Feds approve American Samoa Marine Conservation Plan

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — In a press release issued by The Dept. of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR), the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced the approval of a Marine Conservation Plan (MCP) for American Samoa, effective July 25, 2021 to July 24, 2024.

The MCP was developed by the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources in consultation with Department of Port Administration, Department of Commerce, the Governor’s Office and the American Samoa Advisory Panel for the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council. The plan was presented, reviewed and concurred by the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council during its 168th virtual meeting held in June. Governor Lemanu Mauga approved the plan and sent it to NMFS for endorsement.

The Marine Conservation Plan is funded by potential fishing agreements with distant-water fishing nations (referred to in the Act as a Pacific Insular Area Fishery Agreement or PIAFA under the Magnuson’s Stevens Act) allowing foreign fishing in the EEZ around American Samoa and by fishing violations occurring within its EEZ. Fishing agreements with U.S. longline vessels also fund the MCP.

As a background, NMFS authorizes each territory to allocate a portion of its big-eye tuna catch limit to U.S. longline fishing vessels that are permitted to fish under the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for Pelagic Fisheries of the Western Pacific (FEP). Payments collected under these specified fishing agreements are deposited into the Western Pacific Sustainable Fisheries Fund. Any funds attributable to a particular fund, and any funds attributable to a particular territory, maybe used only for implementation of that territory’s MCP.

American Samoa's marine conservation plan (MCP) describes how the American Samoa Government proposes to allocate funds obtained under a PIAFA, U.S. longline fishing agreements or collected from fisheries violations for the period 2021-2024.

The MCP has been developed in accordance with guidelines provided by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and is consistent with the requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. The plan sets forth objectives that cover a broad range of fishery conservation and management issues and initiatives. The projects listed are designed to help achieve these objectives.

An MCP must be consistent with the Council’s FEPs, must identify conservation and management objectives (including criteria for determining when such objectives are met), and must prioritize planned marine conservation projects. At its June 2021 meeting, the Council reviewed and concurred with the American Samoa MCP. On July 21, 2021, the Governor of American Samoa submitted the MCP to NMFS for review and approval.

The MCP contains six conservation and management objectives and prioritized projects:

(1) Maximize social and economic benefits through sustainable fisheries;

(2) Support quality scientific research to assess and manage fisheries;

(3) Promote an ecosystem approach in fisheries management;

(4) Recognize the importance of island culture and traditional fishing in managing fishery resources and foster opportunities for participation;

(5) Promote education and outreach activities and regional collaboration regarding fisheries conservation; and

(6) Encourage development of technologies and methods to achieve the most effective level of enforcement and to ensure safety at sea.

A copy of the MCP may be obtained, identified by NOAA–NMFS–2021–0069, from the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal, https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAANMFS-2021-0069, or from the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council), 1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI 96813, tel 808–522–8200,http://www.wpcouncil.org.