Pacific Islands Annual Catch Limits
A summary of the current estimated catch of target species, percent of annual limit caught, and status of Pacific Island fisheries.
Annual catch limits (ACLs) are tools to prevent overfishing in commercial and recreational fisheries. NOAA Fisheries administers annual catch limits for the Pelagic, Hawai'i, American Samoa, Guam, Mariana Archipelago, and Pacific Remote Island Areas fisheries.
The ACL tables below were updated on November 17, 2020.
Pelagic
| Fishery | Species | 2020 Annual Limit (metric tons) |
Estimated Catch (metric tons) |
% of Limit Caught | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western and Central Pacific Longline | Pacific Bigeye Tuna | 3,554 | 3,532 | 99% | On September 6, 2020, NOAA Fisheries began attributing bigeye tuna catch to vessels in the American Samoa agreement. |
| Specified Fishing Agreement -- Hawaii Longline Association and American Samoa | Pacific Bigeye Tuna | 1,000 | 914 | 91% | The fishery is forecasted to reach the limit by November 20, 2020. |
| Specified Fishing Agreement -- Hawaii Longline Association and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) | Pacific Bigeye Tuna | 1,000 | TBA | TBA | On November 15, 2020, NOAA Fisheries began attributing bigeye tuna catch to vessels in the CNMI agreement. |
| Eastern Pacific Longline | Pacific Bigeye Tuna | 750 (for vessels > 24 m) | 280 | 37% | Open |
Note: NOAA Fisheries has not specified ACLs for most pelagic species because they are subject to international fishing agreements or have life cycles of less than a year.
Hawaii
| Fishery | Species | 2020-21 Annual Limit (lb) | 2020-21 Estimated Catch (lb) | % of Limit Caught | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottomfish | Main Hawaiian Islands Deep 7 Bottomfish (Lehi, Ehu, Onaga, Opakapaka, Kalekale, Gindae, Hapuʻupuʻu) | 492,000 | TBD | TBD | Open |
| Fishery | Species | 2020 Annual Limit (lb) | 2020 Estimated Catch (lb) | % of Limit Caught | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottomfish | Gray jobfish (Uku) | 127,205 | 29,084 | 23% | Open |
| Crustacean | Deepwater Shrimp | 250,773 | - | - | Open |
| Kona Crab | 3,500 (2019 only) | - | - | Open | |
| Precious Coral | Black Coral - Auau Channel |
5,512 | - | - | Open |
| Pink and Red Coral - Makapuu Bed |
2,205 | - | - | Open | |
| Pink Coral - Brooks Bank |
979 | - | - | Open | |
| Pink Coral - 180 Fathom Bank |
489 | - | - | Open | |
| Pink Coral - Kaena Point Bed |
148 | - | - | Open | |
| Pink Coral - Keahole Bed |
148 | - | - | Open | |
| Bamboo Coral - Makapuu Bed |
551 | - | - | Open | |
| Bamboo Coral - Brooks Bank |
245 | - | - | Open | |
| Bamboo Coral - 180 Fathom Bank |
123 | - | - | Open | |
| Bamboo Coral - Kaena Point |
37 | - | - | Open | |
| Bamboo Coral - Keahole Bed |
37 | - | - | Open | |
| Precious Corals in the Hawaii Exploratory Area | 2,205 | - | - | Open |
Note: NOAA Fisheries has not specified ACLs for stocks subject to federal fishing moratoria or prohibitions. These include all species of gold coral, all species of deepwater precious coral at Wespac Bed in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and the three Hawai'i seamount groundfish: pelagic armorhead, alfonsin and raft fish. The current prohibition on fishing for these species serves as a functional equivalent of an ACL of zero.
American Samoa
| Fishery | Species | 2019 Annual Limit (lb) | Estimated Catch (lb) | % of Limit Caught | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottomfish | Bottomfish multi-species stock complex | TBD | - | - | Open |
Note: NOAA Fisheries has not specified ACLs for stocks subject to federal fishing moratoria or prohibitions, including gold corals. The current prohibition on fishing serves as a functional equivalent of an ACL of zero.
Guam
| Fishery | Species | 2019 Annual Limit (lb) | Estimated Catch (lb) | % of Limit Caught | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottomfish | Bottomfish multi-species stock complex | TBD | - | - | Open |
Note: NOAA Fisheries has not specified ACLs for stocks subject to federal fishing moratoria or prohibitions, including gold corals. The current prohibition on fishing serves as a functional equivalent of an ACL of zero.
Mariana Archipelago - Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
| Fishery | Species | 2019 Annual Limit (lb) | Estimated Catch (lb) | % of Limit Caught | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottomfish | Bottomfish multi-species stock complex | TBD | - | - | Open |
Note: NOAA Fisheries has not specified ACLs for stocks subject to federal fishing moratoria or prohibition, including gold corals. The current prohibition on fishing serves as a functional equivalent of an ACL of zero.
Pacific Remote Island Areas
| Fishery | Species | Annual Limit (lb) | Estimated Catch (lb) | % of Limit Caught | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No catch limits | - | - | - | - | - |
Note: NOAA Fisheries has not specified ACLs for any bottomfish crustacean, precious coral, or coral reef ecosystem species in the Pacific Remote Island Areas because commercial fishing is prohibited out to 50 nautical miles by Presidential Proclamation 8336 which established the Pacific Remote Island Marine National Monument (74 FR 1565, January 12, 2009).
