High Seas Western and Central Pacific Ocean Tuna Purse Seine Fishery - 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.

Pacific Islands

Current Classification on the List of Fisheries

Gear Type	Purse seine
Category	II
Estimated Number of Participants	Purse seine - 20; Troll - 0
Target Species	Albacore tuna
Applicable Take Reduction Plans	N/A
Observer Coverage	Under the SPTT, observers are recruited from the Pacific Island Countries and then trained and deployed by the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) in Honiara in the Solomon Islands. Many of the FFA deployed observers serve in and have experience from domestic observer programs active in each observer’s respective country. The target observer level coverage is 20% of U.S. purse seine vessels, the full costs of which are the responsibility of the U.S. purse seine vessel owners.
Marine Mammal Species/Stocks Killed or Injured	Bottlenose dolphin, HI Pelagic; Blue whale, unknown; Bryde’s whale, HI; False killer whale, HI Pelagic; Fin whale, HI; Humpback whale, unknown; Indo-Pacific dolphin; Long-beaked common dolphin, CA; Melon-headed whale, unknown; Minke whale, HI; Pantropical spotted dolphin, unknown; Pygmy killer whale, HI; Risso’s dolphin, unknown; Rough-toothed dolphin, unknown; Sei whale, HI; Short-finned pilot whale, unknown; Sperm whale, HI; Spinner dolphin, unknown;

¹ Indicates the stock or species is driving the classification of the fishery.

Basis for Current Classification

While there is a formal observer program for fishing in the South Pacific Tuna Treaty (SPTT) area, information on marine mammal stock abundance in the area is scarce and observer reports of interactions between marine mammals and fisheries are not yet specific enough to determine the level of marine mammal mortality and serious injury.

Distribution

The SPTT manages access of U.S. purse seine vessels targeting tuna (skipjack and yellowfin) within the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of 16 Pacific Island Countries in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean that are party to the Treaty. The SPTT Area includes the waters from north of 60° S. lat. and east of 90° E. long. subject to the fishing jurisdiction of Pacific Island parties, and all waters within rhumb lines connecting multiple geographic coordinates, and north along the 152° E. long. out to the border of the Australian EEZ. The Treaty Area includes portions of waters in the EEZs of most of the Pacific Island Countries included in the Treaty.

Gear Description

The SPTT was intended to apply only to U.S. purse seine vessels; however, provisions have been made to accommodate high seas fishing by U.S. albacore tuna troll and U.S. longline vessels within the Treaty Area.

Management

Both a SPTT and a High Seas Fishing Compliance Act (HSFCA) permit are required to fish in SPTT waters.

Historical Information

Original Category (Year added to the LOF)	Category II - all gear types (2009)
Original Number of Participants	Purse seine- 23; Longline- 2; Troll- 1
Basis for Original Classification	While there was a formal observer program for fishing in the SPTT area, information on marine mammal stock abundance in the area was scarce and observer reports of fishery interactions were not specific enough to determine the level of marine mammal serious injury and mortality. 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.
Past Names	South Pacific tuna purse seine
Species/stocks historically documented as killed or injured (but not currently on the list)	While observer data from January 1997–June 2002 show that 11 sets resulted in interactions with marine mammals, the data do not indicate the species interacting with the fishery, only that the animals were ‘‘unidentified whales, marine mammals, or dolphin/porpoise.”

Timeline of Changes

2022	Longline: Removed the Category II South Pacific tuna longline fishery. Purse seine: Renamed the “South Pacific tuna purse seine” fishery to the “Western and Central Pacific Ocean tuna purse seine” fishery Estimated number of participants updated from 26 to 20. Added bottlenose dolphin (HI Pelagic), blue whale (unknown), Bryde’s whale (HI),false killer whale (HI Pelagic), fin whale (HI), humpback whale (unknown), Indo-Pacific dolphin, long-beaked common dolphin (CA), melon-headed whale (unknown), minke whale (HI), Pantropical spotted dolphin (unknown), pygmy killer whale (HI), Risso’s dolphin (unknown), rough-toothed dolphin (unknown), sei whale (HI), short-finned pilot whale (unknown), sperm whale (HI) and spinner dolphin (unknown). Troll: Estimated number of participants updated from 1 to 0.
2021	Longline: Estimated number of participants updated from 2 to 3. Purse seine: Estimated number of participants updated from 33 to 26.
2020	Longline: Estimated number of participants updated from 3 to 2. Purse seine: Estimated number of participants updated from 38 to 33. Troll: Estimated number of participants updated from 3 to 1.
2019	Longline: Estimated number of participants updated from 4 to 3. Purse seine: Estimated number of participants updated from 35 to 38. Troll: Estimated number of participants updated from 4 to 3.
2018	Longline: Estimated number of participants updated from 2 to 4. Purse seine: Estimated number of participants updated from 38 to 35.
2017	Longline: Estimated number of participants updated from 8 to 2. Purse seine: Estimated number of participants updated from 39 to 38. Troll: Estimated number of participants updated from 5 to 4.
2016	Purse seine: Estimated number of participants updated from 38 to 39. Troll: Estimated number of participants updated from 3 to 5.
2015	Purse seine: Estimated number of participants updated from 40 to 38. Troll: Estimated number of participants updated from 2 to 3.
2014	Longline: Estimated number of participants updated from 10 to 8. Purse seine: Estimated number of participants updated from 38 to 40. Troll: Estimated number of participants updated from 3 to 2.
2013	Longline: Estimated number of participants updated from 11 to 10. Purse seine: Estimated number of participants updated from 33 to 38.
2012	Longline: Estimated number of participants updated from 8 to 11. Purse seine: Estimated number of participants updated from 35 to 33.
2011	Longline: Estimated number of participants updated from 3 to 8. Purse seine: Estimated number of participants updated from 36 to 35.
2010	Longline: Estimated number of participants updated from 2 to 3. Purse seine: Estimated number of participants updated from 23 to 36. Troll: Estimated number of participants updated from 1 to 3.