Pacific Islands Annual Catch Limits
A summary of the current estimated catch of target species, percent of annual limits caught, and status of Pacific Island fisheries.
Annual catch limits (ACLs) and Annual Catch Targets (ACTs) are tools to prevent overfishing in commercial and recreational fisheries. NOAA Fisheries administers ACLs and ACTs for the Pelagic, Hawai‘i, American Samoa, Guam, Mariana Archipelago, and Pacific Remote Island Areas fisheries.
Pelagic
Fishery | Species¹ | 2025 Annual Limit (metric tons) | 2025 Estimated Catch | % of Limit Caught | 2025 Estimated Catch Total Through | Status |
| Western and Central Pacific Longline | Pacific Bigeye Tuna | 6,554 | 846 | 13% | February 25, 2025 | Open |
| Eastern Pacific Longline | Pacific Bigeye Tuna | 750 (for vessels > 24 m) | 3 | 1% | February 25, 2025 | Open |
¹ NOAA Fisheries has not specified ACLs for most pelagic species because they are subject to international fishing agreements or have life cycles of less than a year.
Hawai‘i
| Fishery | Species | 2024-25 Annual Limit (lb) | 2024-25 Estimated Catch (lb) | % of Limit Caught | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottomfish1 | Main Hawaiian Islands Deep 7 Bottomfish (Lehi, Ehu, Onaga, Opakapaka, Kalekale, Gindai, Hapuʻupuʻu) | TBD | - | - | Open |
| Precious Coral2 | Black Coral - Auau Channel | 5,512 | Undisclosed | Below ACL | Open |
| Pink and Red Coral - 180 Fathom Bank | 489 | - | - | Open | |
| Pink and Red Coral - Brooks Bank | 979 | - | - | Open | |
| Pink and Red Coral - Kaena Point Bed | 148 | - | - | Open | |
| Pink and Red Coral - Keahole Bed | 148 | - | - | Open | |
| Pink and Red Coral - Makapuʻu Bed | 2,205 | - | - | Open | |
| Bamboo Coral - 180 Fathom Bank | 123 | - | - | Open | |
| Bamboo Coral - Brooks Bank | 245 | - | - | Open | |
| Bamboo Coral - Kaena Point | 37 | - | - | Open | |
| Bamboo Coral - Keahole Bed | 37 | - | - | Open | |
| Bamboo Coral - Makapuʻu Bed | 551 | - | - | Open | |
| Precious Corals - Hawai‘i Exploratory Area | 2,205 | - | - | Open |
¹ The fishing year for the deep 7 bottomfish fishery began September 1, 2024, and ends August 31, 2025.
² The fishing year for precious corals began July 1, 2024, and ends June 30, 2025. Total harvest of black coral from July 1, 2024, through February 28, 2025, is below the ACL, but undisclosed due to limited licensees.
| Fishery | Species | 2025 Annual Limit (lb) | 2025 Estimated Catch (lb) | % of Limit Caught | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottomfish3 | Gray Jobfish (Uku) | 295,419 ACL 291,010 ACT | 6,403
| 2.2% 2.2% | Open |
| Crustacean | Deepwater Shrimp4 | 250,773 ACL | Undisclosed | Below ACL | Open |
| Kona Crab5 | 30,802 lb ACL 25,491 lb ACT | Undisclosed | Below ACL | Open |
3 Catch limits for uku apply to commercial and non-commercial catch. This update reflects total catch for this time period (January 1–February 28, 2025) and will be updated as additional information becomes available.
4 Total catch for deepwater shrimp from January 1–February 28, 2025, is below the ACL, but undisclosed due to limited licensees.
5 Total catch for Kona crab from January 1–February 24, 2025, is below the ACL, but undisclosed due to limited licensees.
Note: NOAA Fisheries has not specified ACLs for stocks subject to federal fishing moratoria or prohibitions. These include all species of gold coral, all species of deepwater precious coral at Wespac Bed in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and the three Hawai‘i seamount groundfish: pelagic armorhead, alfonsin and raft fish. The current prohibition on fishing for these species serves as a functional equivalent of an ACL of zero.
American Samoa
| Fishery | Species | 2025 Annual Limit (lb) | Estimated Catch (lb) | % of Limit Caught | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottomfish | Palu-gutusiliva | 8,554 | - | - | Open |
Asoama | 4,872 | - | - | Open | |
Tafauli | 3,086 | - | - | Open | |
Palu-loa1 | 4,872 | - | - | Open | |
Filoa-paomumu | 8,554 | - | - | Open | |
Savane | 16,645 | - | - | Open | |
Palu-sina2 | 2,579 | - | - | Open | |
Palu-ula | 1,521 | - | - | Open | |
Velo | 2,205 | - | - | Open |
1Palu-loa serves as an indicator species for palu-malau
2Palu-sina serves as an indicator species for palu-ʻenaʻena
Guam
| Fishery | Species | 2025 Annual Limit (lb) | Estimated Catch (lb) | % of Limit Caught | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottomfish1 | Bottomfish multi-species stock complex | TBD | - | - | Open |
1This section will be updated as additional information becomes available.
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
| Fishery | Species | 2025 Annual Limit (lb) | Estimated Catch (lb) | % of Limit Caught | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottomfish1 | Bottomfish multi-species stock complex | 82,000 lb ACL 75,000 lb ACT | - | - | Open |
1This section will be updated as additional information becomes available.
Pacific Remote Island Areas
| Fishery | Species | Annual Limit (lb) | Estimated Catch (lb) | % of Limit Caught | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No catch limits | - | - | - | - | - |
Note: NOAA Fisheries has not specified ACLs for any bottomfish crustacean, precious coral, or coral reef ecosystem species in the Pacific Remote Island Areas because commercial fishing is prohibited out to 50 nautical miles by Presidential Proclamation 8336 which established the Pacific Remote Island Marine National Monument (74 FR 1565, January 12, 2009). January 2, 2025 the White House announced the renaming of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument to the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument.