Pacific Coral Reef Conservation Activities

NOAA Fisheries Service 's coral reef conservation activities within the Pacific are conducted through the Pacific Islands Fishery Science Center's Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED) and the Pacific Island Regional Office (PIRO).

The CRED conducts biennial monitoring and assessment cruises to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) and biennial cruises to Guam and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana's and to the Line and Phoenix Islands and American Samoa (see graph below). These cruises assist the state and territories and partner agencies in enhancing their knowledge and improving their management of their coral reef resources.

CRED leads multi-agency effort to remove derelict fishing gear from the NWHI. More than 440 metric tons of derelict fishing gear has been removed from the NWHI since 1996. The most frequent type of derelict fishing gear encountered in the NWHI is the netting thought to be from the trawl fisheries operating along the continental shelf of the Pacific Rim (thousands of kilometers from the NWHI). By the end of 2005 CRED and its partners will have removed all major accumulations of derelict fishing gear and will transition to a maintenance mode.

Beginning in 2003, the PIRO opened satellite offices in American Samoa followed by the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. In 2005, PIRO will establish a NMFS Office in Guam to assist Federal and territorial agencies in coral reef resource management. These offices will assist in coordination of on-going programs such as National Ocean Service's abandoned vessel program and the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council's efforts to implement their Coral Reef Ecosystem Fishery Management Plan. The office will also work with local resource agencies to support and implement Overfishing Local Action Strategies, to assist in local fishery management efforts, and to identify and designate marine protected areas and other appropriate methods for protecting and conserving coral reef ecosystems.

1. Activities in Hawaii and the Pacific

1. Activities in Hawaii and the Pacific
2. Derelict Fishing Removal from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

1. Activities in Hawaii and the Pacific
2. American Samoa, Line and Phoenix Islands Coral Reef Assessment Cruise
3. Marine Debris Removal from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
4. Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Ecosystem Assessment Cruise

Return to the NMFS coral reef fishries management page.

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