High Seas South Pacific Albacore Troll Fisheries - MMPA List of Fisheries
U.S. fisheries are classified under the Marine Mammal Protection Act according to the level of incidental mortality or serious injury of marine mammals.
Current Classification on the List of Fisheries
Gear Type |
Longline, handline/pole and line, troll |
Category |
Category II - all gear types |
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Estimated Number of Participants |
Longline - 6; Handline/Pole and line - 1; Troll - 23 |
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Target Species |
Albacore tuna |
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Applicable Take Reduction Plans |
N/A |
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Observer Coverage |
There is no official observer program for this fishery. |
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Marine Mammal Species/Stocks Killed or Injured |
There are no documented mortalities or injuries of marine mammals in any gear type. However, there is no observer program covering this high seas fishery. Therefore, the list of species/stocks killed/injured in all gear types in this fishery is indicated as “No information” on the LOF. |
1 Indicates the stock or species is driving the classification of the fishery.
Basis for Current Classification
All gear components are classified as Category II due to the lack of specific information on marine mammal abundance and interactions with fisheries on the high seas.
Distribution
U.S. vessels fish in the South Pacific albacore fishery from November/December through April. Many vessels then participate in the larger North Pacific albacore fishery from April through October. South Pacific albacore fishing occurs outside any nation’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in an area bounded by approximately 110° W. long. and 180° W. long., and by 25° S. lat. and 45° S. lat. Most U.S. troll vessels depart from the U.S. West Coast or Hawaii and unload in American Samoa, Fiji, or Tahiti. The total U.S. catch of South Pacific albacore tuna has accounted for less than 5% of the total international catch in recent years.
Gear Description
The South Pacific albacore troll high seas fisheries target South Pacific albacore tuna using mostly longline or troll gear in waters solely outside of any nation’s EEZ. Longline gear, which accounts for 86% of the albacore tuna catch in this fishery, is set with 1,000 or more hooks suspended from a horizontally buoyed mainline several miles long. Trolling vessels (including jigs or live bait) attach 10–20 fishing lines of various lengths to the vessel’s outriggers on a slow-moving boat (5–6 knots).
Management
The South Pacific albacore troll fishery is not managed by regulations implementing any U.S. Fishery Management Plan. Conservation and management measures for this fishery are currently not warranted as the stock in not overfished and there are no known protected species interactions. Sea turtles and marine mammals do not prey on the bait species used by these vessels and vessels are typically slow-moving and would therefore likely be able to avoid a collision with a large whale. As of 2001, the High Seas Fishing Compliance Act (HSFCA) requires U.S. albacore troll vessel operators to file logbooks with NMFS for fishing in the South Pacific.
Historical Information
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Original Category (Year added to the LOF) |
Category II - all gear types (2009) |
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Original Number of Participants |
Trawl- 5; Purse seine- 1; Pot- 5; Longline- 11; Handline/Pole and line- 7; Troll- 45; liners not elsewhere identified- 1; multipurpose vessels- 6; fishing vessels not elsewhere identified- 1 |
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Basis for Original Classification |
All gear components were classified as Category II due to the lack of specific information on marine mammal abundance and interactions with fisheries on the high seas. Therefore, all gear types were listed as Category II, the appropriate classification for new fisheries on the LOF for which there is little information on which to base a classification. |
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Past Names |
N/A |
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Species/stocks historically documented as killed or injured (but not currently on the list) |
N/A |
Timeline of Changes
| 2024 |
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| 2023 |
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| 2022 |
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| 2021 |
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| 2020 |
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| 2019 |
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2018 |
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2017 |
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2016 |
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2015 |
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2014 |
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2013 |
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2012 |
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2011 |
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2010 |
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