The Scientific and Statistical Committee of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council will take up several key issues at its March 17-19 meeting in Honolulu.
One of the SSC’s action items is to review alternatives to reopen commercial fishing in federal waters 50 to 200 nautical miles around Wake Atoll, Johnston Atoll and Jarvis Island in the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument. Commercial fishing in those waters has been prohibited since 2014, but Presidential Proclamation 10918, issued in April 2025, directed NOAA to publish new rules to amend or repeal regulations restricting fishing in the monument’s expansion area. Prior to the closure, permitted and highly regulated fisheries in those waters included bottomfish, precious corals, crustaceans, pelagic species and coral reef fisheries. The SSC’s advice will help inform the Council’s recommendation on what regulatory approach should apply in the monument expansion area when it takes final action at its 206th meeting later in March.
The SSC will also review updates to electronic monitoring (EM) for the Hawai‘i and American Samoa longline fisheries, including a revised vessel monitoring plan template developed with input from the fishing industry through a series of forums. Each vessel will have its unique plan outlining responsibilities, configurations, contingencies for malfunctions and contacts. The discussion will examine how EM can be implemented effectively to monitor fisheries while minimizing operational burden and addressing questions related to responsibilities at sea. A final vessel monitoring plan is expected to support mandatory implementation of EM by July 2026.
In-Person: Council Office, 1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI
Online: Via Webex: https://tinyurl.com/159SSCMtg, Event password: SSC159mtg
