UNIT 18 

 PACIFIC HIGHLY MIGRATORY PELAGIC FISHERIES 



management plan for pelagic species. The plan 

 specifically addresses concerns about the expanded 

 Hawaii longline fleet and the potential tor inter- 

 actions among longliners, trollcrs, and handliners 

 by placing a cap on the number of permits issued 

 to longliners and establishing nearshore zones 

 closed to longlining. At the Council's behest, the 

 National Marine Fisheries Service implemented a 

 mandatory logbook and reporting system in the 

 region's domestic longline fleet to collect statistics 

 for fishery monitoring. Research is under way to 

 analyze the fishery statistics and to evaluate the 

 effectiveness of the longline fleet limits. Also af- 

 fecting data collection is the recently enacted High 

 Seas Fishing Compliance Act, which requires li- 

 censing and logbooks for all U.S. vessels fishing 

 on the high seas. 



Although they fish the same swordfish resource 

 as the Hawaii-based vessels, longline vessels oper- 

 ating out of California and Alaska have not been 

 subject to the management regulations developed 

 by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Manage- 

 ment Council. Until their elimination in 1993, 

 high-seas drift gillnet fisheries had taken a domi- 

 nant share of the North Pacific albacore catch. 

 Recent developments indicate that the I'acific Fish- 

 ery Management Council is considering develop- 

 ment of regulations in the U.S. west coast FEZ, 

 and presumably in common with high-seas regu- 

 lations governing the western Pacific. In the South 

 Pacific, the interaction between the established for- 

 eign longline albacore fishery and the surface fish- 

 ery (predominantlv from the United States) needs 

 attention, particularly if allocation of available 

 yield between the fisheries becomes an issue. A 

 domestic longline fishery for albacore has started 

 in American Samoa. A similar but larger fishery 

 in Western Samoa has raised gear conflicts and 

 competition issues. 



I he North I\icific albacore stock appears to 

 have been overutilized in the 1970's and 1980s, 

 possibly due to high surface fishery catches and 

 decadal changes in ocean productivity. In the 

 !990's, the stock appears to have recovered, aided 

 by reduced catches and a productivity increase. 

 However, it appears that the stock may not sup- 

 port catches as high as those taken in the early 

 1 970's. Creation of an international arrangement 

 to manage the stock is another issue that needs 



attention, particularly if the fishing nations want 

 to reap the benefits of a recovered stock and pre- 

 vent another overfishing cycle. 



Scientists recognize that at least one billfish 

 species, the Indo-Pacific blue marlin, is depleted 

 over its range, but no international management 

 mechanism exists to rebuild the stock. Similarly, 

 thresher and mako sharks taken in the U.S. west 

 coast drift gillnet fishery may need protection ftom 

 overexploitation. The Pacific Fishery Management 

 Council has the jurisdiction to address this need. 



The potential take of endangered Hawaiian 

 monk seals, endangered and threatened sea turtles, 

 and seabirds is also of concern. The monk seal 

 problem has been addressed by the Western Pa- 

 cific Regional Fishery Management Council 

 through a strict prohibition of longlining within 

 a 50-mile area surrounding the Northwestern Ha- 

 waiian Islands. Sea turtle and seabird takes are 

 monitored using data gathered by fishery observ- 

 ers on longline vessels. 



Scientific Advice and 

 Adequacy of Assessments 



Population levels of the billfishes and other 

 species are generally unknown or out of date: There 

 is no comprehensive international mechanism to 

 collect and share fishery data on the Pacific-wide 

 stocks, including those portions of the stocks that 

 range in U.S. waters, although the Interim Scien- 

 tific Committee forTuna and Tuna-like Species is 

 addressing the issue. Basic biological data (beyond 

 catches) are also lacking or grossly inadequate for 

 most of these species. This limits determination 

 of the current condition of the stocks. Bycatch in 

 all fisheries is another issue. 



The impacts of the U.S. longline fleet on 

 swordfish and other resources in the FEZ around 

 Hawaii and in the central Pacific are unknown, 

 but the catches are being monitored, and research 

 is under way to better assess the stocks. 



Progress 



Research has been focused on selected issues, 

 and progress has been made for several species. 

 However, on the whole, the number of species and 

 issues remains more than can be addressed, given 



1 99 



