Hawaii FEP - Western Pacific Fishery Council

Physical and biological oceanographic changes have also been observed on decadal time scales.These low-frequency changes, termed regime shifts, can impact the entire ocean ecosystem.Recent regime shifts in the North Pacific have occurred in 1976 and 1989, with both physicaland biological (including fishery) impacts (Polovina 1996; Polovina et al. 1995). In the late1980s, an ecosystem shift from high-carrying capacity to low-carrying capacity occurred in theNWHI. The shift was associated with the weakening of the Aleutian Low Pressure System(North Pacific) and the Subtropical Counter Current. The ecosystem effects of this shift wereobserved in lower nutrient and productivity levels and decreased abundance of numerous speciesin the NWHI, including the spiny lobster, the Hawaiian monk seal, various reef fish, the redfootedbooby, and the red-tailed tropic bird (Demartini et. al., 2002; Polovina and Haight, 1999).3.3.4 Protected SpeciesTo varying degrees, protected species in the Western Pacific Region face various natural andanthropogenic threats to their continued existence. These threats include regime shifts, habitatdegradation, poaching, fisheries interactions, vessel strikes, disease, and behavioral alterationsfrom various disturbances associated with human activities. This section presents availableinformation on the current status of protected species (generally identified as sea turtles, marinemammals, and seabirds) known to occur (perhaps only occasionally) in the Western PacificRegion. Fishery interactions with protected species are routinely evaluated by NMFS through thepreparation and issuance of biological opinions (see Section 8.5). In summary, due to the targetspecies and gear types used in the fisheries managed under this FEP, very few interactions withprotected species have been reported or observed. These are described in Chapter 4.3.3.4.1 Sea TurtlesAll Pacific sea turtles are designated under the Endangered Species Act as either threatened orendangered. The breeding populations of Mexico’s olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelysolivacea) are currently listed as endangered, while all other ridley populations are listed asthreatened. Leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) and hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelysimbricata) are also classified as endangered. Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green sea turtles(Chelonia mydas) are listed as threatened (the green sea turtle is listed as threatened throughoutits Pacific range, except for the endangered population nesting on the Pacific coast of Mexico).These five species of sea turtles are highly migratory, or have a highly migratory phase in theirlife history (NMFS 2001).Green and hawksbill turtles are known to nest in Hawaii and forage in nearshore waters aroundHawaii, and loggerhead, leatherback and olive ridley turtles have been sighted offshore byHawaii-based pelagic longline vessels as they migrate through EEZ waters around the HawaiiArchipelago (NMFS 2005).Leatherback Sea TurtlesLeatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) are widely distributed throughout the oceans of theworld, and are found in waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans; the Caribbean Sea;and the Gulf of Mexico (Dutton et al. 1999). Increases in the number of nesting females have70