A group of scientists who advise the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is meeting in Hawaii from today to make decisions that could have significant impact on the amount of fish that fishermen can catch in the US Pacific Islands.
The Scientific and Statistical Committee will consider methods to set annual catch limits for species caught in the regions exclusive economic zone.
It was also discussed during the regional ecosystem advisory committee meeting in April.
The committee is also expected to provide recommendations regarding the criteria for determining the status of stocks, as well as the maximum sustainable yield for each species.
Among the challenges is the limited scientific data available on the vast majority of fish species, and some species fall under the jurisdiction of both the federal government and the state and territorial government.
