HONOLULU — From shifting ocean temperatures to changing fishery participation, the Pacific’s marine ecosystems are in flux. The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) is meeting June 4–6, 2025, to review the latest science and data behind these changes and make recommendations to guide the future of fisheries management across Hawai‘i, American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).

This 156th SSC meeting includes key discussions on electronic monitoring in longline fisheries, the latest island-specific findings from the 2024 Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) reports, an important bottomfish stock assessment update for CNMI and updates from the SSC’s Special Projects Working Group.

Agenda Highlights

1. Electronic Monitoring Implementation in Longline Fisheries

The SSC will evaluate the integration of electronic monitoring (EM) systems in Hawai‘i and American Samoa longline fisheries. This includes reviewing National Marine Fisheries Service technical memos assessing EM operations, such as comparisons between EM data and observer reports, and evaluations of EM detection accuracy at various review speeds.

Preliminary results show promising accuracy in species detection at various review speeds—paving the way for increased EM adoption as a tool for compliance and data collection.

2. 2024 Annual SAFE Reports

The SSC will discuss the reports, which provide insights into fishery performance, trends in catch and effort, related ecosystem considerations and the effectiveness of management measures.

Examples include:

Hawaii: The troll and handline pelagic fisheries in the main Hawaiian Islands saw a sharp economic downturn, with catch dropping from 1.6 million to 1.3 million pounds and total value sinking by nearly $2 million to $4.3 million. Declining fish prices—from $4.32 to $3.91 per pound—were a prominent factor in the decreased revenue, further emphasizing financial strain across the fleet. 

Total pelagic catch across all fisheries increased from just over 30 million pounds in 2023 to almost 33 million pounds in 2024, with more than 28 million pounds coming from the deep-set longline fishery. Bigeye tuna catches continued to decline, falling below 14 million pounds, but was offset by a record 10 million pounds of yellowfin tuna—a 33% increase from the previous year. Blue marlin and striped marlin also increased, with striped marlin more than doubling.

American Samoa: Bottomfish catch increased to 11,737 pounds in 2024—a relatively small but notable development as the fishery sees a small resurgence in activity and catch per unit effort (CPUE). Pelagic catch also increased from 2023 to 2024, with tuna and non-tuna catches increasing 22% and 61%, respectively. Longline CPUE has increased since 2020, with catch per 1,000 hooks increasing from 12.6 albacore to 13 albacore over the last year.

Guam: Bottomfish catch increased to 36,130 pounds in 2024. Though CPUE declined slightly, trip and gear hours rose, showing a modest but positive shift in local engagement.

CNMI: Pelagic trolling effort dropped to its lowest point in more than a decade, and estimated total catch hit a 10-year low at just 84,333 pounds—driven by steep declines in tuna, ono and mahimahi landings. There are concerns about administrative challenges preventing the adequate number of creel surveys needed to monitor fishery performance.

3. CNMI Bottomfish Stock Assessment Update

The SSC will review the latest Western Pacific Stock Assessment Review (WPSAR) findings and consider steps toward rebuilding the fishery, which continues to experience historically low catch levels and reduced commercial activity.

4. SSC Special Projects Working Group Reports

The committee will receive updates from SSC working groups focusing on integrating socioeconomic and biological considerations into SSC recommendations, improving multi-species complex management of bottomfish fisheries and synthesizing climate information to inform the Council's upcoming scenario planning process.

Get the Full Agenda & Documents: www.wpcouncil.org/event/156th-scientific-and-statistical-committee-meeting