Western Pacific Region
Status of the Fisheries 2025 Revenue generally declined less than catch and rose in some areas as higher fish prices helped offset lower landings. Inflation-adjusted average price per pound increased by 7 cents in American Samoa, 50 cents in the CNMI, 17 cents in Guam and 28 cents in Hawai‘i.
The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council manages federal fisheries and supports sustainable fishing seaward of the state waters of Hawai‘i, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and the Pacific Remote Island Area (PRIA), as well as pelagic fisheries on the open ocean in these jurisdictions. This work includes commercial and noncommercial (i.e., subsistence, recreational, cultural) fisheries under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA).
Fishing Costs: Fuel remained more than half of trip expenses in the American Samoa and Hawai‘i longline fisheries, although its share declined in American Samoa as fuel prices fell and bait, gear and crew provision costs Continued on page 2
Each year, the Council prepares reports for its five Fishery Ecosystem Plans (FEPs). This publication highlights key interannual changes and trends from those reports. Full reports are available at www.wpcouncil.org/annual-reports. Fishery statistics can be influenced by data reporting, environmental changes and socioeconomic factors. In recent years, climate events and changes in data collection, fishing operations and costs also affected regional fisheries. Some of these effects are reflected in the summary trends below, alongside recent stock statuses and management measures. Region-Wide Patterns in Pelagic Fisheries: In 2025, pelagic fisheries across the U.S. Pacific Islands had mixed results. Total catch declined in every jurisdiction compared with 2024, ranging from 3.5% in Hawai‘i to 53.5% in Guam.
Longline vessels in Pago Pago Harbor, American Samoa. The territory’s tuna longline fishery supplies the StarKist cannery and U.S. seafood markets and accounted for most of American Samoa’s pelagic landings in 2025, despite a continued decline in the active fleet. Photos: Joshua DeMello and Edgar Feliciano.
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