The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has set a 2021 limit of 2,000 metric tons of longline-caught bigeye tuna for each U.S. Pacific territory, including American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Each territory can allocate up to 1,500 metric tons to U.S. fishing vessels, but the total allocation across all territories cannot exceed 3,000 metric tons. NMFS will monitor the catches and may impose restrictions if these limits are expected to be reached, to ensure long-term sustainability of these fishery resources. Additionally, NMFS has addressed public comments concerning environmental and cultural impacts, ensuring comprehensive consideration of the potential effects on marine ecosystems and populations.
Simple Explanation
The U.S. government is making sure that people fishing in American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands catch just the right amount of a type of big fish called bigeye tuna, so that there will still be plenty of fish left for the future and the ocean stays healthy.