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Western Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold meetings of its Archipelagic Plan Team (APT), Fishery Data Collection and Research Committee Technical Committ...

Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  1. [RTID 0648-XF697]

AGENCY:

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION:

Notice of public meetings.

SUMMARY:

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold meetings of its Archipelagic Plan Team (APT), Fishery Data Collection and Research Committee Technical Committee (FDCRC TC) and Pelagic Plan Team (PPT) to discuss fishery management issues and develop recommendations for future management of fisheries in the Western Pacific Region.

DATES:

The APT will meet on Monday, May 11, 2026, between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time (HST) and Tuesday, May 12, 2026 between 8:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. The FDCRC TC will meet Tuesday, May 12, 2026 between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. HST. The APT will meet jointly with the PPT on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, between 8:30 ( printed page 24175) a.m. and 4 p.m. HST. The PPT will meet on Thursday and Friday, May 14-15, 2026, between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. HST. For specific times and agendas, see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION .

ADDRESSES:

The meeting will be held in a hybrid format with in-person and remote participation (Webex) options available for the members, and public attendance limited to web conference via Webex. In-person attendance for members will be hosted at the Council office, 1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI 96813. Specific information on joining the meeting, connecting to the web conference and making oral public comments will be posted on the Council website at https://www.wpcouncil.org. For assistance with the web conference connection, contact the Council office at (808) 522-8220.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kitty M. Simonds, Executive Director, Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, (808) 522-8220 (voice) or (808) 522-8226 (fax).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The APT meeting will be held Monday, May 11, 2026, between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. HST (7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Samoa Standard Time (SST); 4:30 a.m. to 12 noon on May 12, 2026, Chamorro Standard Time (ChST)) and Tuesday, May 12, 2026 between 8:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. (7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. SST; 4:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. on May 13, 2026, ChST). The FDCRC TC will meet Tuesday, May 12, 2026 between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. HST (12 p.m. and 3 p.m. SST; 9 a.m.—12 p.m. on May 13, 2026, ChST). The APT will meet jointly with the PPT on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. HST (7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. SST; 4:30 a.m. to 12 noon on May 14, 2026, ChST). The PPT will meet on Thursday and Friday, May 14-15, 2026, between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. HST (7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. SST; 4:30 a.m. to 12 noon on May 15-16, 2026, ChST). Opportunities to present oral public comment will be provided on the agenda. The order of the agenda may change, and will be announced in advance at the meeting. The meeting may run past the scheduled times noted above to complete scheduled business.

Agenda for the Archipelagic Plan Team Meeting

Monday, May 11, 2026, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. HST (7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. SST; 4:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on May 12, 2026, ChST)

1. Welcome and APT Introductions

2. Approval of Draft APT Agenda

3. Report on Previous APT Recommendations

4. 2025 Archipelagic Annual Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) Reports

A. Fishery Performance

i. Archipelagic Fishery Performance Modules

a. American Samoa

b. Guam

c. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)

d. Hawaii

e. Territorial Non-Commercial

B. Ecosystem and Climate Considerations

i. Protected Species

ii. Life History and Length-Derived Variables

iii. Biomass Estimates for Coral Reef Ecosystem Components

C. Administrative Reports

i. Federal Permit and Logbook Data

ii. Regulatory Actions

5. APT Review: Action Item Progress

A. Hawaii Non-Commercial Fishery Performance

1. Preliminary Results from Uku Mail Survey

2. Catch Estimation Approaches for Deep 7 Bottomfish

6. Public Comment

Tuesday, May 12, 2026, 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. HST (7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. SST; 4:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. on May 13, 2026, ChST)

7. Council Actions

A. Kona Crab Annual Catch Limit Specification

8. Improving Data Collection Efforts

A. 2025 Mariana Archipelago Small Boat Survey

B. Territorial Fish Flow Projects

C. Transitioning from Random Surveys to Full Census

9. Open Discussion: Archipelagic SAFE Report Matters

A. Ecosystem Component Species (ECS) Management

B. Monitoring Shark Depredation

C. Monitoring Kona Crab Harvest

D. Improving Creel Survey Administration

10. Public Comment

11. Discussion and Archipelagic Plan Team Recommendations

Agenda for the Fishery Data Collection and Research Committee Technical Committee Meeting

Tuesday, May 12, 2026, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. HST (12 p.m. to 3 p.m. SST; 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on May 13, 2026, ChST)

1. Welcome and Introductions

2. Report on Previous FDCRC TC Recommendations and Council Actions

3. Data Collection

A. Updates on Regional Data Summit Progress

B. Right-fitting Data Collection for the Region

i. Hawaii Uku Surveys

ii. American Samoa Census

iii. Plans for the Northern Mariana Islands

4. Other Issues

A. Non-Commercial Data Updates

B. Archipelagic Plan Team Recommendations

5. Public Comment

6. Discussion and Recommendations

7. Other Business

Agenda for the Joint Archipelagic and Pelagic Plan Teams Meeting

Wednesday, May 13, 2026, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. HST (7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. SST; 4:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on May 14, 2026, ChST)

1. PPT Welcome and Introductions

2. Approval of PPT Draft Agenda

3. 2025 Archipelagic and Pelagic Annual SAFE Reports

A. Fisher Observations

i. American Samoa

ii. CNMI

iii. Guam

iv. Hawaii

B. Ecosystem Considerations and Indicator Development

i. Oceanic and Climate Variables

a. Archipelagic Dashboard Update

ii. Socioeconomics

iii. Essential Fish Habitat

iv. Marine Planning

4. SAFE Reports Revamp

5. Executive Order 14276 Update

6. Program Planning

A. Aligning Science and Management Priorities

B. Magnuson Stevens Reauthorization Act Five-year Research Priorities Update

C. IRA Project Updates

i. Scenario Planning

ii. Regulatory Review

iii. Protected Species Workshops

iv. Community Consultations

v. Shark Depredation Workshop

8. Other Issues

9. Public Comment

10. Discussion and Joint Plan Team Recommendations

11. Other Business and APT Closing

Agenda for the Pelagic Plan Team Meeting

Thursday, May 14, 2026, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. HST (7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. SST; 4:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on May 15, 2026, ChST)

1. Report on Previous PPT Recommendations

2. 2025 Pelagic Annual SAFE Reports

A. Fishery Data Modules

i. American Samoa

ii. CNMI ( printed page 24176)

iii. Guam

iv. Hawaii

v. International

B. Ecosystem Considerations Modules

i. Protected Species

C. Administrative Reports

i. Regulatory Action

3. PPT Review: Working Group and Action Item Progress

A. Potential ECS Management under Pelagic FEP

4. Discussion: Pelagic SAFE Report Matters

5. Public Comment

Friday, May 15, 2026, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. HST (7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. SST; 4:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on May 16, 2026, ChST)

6. U.S. Pacific Marine National Monument Research and Monitoring

7. Electronic Monitoring (EM) in Hawaii and American Samoa Longline Fisheries Update

8. Feasibility of Stock Assessments for Secondary Incidental Management Unit Species

9. International Fisheries Updates

A. South Pacific Albacore Management Allocations

B. Bigeye Tuna Management Procedure

10. Public Comment

11. Discussion and Pelagic Plan Team Recommendations

12. Other Business and PPT Closing

Special Accommodations: These meetings are accessible to people with disabilities. Please direct requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids to Kitty M. Simonds (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section above) at least five days prior to the meeting date.

Authority:16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

Dated: May 1, 2026.

Anna Michelle Harrison,

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 2026-08703 Filed 5-4-26; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-22-P

Legal Citation

Federal Register Citation

Use this for formal legal and research references to the published document.

91 FR 24174

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Suggested Web Citation

Use this when citing the archival web version of the document.

“Western Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings,” thefederalregister.org (May 5, 2026), https://thefederalregister.org/documents/2026-08703/western-pacific-fishery-management-council-public-meetings.