Pacific Islands | NOAA Fisheries
Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands Fisheries Management and Marine Life Protection
Learn about NOAA Fisheries' work in American Samoa, Guam, Hawaiʻi, the Northern Mariana Islands, and other U.S. Pacific Islands.
The Pacific Islands, comprised of American Samoa, Guam, Hawaiʻi, the Northern Mariana Islands, and other U.S. Pacific Islands, are surrounded by a rich diversity of marine life that is vital to our culture and economic stability. We thrive on sustainable seafood; it's key to our health and well-being. We also benefit from commercial and non-commercial fishing industries, which contribute nearly $1.7 billion in sales and support nearly 16,000 jobs across our island communities. In 2023, commercial fishermen in the Pacific Islands Region landed approximately 150 million pounds of finfish and shellfish.
We are home to the lovable, yet endangered Hawaiian monk seal. Other popular species include green sea turtles, spinner dolphins, false killer whales, and humpback whales. Our coral reefs support about 25 percent of marine life, but these areas are among the most threatened ecosystems because of the effects of natural events and human activities such as ocean acidification, coral bleaching and disease, marine debris, and pollution.
Our work to ensure sustainable fisheries and protect marine life is a joint effort between NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Regional Office and the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, offering cutting-edge science to help inform management decisions in an ever-changing environment. We work together to conserve and manage domestic and international marine resources in a vast geographical area.
Our vision for the region is to achieve sustainable fisheries and seafood, healthy marine ecosystems that provide stability for fishery resources, recovery of threatened and endangered species, and enhanced opportunities for commercial, recreational, and cultural activities in the marine environment.
More Information
Viewing Marine Wildlife in Hawaiʻi
Apply for a Fishing Permit
Funding Opportunities
Jobs and Internships
Pacific Islands Regional Office
Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center
@NOAAFish_PIFSC
@NOAAFish_PIRO
NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands
Featured News
Feature Story
How Researchers Are Bringing the 2026 Pacific Coral Survey to You
Pacific Islands
Feature Story
It’s Peak Monk Seal Pupping Season. Here’s What You Need to Know
Pacific Islands
Leadership Message
50 Years of Innovation and Leadership: Celebrating the Magnuson-Stevens Act
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
International
Feature Story
Seal and Sea Lion Week
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
Feature Story
U.S. Leads the Way to Strengthen Monitoring and Control of Fishing in the South Pacific
Pacific Islands
International
View More News
Notices & Rules
Fisheries
2026 Observer Coverage Rate for the Hawai‘i Deep-Set Longline Fishery
Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands
Fisheries
Restoring America’s Seafood Competitiveness
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
Fisheries
Main Hawaiian Islands Deep 7 Bottomfish Annual Catch Limit and Accountability Measures for 2025-2027
Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands
Protected Resources
Critical Habitat Designations for Threatened Corals in U.S. Waters in the Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands
Protected Resources
Incidental Take Authorization: U.S. Navy's Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System Low Frequency Active Sonar Systems Testing in the Western and Central North Pacific and Eastern Indian Oceans
Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands
More Fisheries Notices & Rules
More Protected Resources Regs & Actions
Upcoming Events
WCPFC Permanent Advisory Committee Meeting
May 27, 2026
Pacific Islands
More Events
Bulletins
Permanent Advisory Committee Recommendations to U.S. Commissioners to the 22nd Regular Session of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission
Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands
More Bulletins
Open Funding Opportunities
Fiscal Year 2024–2026: Broad Agency Announcement
National
National
Species Recovery Grants to States
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
More Opportunities
Featured Highlights
Sound Bytes: Synchronous Swimming (With Robots) – Behind the Glider Challenge
Pacific Islands
West Coast
How NOAA Prepares for Entanglements During Whale Season in Hawaiʻi
Pacific Islands
Locating the Larvae
Pacific Islands
An endangered Hawaiian monk seal takes a nap on the beach on the south coast of Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i. The sign in the foreground instructs people not to approach the seal.
A How-To Guide for Reporting Potential Marine Wildlife Harassment in Hawai‘i
Pacific Islands
Science Overview
Pacific Islands Marine Life and Ecosystem Science
The Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center supports the sustainable management and conservation of marine life. Find scientific reports and research program information.
We provide science to support the conservation and management of fisheries and living marine resources across the Pacific Ocean. We are dedicated to the recovery and conservation of protected species and fisheries resources through biological, ecological, and social science.
Research Areas
Protected Species
Ecosystem Sciences
Fisheries
Coral Reefs
Research Surveys
Research Topics
Hawaiian Monk Seals
Sea Turtle Populations
Whale and Dolphin Surveys
Fish Life History
Coral Health & Threats
Ecosystem Modeling
Marine Debris
Resources
TurtleWatch
OceanWatch
PIFSC Library
West Hawaiʻi Integrated Ecosystem Assessment
Western Pacific Stock Assessment Review
Western Pacific Fisheries Information Network Data Portal
Fishery Ecosystem Analysis Tool
More Information
National Overview: Science & Data
Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center
External Reviews of Science Programs in the Pacific Islands
Independent Peer Reviews of Science in the Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center Young Scientist Opportunity
Science News & Blogs
Feature Story
How Researchers Are Bringing the 2026 Pacific Coral Survey to You
Feature Story
Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands
A scientist prepares to photograph a reef at Swains Island during the 2023 National Coral Reef Monitoring Program survey in American Samoa. Credit: NOAA Fisheries (Permit #NMSAS-2023-002)
Leadership Message
50 Years of Innovation and Leadership: Celebrating the Magnuson-Stevens Act
Leadership Message
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
International
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
International
U.S. Senators Ted Stevens (R-AK) and Warren Magnuson (D-WA), 1973.
Science Blog
Sound Bytes: Synchronous Swimming (With Robots) – Behind the Glider Challenge
Pacific Islands
West Coast
Pacific Islands
West Coast
Dr. Selene Fregosi (right) and Jeremy Taylor, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, supported NOAA Fisheries’ undersea glider challenge in Hawaiʻi in early 2026. The challenge assessed glider performance and capabilities in field conditions off Oʻahu. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Calla Lloyd-Lim
Feature Story
NOAA Fisheries Launches Underwater Glider Challenge in Hawai‘i
Feature Story
Pacific Islands
West Coast
Pacific Islands
West Coast
An underwater glider ballasting (stabilizing) at the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, in preparation for the 2026 glider challenge. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
Feature Story
NOAA Fisheries Partners with Smithsonian to Archive Marine Specimens for Genetic Research
Feature Story
Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands
Photos of squid and octopods, common prey for tuna, billfish, and other pelagic species, collected during Pelagic Research Programs Fisheries Oceanography expeditions. Each will be part of the Smithsonian’s permanent collection and serve as genetic representatives for their species. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Jonathan Whitney
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Sustainable Fisheries
Pacific Islands Commercial and Non-Commercial Fishing Resources
Find permits, reporting forms, rules, and regulations for commercial and non-commercial fisheries in the Pacific Islands.
Fishery management in the Pacific Islands supports the region's fisheries through the development, evaluation, and implementation of fishery policy and legislation. The Pacific Islands Regional Office provides guidance to the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council in developing fishery management plans for commercial and non-commercial domestic fisheries. This ensures that plans are supported by required analyses and are consistent with all applicable laws. Staff coordinate and administer the processing of proposed and final regulations to implement fishery management plans that are approved by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce.
Our objectives are to maintain healthy stocks, eliminate overfishing, and rebuild overfished stocks important to commercial, recreational, and subsistence fisheries. Under these objectives, the goal is to increase long-term economic and social benefits to the nation from living marine resources. We strive to facilitate communications among constituents, and support seafood safety in the region.
Fishing Resources
Fishing Permits
Annual Catch Limits
Protected Species Workshops
Sea Turtle Interactions
Seabird Interactions
Publications
Stock Assessments
Pacific Islands Fisheries
Highly Migratory Species
Main Hawaiian Islands Non-Commercial Bottomfish
Recreational and Non-Commercial
Aquaculture
International
MMPA List of Fisheries in the Pacific Islands
Rules and Regulations
Open for Comment
Notices & Rules in the Federal Register
Federal Fishing Regulations (Chapter III and IV)
Fishery Management Plans
Regulation Summaries and Compliance Guides
State Fishing Regulations
Reporting and Data
Observer Program
American Samoa Longline Logbook Summary Reports
Hawaii and California Longline Logbook Summary Reports
Western Pacific Fisheries Information Network
Fishery Ecosystem Analysis Tool
User Guides for the NOAA Fisheries Longline eReporting App Elog-It
More Information
Seafood in the Pacific Islands
Hawaii Seafood Council
Bycatch
Sustainable Fisheries Overview
Fisheries News
Permanent Advisory Committee Recommendations to U.S. Commissioners to the 22nd Regular Session of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission
Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands
More News
Protected Resources
Pacific Islands Marine Life Conservation and Recovery Resources
We protect, conserve, and manage protected marine mammals, fish, invertebrates, and sea turtles. Find information on our protected species programs.
Managing protected species includes issues surrounding marine mammal and sea turtle injury and mortality as a result of commercial and non-commercial fishing, coastal development, military operations and other ocean/beach usage. We oversee the Marine Mammal Stranding Network, working with partners and volunteers to respond to live and dead stranded or distressed marine mammals in the main Hawaiian Islands. We also work with partners and stakeholders to create effective messages and outreach materials and volunteer programs, as we believe that an informed public is integral to the protection and recovery of our protected species.
Endangered Species Conservation
Section 7 Consultations
Marine Protected Species of American Samoa
Marine Protected Species of the Hawaiian Islands
Marine Protected Species of Mariana Islands
False Killer Whale Take Reduction
Field Camps in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
Protecting Marine Life
Viewing Marine Wildlife in Hawaiʻi
Good Neighbors: How to Share Hawaiʻi's Beaches with Endangered Monk Seals
DolphinSMART
Six Reasons Why You Should Not Swim with Wild Spinner Dolphins
Resources
Volunteer Opportunities
Fishing Around Seals and Turtles
Nearshore Fisheries and Interactions with Hawaiian Monk Seals
Marine Life in Distress
Cetacean Strandings in the Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands Marine Mammal Response Program
More Information
Find a Pacific Islands Species
Pacific Islands Protected Resources Regulations & Actions
Report Marine Animals | (888) 256-9840
Hawaiian Monk Seal Updates
Outreach and Education Resources
Protected Marine Life Overview
Marine Life News
Feature Story
It’s Peak Monk Seal Pupping Season. Here’s What You Need to Know
Feature Story
Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands
Credit: National Park Service/Glauco Puig-Santana (NOAA Fisheries Permit #22677)
Feature Story
Seal and Sea Lion Week
Feature Story
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
Seal & Sea Lion Week is March 23–27, 2026.
Feature Story
NOAA Fisheries Launches Underwater Glider Challenge in Hawai‘i
Feature Story
Pacific Islands
West Coast
Pacific Islands
West Coast
An underwater glider ballasting (stabilizing) at the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, in preparation for the 2026 glider challenge. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
Feature Story
NOAA Announces Confirmed U.S. Large Whale Entanglement Numbers for 2024
Feature Story
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
Credit: NOAA/Maria Harvey
Feature Story
The Endangered Population of False Killer Whales in the Main Hawaiian Islands is Declining
Feature Story
Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands
Behold the rounded head, dark coloration, and torpedo-like body of the false killer whale. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Marie Hill (Permit #25754)
More News
Conserving Habitat
Pacific Islands Habitat Conservation and Restoration Resources
We conserve habitats to boost fish populations, recover threatened and endangered species, and support communities. Find information on our habitat programs.
The NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands region encompasses a large percentage of the nation's ocean habitat to support fisheries stocks, marine mammals, coral reef ecosystems, and a broad spectrum of marine life. These ocean habitats include essential fish habitat under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, seamounts, trenches, and ridges, much of which occurs in the four Marine National Monuments. These ecosystems are important to Pacific Island communities, including Native Hawaiians, Chamorros, Carolinians, and American Samoans, for food, cultural practices, recreation, and overall livelihood. The Pacific Ocean exposes the islands’ coral reefs to large open ocean swells and equatorial currents, which play an important role in structuring the coral ecosystems in and around the Monuments, seamount, trenches, and ridges habitats, as well as the multitude of Pacific Islands.
Our habitat protection efforts include broad research programs on the marine habitat throughout the Pacific Islands region. Our goal is to conserve, protect, and restore marine habitat and coastal ecosystems. The management objectives and priorities for the Pacific Islands include Monument management efforts and the Fisheries Local Action Strategy, a collaborative effort to decrease fishing-related impacts to coral reefs locally. These efforts include:
Habitat mapping and characterization
Physical and biological oceanography studies
Research on a variety of marine habitat issues, including marine debris, invasive species, and pollutants
We also work to increase partnerships with other federal and local authorities. These partnerships allow us to maintain sustainable coastal ecosystems and implement strategies that minimize the introduction and impacts of alien species and marine pollution. We provide technical reviews of all proposed federal actions in coastal habitats in the Pacific Islands region to eliminate or reduce potential negative environmental impacts on the marine habitat.
Conserving Habitat
Marine National Monuments
Coral Reefs in the Pacific
Coral Health and Threats
Essential Fish Habitat
Restoring Shallow Corals
Fisheries Local Action Strategy in Hawaiʻi
Hawaiʻi Fisheries Extension
Scientists and Fishermen Exchange
Consultations
Essential Fish Habitat Consultations
Endangered Species Act Consultations
Regional Activities
NOAA Develops A New Type of Coral Nursery
How Tiny Sea Urchins Are Saving Kāne‘ohe Bay
Shallow Coral Reefs — Essential Fish Habitat of the Pacific Islands
American Samoa Coastal Uses Mapping Project
The Saga of Pacific Paradise
Improving Habitat Restoration and Conservation in Guam's Manell-Geus Habitat Focus Area
Resources
Pacific Islands Benthic Habitat Mapping Center
Measurement Guide for Regulated Nearshore Fish of Hawaiʻi
Frequently Asked Questions about Essential Fish Habitat in the Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands critical habitat designations, maps, and GIS data
7-12 Grade Lesson Plans: Using Scientific Data Collected in the Marine National Monuments
Marianas Trench Classroom Posters
More Information
National Overview: Habitat Conservation
Surveying a Vast Ocean
Habitat Blueprint in the Pacific Islands
Ecosystems: Pacific Islands Complex
NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program
Funding Opportunities
Outreach and Education Resources
Pacific Islands Data and Maps
Habitat News
Leadership Message
50 Years of Innovation and Leadership: Celebrating the Magnuson-Stevens Act
Leadership Message
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
International
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
International
U.S. Senators Ted Stevens (R-AK) and Warren Magnuson (D-WA), 1973.
Feature Story
Restoring Habitat and Engaging the Recreational Community through the National Fish Habitat Partnership
Feature Story
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
Kuleana Coral Restoration works with volunteers to prepare coral fragments for planting. Credit: Mike Ito.
Feature Story
Innovative Coral Restoration Begins in Hawaiʻi After Ship Grounding
Feature Story
Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands
A diver uses a lift bag to transport loose rubble. Credit: NOAA.
Podcast
2024 Winter News Roundup
Podcast
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution engineer Owen Ceserano downloads images collected from a long-range autonomous underwater vehicle called “Stella” on deck of R/V Hugh R. Sharp. HabCam can be seen in the background. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Zach Fyke
Feature Story
Hawai‘i Coral Reef Assessments Complete for 2024
Feature Story
Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands
A scientist carefully hovers above the reef off of Kailua-Kona to take photographs while swimming along a transect line. He took more than 1,000 photos of this single transect that will be stitched together to form a 3D model of this reef. It will be interesting to see how this reef with high coral cover has changed over time! Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Dani Escontrella
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Featured Species in the Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands Managed and Protected Marine Species
Find a list of federally managed or protected fish, invertebrates, sea turtles, and mammals in the Pacific Islands region.
We maintain and manage healthy ocean ecosystems that promote and provide sustainable fisheries, conserve and recover protected marine resources, and enhance opportunities for commercial, recreational, and cultural activities in the Pacific Islands region.
Hawaiian Monk Seal
Green Turtle
False Killer Whale
Main Hawaiian Islands Deep 7 Bottomfish
Oceanic Whitetip Shark
Acropora globiceps Coral
Spinner Dolphin
Pocillopora meandrina Coral
Acropora retusa Coral
View All
More Information
Find a Species
Marine Protected Species of American Samoa
Marine Protected Species of the Hawaiian Islands
Marine Protected Species of Mariana Islands
Species News
Feature Story
How Researchers Are Bringing the 2026 Pacific Coral Survey to You
Feature Story
Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands
A scientist prepares to photograph a reef at Swains Island during the 2023 National Coral Reef Monitoring Program survey in American Samoa. Credit: NOAA Fisheries (Permit #NMSAS-2023-002)
Feature Story
It’s Peak Monk Seal Pupping Season. Here’s What You Need to Know
Feature Story
Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands
Credit: National Park Service/Glauco Puig-Santana (NOAA Fisheries Permit #22677)
Feature Story
Seal and Sea Lion Week
Feature Story
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
Seal & Sea Lion Week is March 23–27, 2026.
Feature Story
Show Seafood Some Love and Get Heart Healthy!
Feature Story
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
Feature Story
NOAA Fisheries Launches Underwater Glider Challenge in Hawai‘i
Feature Story
Pacific Islands
West Coast
Pacific Islands
West Coast
An underwater glider ballasting (stabilizing) at the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, in preparation for the 2026 glider challenge. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
More News