Hawaii FEP - Western Pacific Fishery Council

4.3.3 Status of Crustaceans FisheryThe NWHI lobster fishery was closed in 2000 because of growing uncertainty in the populationmodels used to assess stock status (DeMartini et al 2003). It has remained closed since that time,in part due to the uncertainty in the population models and, more recently, due to the June, 2006imposition of the NWHI Marine National Monument which stipulates that any commerciallobster fishing permit shall be subject to a zero annual harvest limit within the monument. TheMHI fishery has not been determined to be overfished or subject to overfishing.In Hawaii, an intermittent deepwater shrimp fishery began in 1967 (Tagami and Ralston1988) and continues to be vary from year to year with an average of three vessels reporting thecatch of deepwater shrimp to the state of Hawaii. Vessels ranged in size from 7.5 to 40 m inlength, though the number of smaller vessels increased as larger vessels left the fishery (Tagamiand Barrows 1988). To date, the highest landings (~275,000 lbs) of deepwater shrimp in Hawaiioccurred in 1984; however, in 1989 nearly 270,000 lbs were landed, with an estimated ex-vesselvalue of more than $1 million. In 2005, vessels from the Pacific Northwest fished forHeterocarpus spp. in Hawaii and landed over 100,000 lbs. Between 1982 and 2005, thecumulative landings of H. laevigatus amounted to over 1.5 million lbs, while during the sametime period, H. ensifer landings totaled over 20,000 lbs.4.3.4 Crustaceans MSYThe most recent estimates of MSY for the NWHI fishery are found in Polovina et al. (1987).These researchers estimated the annual MSY for NWHI spiny lobsters to be 900,000 lobsters andestimated an annual MSY of 600,000 NWHI slipper lobsters.In the absence of more complete and accurate data, the MSY for the spiny lobster stock aroundthe MHI can be provisionally estimated as approximately 15,000 – 30,000 lobsters per year of8.26 cm carapace length or longer. There are insufficient data to estimate MSY values for MHIslipper lobsters or Kona crabs, The MSY for the deepwater shrimp has been estimated for theHawaiian Islands at 40 kg/nmi 2 (Tagami and Ralston 1988 in King 1993).4.3.5 Crustaceans Optimum YieldOY for the NWHI spiny and slipper lobster fishery is defined as the fishing mortality rateassociated with a 10 percent risk of recruitment overfishing.OY for the MHI spiny lobster fishery is defined as the greatest amount of non-berried spinylobster with a carapace length of 31/4 in. (8.26 cm) that can be taken each year from EEZ watersaround the MHI by vessels fishing in accordance with the measures in this plan. No OYestimates for MHI slipper lobsters or Kona crabs are available.OY for Heterocarpus in the MHI has not been determined. Improved catch reports have beenrecommended to enhance information available to fishery managers about deepwater shrimp inthe MHI and allow for improved fishery management in the future.112