Pacific Island Fisheries Managers Call for Balance in Conservation
Members of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (Wespac) participating in the 154th annual meeting of the American Fisheries Society in Honolulu from Sept. 15-19 are calling for greater balance in conservation and fisheries management in marine national monuments.
Council members and advisors to the Council raised concerns during the meeting about expanding closed areas in U.S. Pacific waters, contending that Pacific Islanders are being forced to meet a national goal to protect 30% or U.S. lands and waters at great cost to their economies.
During a session titled “Large Blue-Water Marine Protected Areas: Benefits and Costs,” a member of the council's Scientific and Statistical Committee challenged an October 2022 paper claiming that the 2016 expansion of Papaha...
