Fishery Ecosystem Plan for Pelagic Fisheries of the Western Pacific

About

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council developed five fishery ecosystem plans for fisheries in the Pacific Islands region, and has amended them, as necessary. These plans incorporated and replaced five fishery management plans. The original plans are available from the council. In addition to the plans and amendments, the implementing regulations here are subject to change.

Fishery Ecosystem Plan for Pelagic Fisheries of the Western Pacific (PDF)
Amendment 1 - Western Pacific Community Development Program Process (PDF)
Amendment 2 - Longline and Purse Seine Prohibited Areas in the Mariana Archipelago (partially approved) (PDF)
Amendment 3 - Purse Seine Prohibited Areas around American Samoa (Disapproved, for further details contact the Sustainable Fisheries Division at NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Regional Office)
Amendment 4 - Process for Specifying Annual Catch Limits and Accountability Measures (PDF)
Amendment 5 - Reducing Interactions between the American Samoa Longline Fishery and Green Sea Turtles (PDF)
Amendment 6 - Fishing Requirements in the Marianas Trench, Pacific Remote Islands, and Rose Atoll Marine National Monuments (PDF)
Amendment 7 - Use and Assignment of Catch and Effort Limits of Pelagic Management Unit Species by the U.S. Pacific Island Territories (PDF)
Amendment 8 - In process
Amendment 9 - In process
Amendment 10 - Sea Turtle Limits in the Hawaii Shallow-Set Fishery (PDF)

More Information

Fishery Ecosystem Plan for Pelagic Fisheries of the Western Pacific

Actions

Current Recently Finalized Historical Actions

Modifications to the American Samoa Longline Fishery Limited Entry Program

NOAA Fisheries proposes to modify the American Samoa longline fishery limited entry program to consolidate vessel class sizes, modify permit eligibility requirements, and reduce the minimum harvest requirements for small vessels. The intent of this…

Proposed Rule (86 FR 37982, 07/19/2021)

Proposed Rule

Pacific Islands

Comments Close

09/02/2021

Amendment 9 to the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for Pelagic Fisheries of the Western Pacific

NOAA Fisheries announces that the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council proposes to amend the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for Pelagic Fisheries of the Western Pacific. If approved, Amendment 9 would reduce regulatory barriers that may be limiting small…

Proposed Rule (86 FR 34711, 06/30/2021)

Proposed Rule

Pacific Islands

Comments Close

08/30/2021

Proposed rule for Electronic Logbooks in the Hawaii and American Samoa Pelagic Longline Fisheries

NOAA Fisheries proposes to require the use of electronic logbooks in Hawaii pelagic longline fisheries and on Class C and D vessels in the American Samoa pelagic longline fishery. This proposed rule is intended to reduce human error, improve data…

Proposed Rule (86 FR 30582, 06/09/2021)

Proposed Rule

Pacific Islands

Published

06/09/2021

Exemption for U.S. Longline Vessels to Fish in Portions of the American Samoa Large Vessel Prohibited Area

NOAA Fisheries implements a regulatory exemption that allows certain U.S. longline vessels 50 feet (15.2 m) and larger (“large longline vessels”) to fish in portions of the American Samoa Large Vessel Prohibited Area. The intent is to comply with a U.S…

Final Rule (86 FR 36239, 7/9/2021)

Final Rule

Pacific Islands

Effective

07/06/2021

Notice of Issuance for Experimental Fishing Permit

NOAA Fisheries is issuing an experimental fishing permit (EFP) to the Hawaii Longline Association (HLA) to test the conservation and management usefulness of tori lines (bird scaring streamers) in the Hawaii deep-set longline fishery. The EFP is…

Notice

Pacific Islands

Published

02/05/2021

2021 U.S. Territorial Longline Bigeye Tuna Catch Limits

NOAA Fisheries specifies a 2021 limit of 2,000 metric tons (t) of longline caught bigeye tuna for each U.S. Pacific territory (American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), the territories). NOAA Fisheries will allow…

Final Rule

Pacific Islands

Published

01/12/2021

Correction: 2020 U.S. Territorial Longline Bigeye Tuna Catch Limits for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

NOAA Fisheries published a document in the Federal Register of November 23, 2020, announcing a valid specified fishing agreement that allocates up to 1,000 metric tons (t) of the 2020 bigeye tuna limit for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana…

Final Rule; Correction (85 FR 77406, 12/02/2020)

Final Rule

Pacific Islands

Published

12/02/2020

Marine Conservation Plan for Pacific Insular Areas

NOAA Fisheries announces approval of a Marine Conservation Plan (MCP) for Pacific Insular Areas other than American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. This agency decision is effective from August 4, 2020, through August 3, 2023. Read the…

Notice of Agency Decision (85 FR 65389)

Marine Conservation Plan for the PRIA

Notice

Pacific Islands

Published

10/15/2020

2020 U.S. Territorial Longline Bigeye Tuna Catch Limits for American Samoa

NOAA Fisheries announces a valid specified fishing agreement that allocates up to 1,000 metric tons (t) of the 2020 bigeye tuna limit for American Samoa to U.S. longline fishing vessels. The agreement supports the long-term sustainability of fishery…

Final Rule (85 FR 63216)

Final Rule

Pacific Islands

Published

10/07/2020

Final Rule for Sea Turtle Limits in the Hawaii Shallow-Set Longline Fishery

This final rule revises measures that govern interactions between the Hawaii shallow-set pelagic longline fishery and sea turtles. This rule lowers the annual fleet interaction limit (“hard cap”) for leatherback sea turtles from 26 to 16, and removes…

Final Rule

Pacific Islands

Effective

09/17/2020

Marine Conservation Plan for Guam; Western Pacific Sustainable Fisheries Fund

NOAA Fisheries announces approval of a Marine Conservation Plan for Guam. This agency decision is effective from August 4, 2020, through August 3, 2023. Read the Federal Register notice and supporting documentation

Notice of agency decision (85 FR 55642)

Marine Conservation Plan Guam

Notice

Pacific Islands

Published

09/09/2020

Marine Conservation Plan for American Samoa

NOAA Fisheries announces approval of a marine conservation plan (MCP) for American Samoa, valid from July 25, 2018, through July 24, 2021.

Notice Of Agency Decision (83 FR 42490)

American Samoa Marine Conservation Plan

Notice

Pacific Islands

Published

08/22/2018

Swordfish Trip Limits in the American Samoa Pelagic Longline Fishery

This final rule removes the swordfish retention limit in the American Samoa deep-set longline fishery. The intent of this rule is to eliminate wasteful regulatory discards of marketable seafood, increasing efficiency and benefits to the local community…

Final Rule

Pacific Islands

Effective

12/10/2020

Amendment 10 to the Pelagic FEP - Sea Turtle Limits in the Hawaii Shallow-set Longline Fishery (0648-BJ27)

NOAA Fisheries announces that the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council proposes to amend the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for the Pelagic Fisheries of the Western Pacific. Amendment 10 would facilitate management of Hawaii shallow-set longline fishery…

Federal Register Notice and Amendment 10

Notice

Pacific Islands

Published

01/23/2020

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Bigeye Tuna Fishery Closure

NOAA Fisheries is closing the U.S. pelagic longline fishery for bigeye tuna in the western and central Pacific Ocean because the fishery will reach the 2019 allocation limit for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. This action is necessary…

Final Rule (84 FR 57827) and Related Documents

Final Rule

Pacific Islands

Effective

11/04/2019

2019 U.S. Territorial Longline Bigeye Tuna Catch Limits for American Samoa

NOAA Fisheries announces a valid specified fishing agreement that allocates up to 1,000 metric tons (t) of the 2019 bigeye tuna limit for the Territory of American Samoa to U.S. longline fishing vessels. The agreement supports the long-term…

Final Rule (84 FR 57652) and Supporting Documents

Final Rule

Pacific Islands

Effective

10/28/2019

2019 U.S. Territorial Longline Bigeye Tuna Catch Limits for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

NOAA Fisheries announces a valid specified fishing agreement that allocates up to 1,000 metric tons (t) of the 2019 bigeye tuna limit for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) to U.S. longline fishing vessels. The agreement supports…

Final Rule (84 FR 37592) and Supporting Documents

Final Rule

Pacific Islands

Published

08/01/2019

Bigeye Tuna Longline Fishery Closure

NOAA Fisheries is closing the U.S. pelagic longline fishery for bigeye tuna in the western and central Pacific Ocean because the fishery has reached the 2019 catch limit. This action is necessary to ensure compliance with NOAA Fisheries regulations that…

Temporary Rule (84 FR 35568) and Supporting Documents

Temporary Rule

Pacific Islands

Issued

07/24/2019

2019 U.S. Territorial Longline Bigeye Tuna Catch Limits

In this final rule, NOAA Fisheries specifies a 2019 limit of 2,000 metric tons (t) of longline-caught bigeye tuna for each U.S. Pacific territory (American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands). NOAA Fisheries will allow…

Final Rule (84 FR 34321)

Final Rule

Pacific Islands

Published

07/18/2019

Temporary Closure of the 2019 Hawaii Shallow-set Pelagic Longline Fishery

This final rule closes the Hawaii shallow-set pelagic longline fishery north of the Equator for all vessels registered under the Hawaii longline limited access program. The shallow-set fishery has reached the annual limit of 17 physical interactions…

Federal Register Notice

Final Rule

Pacific Islands

Published

03/28/2019

Loggerhead Interactions in the Hawaii Shallow-set Pelagic Longline Fishery

This final rule revises from 34 to 17 the annual number of allowable incidental interactions that may occur between the Hawaii shallow-set pelagic longline fishery and North Pacific loggerhead sea turtles, in compliance with an order of the U.S…

Final Rule (10/02/2018)

Final Rule

Pacific Islands

Effective

01/01/2019

Proposed Information Collection for U.S. Territorial Catch and Fishing Effort Limits

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as…

Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; U.S. Territorial Catch and Fi…

Notice

Pacific Islands

Published

09/18/2018

Marine Conservation Plan for Guam

NOAA Fisheries announces approval of a Marine Conservation Plan for Guam, valid from August 4, 2017, through August 3, 2020.

Marine Conservation Plan for Guam; Western Pacific Sustainable Fisheries Fund

Notice

Pacific Islands

Published

08/16/2017

Marine Conservation Plan for the Northern Mariana Islands

NOAA Fisheries announces approval of a Marine Conservation Plan for the Northern Mariana Islands, valid from August 4, 2017, through August 3, 2020.

Marine Conservation Plan for the Pacific Insular Area for the Northern Mariana …

Notice

Pacific Islands

Published

08/09/2017

Last updated by Pacific Islands Regional Office on 01/28/2021