View Rule

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) proposes to amend the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for the American Samoa (AS) Archipelago. If approved by the Secretary of Commerce, Amendment 5 would implement a rebuilding plan for AS bottomfish, which NMFS determined to be overfished and experiencing overfishing in February 2020. The Council recommended this proposed action pursuant to section 304(e) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which requires the Council to prepare and NMFS to implement a rebuilding plan within two years of determination of an overfished condition. The Council developed the rebuilding plan in coordination with NMFS, the AS Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources, and other interested and affected parties.