Fishery status report for Am Samoa shows catches of albacore up while bottom fish at low 
levels

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC) has issued the 2022 Status of Fisheries in the Western Pacific Region.

The Council promotes sustainable fisheries and provides stewardship of marine resources seaward of the state waters of Hawai‘i, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and the Pacific Remote Island Areas (PRIA).

A summary of the annual report states that fishers in American Samoa were still dealing with pandemic-related lockdowns and mandates at the beginning of 2022. Many people reported associated effects from the slow rollout of pandemic relief funding under the CARES Act.

Fishers also reported difficulties related to fish spoilage because of the lack of available ice, and aging infrastructure like the marina and boat ramps. Despite these hardships, fisher observations suggested 2022 was a relatively good fishing year, especially for pelagic species such as yellow fin tuna and mahimahi.

Available 2022 pelagic species data agree with fisher observations. While there was a decrease in total longline sets and a decrease in the total estimated number of pelagic trolling trips, total pelagic landings generally increased. This increase was primarily driven by the good fishing year for albacore, the primary target
 of the American Samoa longline fishery, with a 28% increase in catch and 59% increase in catch per unit effort. Catches of mahimahi and blue marlin also had notable increases.

The American Samoa bottom fish fishery continued to operate at low 
levels in 2022 with total estimated landings slightly above 2021 levels, but greatly reduced from prior years and historical averages. This is part
 of a decreasing trend in fishery catches since 2015. The American Samoa
 11-species bottom fish complex was identified as over fished and experiencing
 over fishing according to a 2019 NMFS assessment, leading to a relatively
 low annual catch limit (ACL) of 5,000 pounds as part of a fishery rebuilding 
plan.

However, a more recent stock assessment on each of the individual species concluded that they are being harvested sustainably. Again in 2022,
 commercial bottom fish data were confidential due to a relative lack of reporting from local vendors. This aligns with observations from fishers that 
there were very few local bottom fish in the markets, and most bottom fish sold
 in stores were from Samoa. Some community members reported relying more 
heavily on roadside sales than buying at the markets.

King tides severely impacted coastal roads on the island of Tutuila in July 2022. Infrastructure in American Samoa is extremely vulnerable to sea level rise due to the steep terrain of its islands and relatively narrow coastlines. The Council has worked with National Marine Fisheries Service to develop a Pacific Islands Regional Action Plan that identifies steps to promote climate resilient fisheries.

2022 ACTIONS
 THAT AFFECT AMERICAN SAMOA

May 2 (87 FR 25590) Final rule for Amendment 5 to the American Samoa Archipelago Fishery Ecosystem Plan to implement a rebuilding plan for over fished bottom fish that includes a 5,000-pound ACL starting in 2022. As an in-season AM, if NMFS projects that the fishery will reach the ACL in any year, then NMFS will close the fishery for the remainder of that year. If the total annual catch exceeds the limit during a year, NMFS will close the fishery until NMFS and the American Samoa government implement a coordinated management regime to ensure that the catch is maintained at levels that allow the stock to rebuild. This action 
was necessary to rebuild the over fished stock consistent with the requirements
of the MSA and was effective June 1, 2022. NMFS and the Council will review the rebuilding plan every two years and modify it, as necessary, per section 304(e) (7) of the MSA.

Aug. 29 (87 FR 52704) Valid specified fishing agreement that allocates up to 1,500 metric tons of 2022 bigeye tuna limit for the Territory of American Samoa to identified U.S. longline fishing vessels. The agreement, valid as 
of July 20, 2022, supports the long- term sustainability of fishery resources 
of the U.S. Pacific Islands, and fisheries development in American Samoa. The start date for attributing 2022 bigeye tuna catch to American Samoa under the agreement was Aug. 25, 2022.