Proposed limit for longline-caught bigeye tuna posted — 1500mt

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — In a notice this past week, the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced that it proposes s limit of 2,000 metric tons (t) of longline-caught bigeye tuna for 2022  for each U.S. Pacific territory — American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).

NMFS said it would allow each territory to allocate up to 1,500 t to U.S. longline fishing vessels through specified fishing agreements that meet established criteria. However, the overall allocation limit among all territories may not exceed 3,000 metric tons.

As an accountability measure, NMFS would monitor, attribute, and restrict (if necessary) catches of longline-caught bigeye tuna, including catches made under a specified fishing agreement.

“The proposed catch limits and accountability measures would support the long-term sustainability of fishery resources of the U.S. Pacific Islands,” according to NMFS, which is seeking public comments by Nov. 12th.

Details and the proposed rule can be found at: www.regulations.gov