In their proposal published in the Federal Register, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration also seek to prohibit pelagic longline fishing within 30 nautical miles off the waters of the CNMI.
“The purse seine prohibition is intended to reduce the potential for localized fish depletion by purse seine fishing, limit catch competition and gear conflicts between the purse seine fishery and the Guam and the CNMI pelagic longline and trolling fleets and reduce the potential impacts of purse seine fishing on the recruitment of juvenile bigeye tuna,” the proposed rules stated.
The National Marine Fisheries Service, or NMFS, will accept comments on its proposed new rules until May 16, documents showed.
Purse seine fishing is done using a large fish net with rings on the bottom.
Although no U.S. purse seine catches were recorded off the waters of the two territories since 1980, NMFS said the competition for tuna among multinational purse seine fleets could endanger the islands’ localized fish supply.
“In recent years, the competition for skipjack tuna among multinational purse seine fleets in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean has increased, and as a result U.S. purse seiners could turn to fishing grounds such as the EEZ around the Marianas Archipelago, where foreign fishing is prohibited, to increase their catch,” the proposed new rules stated.
Further, the recent closures of two high seas fishing areas and restriction placed on the use of fish aggregating devices by the Western Pacific Fishery Commission could also encourage U.S. purse seiners to fish around the islands.
There is a concern that “the president’s establishment in 2009 of the three new Marine National Monuments in the Marianas, Rose Atoll and the Pacific Remote Islands Areas, which include large areas now closed to commercial fishing, could displace purse seine fishing in to the EEZ around Guam and the CNMI,” NMSF explained.
NMSF said the U.S. purse seine catch in the Western Pacific is made on the high seas, in foreign EEZs under licenses issued in accordance with the South Pacific Tuna Treaty and in the U.S. EEZ around American Samoa and the U.S. Pacific remote islands of Wake, Baker Howland, and Jarvis Islands, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef and Palmyra Atoll.
About 280 million lbs. of skipjack tuna were caught around these areas in 2008 from 165 million in 2007.
Currently, trolling is the primary fishing method in both Guam and the CNMI.
On Guam, NMSF said most boats used by fishermen are shorter than 10 meters in length.
“Estimated annual landings of pelagic fish in Guam have ranged between 301,504 to 935,809 lbs. over the past 20 years. In 2008, landings of pelagic fish —primarily of skipjack tuna, yellowfin tuna, mahimahi (dorado), wahoo and blue marlin — totaled 551,504 lbs. with an estimated total ex-vessel value of $247,188,” NMSF said.
In the CNMI, troll fleets primarily target skipjack tuna.
“In 2008, skipjack tuna landings comprised over 157,708 lbs., or three quarters of total pelagic landings and was valued at nearly $280,000 ex-vessel. The CNMI troll fleet also catches yellowfin tuna and mahimahi on a seasonal basis,” NMSF added.
