The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPFMC) is calling on the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) to “address severe funding shortfalls that threaten the future of fisheries management.”
However, the council’s calls are coming at a time when the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly planning to slash NOAA’s budget, which funds the council, by 27 percent for the 2026 fiscal year.
“If that cut is applied to the WPFMC, that’s going to significantly impact our operations because we are already operating at reduced capacity,” WPFMC Program Officer Mark Mitsuyasu said.
According to Mitsuyasu, the council, which works to monitor fish stocks and annually amend management plans for offshore Pacific Ocean fisheries, is currently functioning at around at least a 33 percent staffing deficit because of rising costs and no increases in funding over the past several years.
The staffing deficit has resulted in more time needed to process fisheries analysis and management plans.
“It’s like any organization, if you lose one-third of your people, it’s more difficult to operate,” Mitsuyasu said.
Unlike other organizations, though, some of the WPFMC’s biggest costs include traveling to the Pacific Islands to meet with and provide support to small-scale fisheries...
