Hawaii FEP - Western Pacific Fishery Council

commercial bottomfish fishery are determined to be adequate to include in the annualTAC calculation.(5) Non-commercial fishermen are allowed to catch, possess, and land as many as five deep -7 fish combined, per person, per fishing trip in Federal waters. The State of Hawaii alsohas a similar bag limit for non-commercial fishing.At the Council’s request, NMFS issued a final notice of specifications for the MHI Deep 7bottomfish fishery (74 FR 6998) which implemented a Total Allowable Catch of 241,000 lbs ofdeep 7 species caught by commercial fishermen in waters around the Main Hawaiian Islandsduring the 2008-2009 fishing year.Impact of NWHI Monument Designation and RegulationsDuring the phase-out and closure of the NWHI fishery mandated through the NWHI monumentdesignation, fishing effort may shift from the NWHI to the MHI. This effort shift may exacerbatethe fishing pressures on the MHI. To estimate the shift in fishing effort from the NWHI, it isessential to examine the current fishing activity of the eight vessels operating there. In 2003,fishermen made 76 trips into NWHI fishing areas and those trips resulted in 220,000 lbs ofbottomfish landings (for more information see the 2007 Bottomfish Fishery SEIS). This amountfalls well within the imposed landing limit (350,000 lbs annually) for the next five years.Bottomfish landings (by pounds) also fall within zone-specific maximum sustainable yields. In2003, fishermen landed 77,000 lbs in the Mau Zone and 145,000 lbs in the Hoomalu Zone, lessthan the areas’ maximum sustainable yields of 100,399 lbs and 348,385 lbs, respectively. Itappears the landing limit imposed for the next five years will have limited effect on currentfishing operations in the NWHI, and it is expected that the NWHI landings will be relativelystable, unless affected by outside factors such as a buyout.If all of the vessels that currently operate in the NWHI shift their bottomfish fishing effort to theMHI (once the NWHI fishery is closed on June 15, 2011), similar landings could theoretically bemade. However, recent effort control measures including 2007 and 2008 seasonal closures, anannual commercial TAC and reduced recreational bag limits may prevent overfishing of MHIbottomfish. It remains to be seen how fishermen will actually react to the NWHI fishery closure;reactions may include shifting to the MHI bottomfish fishery, shifting fishery or gear type (likelyto pelagics, longline or troll), or ceasing fishing operations altogether. It also possible that abuyout program will be established for the current NWHI bottomfish fishermen. If structuredappropriately, a buyout could limit or eliminate fishing effort shift by scrapping the vesseloutright or removing the USCG fishing endorsement from the vessel. The Council recommendeda control date of June 2, 2005, for the MHI bottomfish fishery which could be used by theCouncil and NMFS as criteria to limit fishing effort or participation in a future limited entryprogram (70 FR 40305, July 13, 2005).NMFS will continue to monitor the fishery and will periodically assess the status of the HawaiiArchipelago bottomfish stocks complex. State and Federal programs are in place to monitorshifts in effort from the NWHI to the MHI and other fisheries.103