Guam Tuna Troll Fishery - MMPA List of Fisheries
U.S. fisheries are classified under the Marine Mammal Protection Act according to the level of interactions that result in incidental mortality or serious injury of marine mammals.
Current Classification on the List of Fisheries
Category |
III |
Estimated Number of Participants |
450 |
Target Species |
Various species, including tuna, mahimahi, ono, billfishes, etc. |
Applicable Take Reduction Plans |
N/A |
Observer Coverage |
Not observed |
Marine Mammal Species/Stocks Killed or Injured |
None documented |
Basis for Current Classification
No mortality or serious injury of marine mammals has been documented in the fishery. Based on the similarity of this fishery to the Hawaii troll fishery, this fishery has a remote likelihood of marine mammal mortalities or serious injuries.
Distribution
Fishing can occur in local nearshore or federal waters year-round, with trips lasting less than a day. Prior to 2010, Guam’s southern banks (Galvez, 11-mile, Santa Rosa, White Tuna, and Baby) were popular troll fishing grounds. However, the U.S. military now conducts live fire training and other exercises in this area and restricts access to this area over 100 days a year, making the banks less attractive to fishing.
In 2012, the last year for which data is available, an estimated 351 troll vessels engaged in pelagic trolling on an estimated 6,152 trolling trips (5,169 non-charter and 983 charter) totaling 31,685 trolling hours (WPFMC 2014).
Gear Description
Fishing by towing or dragging line(s) with artificial lure(s) or dead or live bait, or green stick and danglers using a sail, surf or motor-powered vessel underway. Can include trolling with bait (dead or alive), trolling with artificial lure, or trolling with green stick.
Generally four to five but occasionally more than six individual lines rigged with artificial lures may be trolled when outrigger poles are used to keep gear from tangling. Lures are generally trolled at 7 – 8.5 knots. When using live bait, trollers move at slower speeds to permit the bait to swim naturally. Pelagic trollers generally fish at an average distance of 5 to 8 miles from shore, with maximum distance of about 30 miles from shore. Trollers fish where water masses converge and where submarine cliffs, seamounts, and other underwater features dramatically change the bathymetry. Trollers often fish drifting logs, other flotsam, underneath bird aggregations, and near FADs.
Management
In federal waters, the fishery is managed in accordance with the Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP) for Pacific Pelagic Fisheries of the Western Pacific Region and implementing regulations under 50 CFR 665.798 through 665.819. In addition, the Territory prohibits or regulates certain fishing gear and areas, which may also apply to this fishery.
Historical Information
Original Category (Year added to the LOF) |
III (1996) |
Original Number of Participants |
50 |
Basis for Original Classification |
Listed as Category III because the fishery was expected to have a remote likelihood of incidental serious injury or mortality of marine mammals. No observer, logbook, or stranding data were available. |
Past Names |
None |
Species/stocks historically documented as killed or injured (but not currently on the list) |
N/A |
Timeline of Changes
2024 |
|
2023 |
|
2022 |
|
2013 |
|
2007 |
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