The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC), which has authority over the stewardship of fisheries in the state and territorial waters of Hawaii and the U.S. Pacific Islands, is pushing back against a proposal to list giant clams in the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA).
In July, NOAA Fisheries released proposed rules for species of giant clams under the ESA, which would list the species H. porcellanus, T. mbalavuana, T. squamosina, T. derasa, and T. gigas as endangered species and H. hippopus as a threatened species. Under the ESA, harvest or collection of the clams would become illegal – as would any behavior that could alter the species’ habitat in a way that makes its survival more difficult.
The WPRFMC has objected to the listing, with council members questioning the process that led to the proposal – including where the surveys were conducted.
“I feel NMFS is just ramming this through the system,” WPRFMC Council Member Sylvian Igisomar, who is also the chair of the Northern Mariana Islands Department of Lands and Natural Resources.
Igisomar said he questioned whether ...
