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Revised Swordfish Trip Limits in the American Samoa Longline Fishery: Regulatory Amendment Including an Environmental Assessment and Regulatory Impact Review
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Description:The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) will revise the retention limit of 10 swordfish per trip in the American Samoa deep-set longline fishery. NMFS and the Council originally established the limit as part of a suite of gear and operational requirements intended to discourage fishermen shallow-set fishing, thus reducing interactions with green sea turtles. However, the retention limit is not needed as fishery landings do not indicate that fishermen target swordfish through shallow-set fishing. This action would remove the unnecessary restriction that results in the discard of small amounts of marketable swordfish that could otherwise be supplied as seafood. The proposed action is intended to promote efficiency in the fishery.
The fishery primarily targets South Pacific albacore and lands the catch at the Pago Pago-based cannery. A smaller amount of revenue comes from sale of other species (e.g., yellowfin tuna, skipjack tuna, and swordfish) to the cannery or local market. The longline fishery is an important component of the local economy and provides a source of fish that serve culturally important roles. The fishery is faced with economic constraints and revising the swordfish retention limit could provide economic benefits.
The Council has recommended two action alternatives for revising the retention limit. This document includes an Environmental Assessment (EA) that evaluates potential environmental effects of the following alternatives:
Alternative 1: No action/status quo --Continue to allow up to 10 swordfish to be retained per trip. Alternative 2: Modify the swordfish retention limit to allow a vessel to retain up to 25 swordfish per trip. Alternative 3: Remove the swordfish retention limit (preferred alternative).
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Rights Information:Public Domain
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Compliance:Submitted
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