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, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Mariana Archipelago, and Pacific Remote Island Areas fisheries.
The ACL tables below were updated on March 1, 2021.
Pelagic
| Fishery | Species | 2020 Annual Limit (metric tons) |
Estimated Catch (metric tons) |
% of Limit Caught | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western and Central Pacific Longline | Pacific Bigeye Tuna | 3,554 | 3,582 | 101% | On September 6, 2020, NOAA Fisheries began attributing bigeye tuna catch to vessels in the American Samoa agreement. |
| Specified Fishing Agreement -- Hawaii Longline Association and American Samoa | Pacific Bigeye Tuna | 1,000 | 1,000 | 100% | The fishery reached the American Samoa limit. |
| Specified Fishing Agreement -- Hawaii Longline Association and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) | Pacific Bigeye Tuna | 1,000 | 792 | 79% | On November 15, 2020, NOAA Fisheries began attributing bigeye tuna catch to vessels in the CNMI agreement. |
| Eastern Pacific Longline | Pacific Bigeye Tuna | 750 (for vessels > 24 m) | 318 | 42% | Open |
Note: 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.
Hawaii
| Fishery | Species | 2020-21 Annual Limit (lb) | 2020-21 Estimated Catch (lb) | % of Limit Caught | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottomfish | Main Hawaiian Islands Deep 7 Bottomfish (Lehi, Ehu, Onaga, Opakapaka, Kalekale, Gindae, Hapuʻupuʻu) | 492,000 | 93,899 | 19% | Open |
| Fishery | Species | 2021 Annual Limits (lb) | 2021 Estimated Catch (lb) | % of Limit Caught | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottomfish | Gray jobfish (Uku) | 127,205 | 29,084 | 23% | Open |
| Crustacean | Deepwater Shrimp | 250,773 | - | - | Open |
| Kona Crab | ACT: 25,491 ACL: 30,802 |
- | - | Open | |
| Precious Coral | Black Coral - Auau Channel |
5,512 | - | - | Open |
| Pink and Red Coral - Makapuu Bed |
2,205 | - | - | Open | |
| Pink Coral - Brooks Bank |
979 | - | - | Open | |
| Pink Coral - 180 Fathom Bank |
489 | - | - | Open | |
| Pink Coral - Kaena Point Bed |
148 | - | - | Open | |
| Pink Coral - Keahole Bed |
148 | - | - | Open | |
| Bamboo Coral - Makapuu Bed |
551 | - | - | Open | |
| Bamboo Coral - Brooks Bank |
245 | - | - | Open | |
| Bamboo Coral - 180 Fathom Bank |
123 | - | - | Open | |
| Bamboo Coral - Kaena Point |
37 | - | - | Open | |
| Bamboo Coral - Keahole Bed |
37 | - | - | Open | |
| Precious Corals in the Hawaii Exploratory Area | 2,205 | - | - | Open |
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 Hawaii 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 | Interim Limit (lb) | Estimated Catch (lb) | % of Limit Caught | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottomfish | Bottomfish multi-species stock complex | 13,000 | - | - | Open |
Note: The interim limit for the American Samoa bottomfish stock complex is effective from November 16, 2020, through May 17, 2021 (85 FR 73003, November 16, 2020).
Guam
| Fishery | Species | 2021 Annual Limit (lb) | Estimated Catch (lb) | % of Limit Caught | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottomfish | Bottomfish multi-species stock complex | TBD | - | - | Open |
Mariana Archipelago - Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
| Fishery | Species | 2021 Annual Limit (lb) | Estimated Catch (lb) | % of Limit Caught | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottomfish | Bottomfish multi-species stock complex | TBD | - | - | Open |
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).
