Marine Resources Assessment for the Marianas Operating ... - SPREP

AUGUST 2005 FINAL REPORT
formulates strategies for the best way to achieve those objectives. The NOAA Fisheries participates in
fishery management efforts by providing fisheries data and analysis, and manages the highly migratory
fishery species (over 80 species of sharks, tunas, and billfishes) (NMFS 2003a).
The WPRFMC 2001 FMP for CREs of the Western Pacific Region is the first ever ecosystem-based plan
for fisheries developed in the U.S. (Simonds 2003). The goal of the ecosystem based fishery
management plan is to maintain sustainable coral reef fisheries while preventing adverse impacts to
stocks, habitat, protected species or the ecosystem (WPRFMC 2001). In order to achieve these goals, the
following management measures have been implemented; 1) the designation of zoned MPAs for coral; 2)
permit and reporting requirements to fish in designated low-use MPAs (reporting of fisheries information
in non-MPA areas will continue to be collected through locally administered monitoring systems), and if
needed, a general permit program for all EEZ reef fisheries; and 3) a prohibition on nonselective/destructive
fishing gears and conditions on the types and uses of allowable gears (Simonds
2003).
4.3.1.3 Study Area Fisheries
The importance of commercial and recreational fishing in the Marianas study area has changed
dramatically during recent years. The fisheries here are not separated into commercial, recreational and
subsistence fishing; therefore, fisheries are discussed according to the type of fish caught (i.e., pelagic,
reef fish, and bottomfish). Recreational and subsistence fisherman keep fish for home consumption and
sell the remaining catch at local auctions (NMFS 1996). Until 1930, fishing in the study area was
subsistence based and focused mainly on the coastal zone (Simonds 2003), when Japan began fishing in
the Western Pacific Territories (Miller 2001). Traditional fishing methods are still practiced today,
however, more efficient fishing methods (hook and line, net fishing, spear fishing, etc.) have begun.
Recreational fishing (“catch and release”) is not practiced in Guam and CNMI, since fish caught are either
kept for personal use, distributed within the community, or sold in markets.
Three major fisheries occur in the Marianas MRA study area: pelagic (tuna, Indo-Pacific blue marlin,
dolphinfish), bottomfish (snappers, groupers, and jacks), and reef fish fisheries (unicornfish, goatfish,
snappers, rudderfish, and wrasses). These fisheries utilize various gear types in harvesting these species
within the study area and are listed below with a brief description of their use and the target species
(Amesbury et al. 1986, Amesbury and Myers 2001; WPRFMC 2001). Trolling is the most common gear
type utilized on Guam in terms of total landings and is depicted along with other gear types in Figure 4-1.
• Cast nets are thrown and the net opens in the air and falls over the fish school, trapping as many
fish as possible. They are used to harvest rabbitfish, bigeye scad, mullet, goatfish, and
surgeonfish.
• Surround nets require several people to deploy and are used to surround large groups of fish on
the reef. They target the same species as cast nets, but in greater numbers. Large numbers of
bigeye scad are taken during seasonal runs.
• Gill nets work by entangling fishes in the meshes of the net. They are not species-specific, but
take fish similar to other netting methods. Gill nets are size-specific and dependent on mesh size.
• Drag nets are used in sandy areas of the reefs where the net can be set and then pulled onto the
beach without being snagged on rocks or corals. They require several people and harvest a
variety of species.
• Spearfishing occurs at night using underwater flashlights to target parrotfish, surgeonfish, and
squirrelfish.
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