Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Fishing Industry Advisory Committee (FIAC) met last week to provide advice and recommendations to the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPFMC) when it meets March 22-24, including the following issues that affect American Samoa.

PACIFIC STRATEGY

The FIAC endorsed the new Pacific strategy developed to address Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) issues through a more holistic approach, tying the prosperity of U.S. fisheries in the Pacific with broader geopolitical interests of the nation. Council staff and advisers have developed an information paper that emphasizes the importance of fisheries to the Pacific Islands community and their strategic importance to U.S. national interests.

 “There needs to be a better way to negotiate - the relationship between the United States and small island nations has not been strong lately,” said American Samoa fishing vessel owner Stuart Chikami. “There have been recurring issues with compliance, and the Commission has been more focused on economics of a few members, rather than its intended objectives.”

The FIAC recommended U.S. advisors to the WCPFC address this strategy at their next series of meetings and work in coordination with longline and purse seine fishing industries.

During the public discussion, American Samoa Dept. of Marine and Wildlife Resources Director Archie Soliai acknowledged the longline (HLA) and purse seine (American Tunaboat Association) vessel owners for supporting the territory, noting it owes a great debt to these industries.

AMERICAN SAMOA BOTTOMFISH DATA WORKSHOPS

The SSC will hear a report on data workshops held with Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), Council and American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources staffs and fishermen held in Tutuila and Manu‘a. Fishermen provided insights and input on data to be used in the next American Samoa bottomfish benchmark stock assessment to be completed in 2023. The workshops were the first in a series of steps to improve data collection in the U.S. Pacific Territories.

Other issues include:  Equity and Environmental Justice; NWHI and Marianas Trench Proposed Sanctuaries; and a roundtable discussion to update the status of the fishing, seafood and related industries, continuing and upcoming issues and changes that may impact the community.

The FIAC is one of three advisory bodies to the Council required by the Magnuson-Stevens Act that provides input and recommendations on management and conservation actions from an industry perspective. Members include representatives from Hawaiʻi, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam in industry-related sectors such as fishing, seafood processing, distribution and marketing industries, fishing tackle and marine service and supply providers.

Recommendations made by the FIAC on these and other matters will be considered by the Council when it meets March 22-24, 2022, virtually, with host sites at Tedi of Samoa Building, Suite 208B, Fagatogo Village, American Samoa; BRI Building, Suite 205, Kopa Di Oru St., Garapan, Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI); and Cliff Pointe, 304 W. O’Brien Dr., Hagatña, Guam. Instructions on connecting to the web conference, agendas and briefing documents are posted at https://www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars. Host sites are subject to local and federal safety and health guidelines regarding COVID-19; check the Council website for updates.

(Source: WPFMC press release)