feeds. almost exclusively on shortfinned squid. The plan 

 indicated that while overexploitation of squid might result 

 in the decrease of other marine species which compete with 

 fisheries to use squid as food, on the other hand substantial 

 increases in squid might threaten species that are preyed 

 upon during their early life stages by squid. 



Spiny Lobster Draft Plan, 1978 



The Western Pacific Council's draft Spiny Lobster Plan 

 involved a potential impact on the endangered Hawaiian monk 

 seal (Monacus schaui nslandi) which feeds on lobsters, among 

 other species. The relative importance of lobsters in the 

 monk seal diet is not known. One objective of the plan 

 was to minimize the environmental and ecological impacts 

 of the lobster fishery, particularly on the monk seal. 



As required by the FCMA, MSY for lobsters was estimated 

 in the plan at 552,000 to 690,000 lobsters. However, this 

 estimate was based more on extrapolation from other lobster 

 fishing regions than on the sparse data from Hawaii, and 

 was not considered to be a reliable estimate. 



OY was not established for the fishery. Instead, man- 

 agement measures were designated which consisted of regula- 

 tions on the sex and size of the catch, and on areas for 

 fishing. Prohibitions on landing females with eggs and on 

 most fishing in waters shallower than 10 fathoms were in- 

 tended to protect the lobster spawning stock and to mini- 

 mize direct interaction between fishermen and seals. At 

 the same time, these measures would allow a substantial, per- 

 haps tenfold, increase in the lobster catch, which was about 

 60,000 lobsters a year before 1968. The stock is relatively 

 unexploited so that the possibility of a very rapid increase 

 in the fishery exists. It is not known whether prohibiting 

 fishing in waters shallower than 10 fathoms will avoid im- 

 pacting monk seals. 



Characteristics Shared by the Four Plans 



The four plans included varying amounts of information on 

 the ecological role of target species. While the presence of 

 natural predators on target species was mentioned in each of 

 the plans, there were no calculations or attempts at even 

 rough quantitative estimates of the potential impact of various 

 levels of proposed fishing on the food available to predators, 



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