WestPac approves mandatory electronic monitoring for Hawai‘i and American Samoa longline fleets
HONOLULU — (11 June 2025) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council took final action today to authorize the use of electronic monitoring (EM) as a mandatory tool for data co

![The camera from an electronic monitoring system captures a bird’s eye view of the fishing vessel deck. This allows video reviewers to identify fish and other marine species brought onboard. [photo: NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center] camera shot from an electronic monitoring system](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/fisheries_monitoring_system.jpg?itok=7bv9ArPt)

![There is an estimated 200M tons of plastic littering our oceans. [Photo: amazon.com - project oceanus] PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH IMAGE](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/garbage_patch_image.jpeg?itok=Q2ujKtyw)
![Congratulations to the more than 200 graduates of Tafuna High School who held their Commencement Ceremony on Wednesday, June 11, 2025 at the Kanana Fou Gymnasium. With the ceremony over, the celebration and fanfare began! [photos: GF] 200 graduates of Tafuna High School](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/sn_graduation_ths_250610-4.jpg?itok=7erbvdJx)





![Conservation groups fear that expanded training activities — such as ground maneuvers, construction of targets, and aircraft landing in CNMI — could degrade nesting grounds for the endangered Tinian monarch bird and lead to further population decline. [Photo: WikiCommons] Tinian monarch bird](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/tinian_monarrch_native_bird.jpg?itok=XWxCeeMn)