Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR) director Taotasi Archie Soliai has commended the U.S Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for “supporting our pelagic fisheries” through Amendment 9 to the Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP) for Pelagic Fisheries of the Western Pacific — which is a modification to the American Samoa Longline Fishery Limited Entry Program.

The DMWR director also offered the American Samoa Government recommendations in an effort to continue to work with NMFS on the permitting and reporting of this fishery for the territory going forward.

Through a notice on June 29th, NMFS announced that the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council proposed amendment 9, which if approved, would reduce regulatory barriers that may be limiting small vessel participation in the American Samoa longline fishery.

“Specifically, Amendment 9 would consolidate vessel class sizes, modify permit eligibility requirements, and reduce the minimum harvest requirements for small vessels,” said NMFS, noting that the Council recommended Amendment 9 “to provide for sustained community and indigenous American Samoan participation in the small vessel longline fishery.”

NMFS sought public comments — that were received up until Aug. 30th — that address the impact of this proposed action on “cultural fishing in American Samoa.”

“Fishing is Fa’a-Samoa,” wrote Taotasi in an Aug. 30th comment-letter to Mike Tosatto, Regional Administrator of NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office in Honolulu regarding Amendment 9.

Taotasi cited several reasons for the importance of this amendment, such as: “Prevents foreign ownership of American Samoa permits by removing the burden of providing proof of participation in the fishery by providing records. However, the measure respects the tradition of prioritizing permitting to those who have the longest history of participating in the fishery.”

Additionally, it removes any obstacles for expansion of the traditional and small vessel fleet, by increasing opportunities for these vessels to enter the fleet; and simplifies vessel classification between ‘large vessels’ defined in the regulations from the “small” alia boats.

It also provides sustained participation of a fishery experiencing hardship. Economic limitations and resource availability during some recent fishing years made operations for the small vessel fleet difficult, so reducing the small vessel minimum harvest requirement to 500 lb of pelagic management unit species within a 3-year period was much needed to maintain permitting opportunities for those vessels.

Furthermore, maintaining the existing 5,000 lb. harvest requirement for large vessels to land in American Samoa in order to remain eligible for an American Samoa large vessel permit was needed to ensure that dual-permitted vessels that hold an American Samoa permit while targeting bigeye tuna in the North Pacific Ocean also contribute to the American Samoa local economy.

“Recognizing that most of these vessels may catch management unit species primarily in waters outside of the US EEZ around American Samoa, not having a requirement to harvest this minimum catch amount in waters within the American Samoa EEZ removes any possible disincentives from offloading in Pago Pago,” Taotasi wrote.

The DMWR director then shared with Tosatto that ASG “would like to continue to work with NMFS on this permit and reporting scheme” and offered two main recommendations on the amendment for NMFS consideration for the future.

He suggested that the amendment be “improved in the future by increasing the minimum harvest and landing requirement for large vessels enjoying an American Samoa permit.”

“In the event that economic conditions for the American Samoa-based albacore fishery improves and the fleet based out of Pago Pago expands, this may allow prioritization of these vessels to be permitted in the limited entry program,” he explained. “However, at the present time, the current harvest and landing requirements are sufficient to maintain a source of US-caught fishery products entering the American Samoa market.”

And the second recommendation to be considered in the future is to include harvest and landing requirements for purse seiner vessels that utilize the port of Pago Pago. “Having a unique permit for American Samoa purse seine vessels will incentivize increased fishery production for the territory’s only cannery and largest employer,” he said.

It will also allow purse seiner vessels permitted to American Samoa to maintain privileges as those flagged as a “Small Island Developing State” pursuant to Article 30 of the Convention Text to the Western & Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC).

As of yesterday morning the only comment posted to the federal portal — www.regulations.gov — on this proposed amendment is from DMWR.