National Marine Fisheries Service - Pacific Islands Regional Office

NOAA/NMFS/Pacific Islands Regional Office

Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) Deep 7 Bottomfish Total Allowable Catch (TAC)

Updated: May 21, 2008

Current and Remaining Deep 7 Bottomfish Catch

Click here for the final update of the 2007-08 MHI Deep 7 bottomfish catch and remaining TAC (pdf 19 kB)

Background

Fisheries for bottomfish in the Federal waters around Hawaii (3-200 nm offshore) are managed under the Fishery Management Plan for the Bottomfish and Seamount Groundfish Fisheries of the Western Pacific Region.

To limit fishing mortality and to contribute to long-term conservation of bottomfish stocks at levels that support healthy fisheries, Federal regulations implementing the plan established an annual total allowable catch (TAC) for Deep 7 bottomfish. The following Deep 7 bottomfish are included in the TAC:

Local Name	Common Name	Scientific Name
Lehi	Silver jaw jobfish	Aphareus rutilans
Ehu	Squirrelfish snapper	Etelis carbunculus
Onaga	Longtail snapper	E. coruscans
Opakapaka	Pink snapper	Pristipomoides filamentosus
Kalekale	Snapper	P. sieboldii
Gindai	Snapper	P. zonatus
Hapu‘upu‘u	Sea bass	Epinephelus quernus

The TAC is determined each fishing year using the best available scientific information collected by the State of Hawaii and NMFS, including commercial and non-commercial fishing data and other information, and considers the associated risk of overfishing. When the TAC is reached all fishing (commercial and non-commercial) for Deep 7 species is prohibited in Federal waters around the MHI for the remainder of the fishing year. There is no prohibition on fishing for other bottomfish species throughout the year. When the TAC is reached, the State of Hawaii will also close waters from the shoreline out to three nautical miles (State waters).

The 2007-08 MHI Deep 7 bottomfish fishing year began October 1, 2007. The TAC was reached, and the MHI Deep 7 fishery was closed on April 16, 2008. The Deep 7 fishery will reopen September 1, 2008, and will remain open until the 2008-09 TAC is reached.

Authority: 50 CFR 665.72

Deep 7 bottomfishes