Current Classification on the List of Fisheries
Category
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III
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Estimated Number of Participants
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465
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Target Species
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Various species, including tuna, mahimahi, ono, billfishes, etc.
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Applicable Take Reduction Plans
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N/A
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Observer Coverage
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Not observed
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Marine Mammal Species/Stocks Killed or Injured
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None documented
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^ Number of participants estimates are based on state and federal fisheries permit data. The estimated number of participants is expressed in terms of the number of active participants in the fishery, when possible. If this information is not available, the estimated number of vessels or persons licensed for a particular fishery is provided. If no recent information is available on the number of participants, then the number from the most recent LOF is used. NOAA Fisheries acknowledges that, in some cases, these estimations may be inflating actual effort.
*Observer coverage levels include the latest information reported in the most current final Stock Assessment Report (SAR).
1 Indicates the stock or species is driving the classification of the fishery.
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
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Original Category (Year added to the LOF)
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III (1996)
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Original Number of Participants
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50
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Basis for Original Classification
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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.
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Past Names
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None
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Species/stocks historically documented as killed or injured (but not currently on the list)
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N/A
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Timeline of Changes
| 2023 |
- Estimated number of participants updated from 398 to 465.
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| 2022 |
- Estimated number of participants updated from 432 to 398.
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2013
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2007
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Female Hawaiian monk seal RO28, one of the “monk seal matriarchs,” and her pup on Kaua‘i. Credit: Val Bloy
Oceanic whitetip shark. Hawaiʻi longline fishermen use leaders to connect weighed branch lines and baited hooks. A new rule prohibits steel wire leaders in the Hawaiʻi deep-set longline fishery, starting May 31, 2022. The rule aims to increase the survival of hooked oceanic whitetip sharks caught as bycatch in the Pacific Islands region. Credit: Andy Mann
NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette off Maui in 2004. Homeported in Honolulu, Hawaii, NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette is a multipurpose oceanographic research vessel that conducts fisheries assessments, physical and chemical oceanography research, marine mammal and marine debris surveys. The ship operates throughout the central and western Pacific Ocean. Credit: NOAA/Ray Boland.
Tournament fishing in the Pacific Islands region occurs year-round, drawing in local participants and visitors (non-residents) to the state. The COVID-19 global pandemic has affected in-person fishing activities and much of the fishing and seafood industry. Credit: NOAA Fisheries