Pacific Ocean Fisheries and Agreements
About
In the Pacific Islands region, NOAA Fisheries and other government agencies share responsibility for negotiating and implementing international fisheries agreements encompassing the western and central Pacific Ocean.
Targeted and bycatch species migrate across the high seas and the exclusive economic zones in various countries. These countries, including the United States, cooperatively manage international Pacific Ocean fisheries, particularly highly migratory species such as tuna and billfish, through more than X multilateral fisheries agreements.
More Information
Actions
NOAA Fisheries announces the closure of the U.S. purse seine fishery on the high seas in the area of application of the Convention on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (Convention…
Effective
09/18/2018
NOAA Fisheries is intending to develop an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to meet requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act for the continued authorization of the U.S. purse seine fishery in the western and central Pacific Ocean…
Published
08/23/2018
Overlap Between the Convention Areas of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission and the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission.
NOAA Fisheries publishes an advance notice of proposed rulemaking to seek public input about management of U…
Published
05/10/2018
There are no recently finalized actions associated with this management plan.
Fishing Effort Limits for U.S. Purse Seine Vessels in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean
This interim final rule establishes limits on fishing effort by U.S. purse seine vessels in the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and on the high seas between the latitudes of 20° N. and 20° S. in the area of application of the Convention on the…
Effective
07/31/2019
Implementing Recent Decisions of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission
NOAA Fisheries publishes a final rule to implement recent decisions of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission. These regulations implement catch limits for the U.S. longline fleet operating in the western and central Pacific Ocean (WCPO),…
- Final Rule (83 FR 33851)
- Proposed rule (83 FR 21748)
- Final Rule (83 FR 44245); effective date for collection-of-information requirem…
- Compliance Guide: Fishing Effort Limits and Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) Restr…
- Compliance Guide: Bigeye Tuna Catch Limits in U.S. Longline Fisheries
- Compliance Guide: Transshipping, Bunkering, and Catch Retention/Discard Require…
- BH77 - Final Rule - Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)
- BH77 - Final Rule - Revised Supplemental Information Report (SIR) on National E…
- BH77 - Revised Regulatory Impact Review (RIR) for a Rule to Implement Decisions…
- BH77 - Programmatic Environmental Assessment - 10 Jul 2015 (for reference)
- BH77 Supplemental Information Report on National Environmental Policy Act Analy…
- BH77 Regulatory Impact Review
- BA85 Proposed Rule EA January 2012 (for BH77 reference) - Transshipping, Bunker…
Effective
08/30/2018
Fishing Restrictions for Tropical Tuna in the Eastern Pacific Ocean for 2018 to 2020
NOAA Fisheries is issuing regulations under the Tuna Conventions Act to implement Resolution C-17-02 (Conservation Measures for Tropical Tunas in the Eastern Pacific Ocean During 2018-2020 and Amendment to Resolution C-17-01), which was adopted at the…
Published
04/11/2018
Fishing Effort and Catch Limits and Other Restrictions and Requirements for Highly Migratory Species
A final rule to establish a framework to specify limits on fishing effort and catches, other fisheries restrictions and requirements, and to require, among other things, that certain U.S. fishing vessels obtain “IMO numbers”; and final specifications…
Published
10/01/2015