerce

On Monday, RADM Regan and staff will present the Coast Guard’s Pacific Blue Mission and other issues central to maintaining security and sustainability in the U.S. Pacific region. On Tuesday, Eric Kingma, Executive Director of the Hawaii Longline Association, will present a check to NMFS, aimed at supporting fisheries development in the U.S. Pacific Territories— investing in capacity building in our region. Sam Rauch will share updates on national and international fisheries priorities, and the successes of the Magnuson-Stevens Act to sustainably manage fisheries. No fish stocks are overfished in the Western Pacific Region, except striped marlin due to international fishing pressure, and very few others on the U.S. continent and the Caribbean.

Council Chair Will Sword said, “I’m proud of the Council’s accomplishments throughout the years, achieving many of our conservation goals through sustainable management of the region’s large and small fisheries. We have met the challenges of mitigating protected species interactions, growing capacity in our communities and supporting the continuation of cultural values and management through the melding of Western and indigenous methods. We face many challenges, particularly the changing of the world’s climate, which will be devastating to our islands, and we will confront them with the support of our extensive array of advisors and our government.”

Action Items

The Council will make decisions affecting the future of regional fisheries, including specifying catch limits for bottomfish stocks in the main Hawaiian Islands and Guam, and striped marlin in the Western and Central North Pacific. These discussions will consider scientific data, stock status, economic and ecological impacts, as well as input from advisory bodies, when making decisions and recommendations.

Global Seafood Trade and Policy Discussions

Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of ongoing discussions about the seafood trade, labeling and foreign competition, including hearing updates from Council meetings with the Department of Commerce International Trade Administration, World Wildlife Fund and the U.S. International Trade Commission.

Council members and industry advisors met with several federal agencies and a non-governmental organization to discuss strategies to address unfair foreign practices affecting Pacific tuna fisheries. Participants addressed the importance of the United States enforcing seafood regulations, such as Marine Mammal Protection Act import provisions, as well as the need for clear product origin labeling to better inform consumers.

Join us in celebrating 48 years of progress either in-person or online via Webex (https://tinyurl.com/200CouncilMtg). The complete agenda and meeting documents are available at www.wpcouncil.org/event/200th-council-meeting. Opportunities to make public comments on agenda items are provided throughout the meeting.

Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council: Secretary of Commerce appointees from nominees selected by American Samoa, the CNMI, Guam and Hawai‘i governors: Will Sword, noncommercial fisherman/engineer (American Samoa) (chair); Roger Dang, Fresh Island Fish Co. (Hawai‘i) (vice chair); Judith Guthertz, University of Guam (Guam) (vice chair); Pete Itibus, noncommercial fisher (CNMI); Shaelene Kamaka‘ala, Hawaiian Islands Land Trust (Hawai‘i); Frank Perez, AC Sales and Service, (Guam); Matt Ramsey, Conservation International (Hawai‘i); and Gene Weaver, Tasi to Table (CNMI). Designated state officials: Dawn Chang, Hawai‘i Dept. of Land & Natural Resources; Sylvan Igisomar, CNMI Dept. of Lands & Natural Resources (vice chair); Chelsa Muña, Guam Dept. of Agriculture; and Archie Soliai, American Samoa Dept. of Marine & Wildlife Resources (vice chair). Designated federal officials (voting): Sarah Malloy, NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office. Designated federal officials (nonvoting): Colin Brinkman, U.S. State Dept.; Brian Peck, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; and RADM Sean Regan, U.S. Coast Guard 14th District.