Council to recommend changes to fishing rules

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At the conclusion of a three day meeting yesterday in Honolulu the  Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council decided on major recommendations that would impact fishing in American Samoa.

Council members from American Samoa are Christinna Lutu Sanchez and Archie Taotasi Soliai.

The director of Marine and Wildlife Resources Vaamua Henry Sesepasara also attended the Honolulu meeting.

For the  American Samoa Longline Limited Entry Program:the Council will recommend to the Secretary of Commerce to;

a) Replace the four vessel classes with two, where Class A and B vessels would be considered “small” and Class C and D vessels would be considered “large”;

b) Restrict permit ownership to US citizens and nationals only and eliminate criteria for having documented history of participation to be eligible for owning a permit, but maintain the priority ranking system based on earliest documented history of fishing participation in vessel class size if there is competition between two or more applicants for a permit;

c) Require that permits can only be transferred to US citizens or nationals, and eliminate the requirement for documented participation in American Samoa longline fishery to receive permit transfer;

d) Reduce the “small” vessel class minimum harvest requirement to 500 pounds of managed pelagic species within a three-year period but maintain the existing 5,000 pounds harvest for the “large” vessel class; and

e) Require that the entire minimum harvest amounts for the respective vessel classes to be landed in American Samoa within the three-year permit period but that the minimum harvests not be required to be caught within the EEZ around American Samoa.

Regarding the American Samoa Large Vessel Prohibited Area, in light of a court decision that requires the Council and National Marine Fisheries Service to protect and preserve American Samoa cultural fishing, the Council will consider at its 171st meeting in American Samoa a definition of cultural fishing that recognizes that Pacific Island cultures and fishing are inextricably linked, and that cultural fishing in American Samoan is grounded in cultural values embodied in Fa’a Samoa and Samoan practices such as tautua (“service”).

The Council will consult with the American Samoa Government on the issue of American Samoa cultural fishing.