Bottom Fishery
Introduction
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| A catch of bottomfish being processed (Click on picture for a larger picture) |
The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) bottomfish fishery occurs primarily around the islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. However, this discussion will be limited to the catches landed on Saipan, which is by far the largest market.
Bottomfishing requires more skill than pelagic trolling and requires knowledge of the location of specific submerged bottom features and hooking techniques.
The CNMI's bottomfish fishery still consists primarily of small-scale (14-25 ft) local boats engaged in commercial and subsistence fishing, but in 1995 larger vessels (25-50 ft) are entering this fishery.
14-25 Foot Boats
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| Typical small troll/bottomfishing boat (Click on picture for a larger picture) |
The CNMI's bottomfish fishery still consists primarily of 14-25 foot local boats engaged in commercial and subsistence bottomfishing within a 20 mile radius of Saipan.
Historically, some trips lasted longer than 1 day. Currently, however, effort is defined and calculated on a daily trip basis. Fishing trips are generally restricted to daylight hours, with all vessels returning before or soon after sunset.
Handlines, handmade hand reels and electric reels are the common gear used for these small-scale fishing operations
This type of bottomfishing is described as "hit or miss" becaues without fathometers and even nautical charts, the majority of these fishermen fish randomly, many times relying on land features for guidance to a fishing area. This type of fishing is inefficient and usually results in a low CPUE when compared with pelagic trolling.
25-50 Foot Boats
To fish commercially within CNMI's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), commercial vessels over five net tons must have a Commercial Fishing License issued annually and jointly by the Department of Commerce and the Department of Lands and Natural Resources. Depending on the information supplied in the application package, the DFW may impose certain fishing restrictions in the form of license conditions.
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| Large Bottomfishing boat tied to the dock (Click on picture for a larger picture) |
Four Commercial Fishing Licenses were issued in 1997, four in 1996, four in 1995, four in 1994, two each in 1993 and 1992, and none in 1991.
In 1995, two major bottomfish operators continued bottomfishing operations. One of the operators subsequently suspended his entire operation toward the end of the year because of financial problems incurred with its main office, but another company (owned by a former CNMI Governor) started its own operation just about the same time with two 50-ft Japanese-built vessels.
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| A large Bottomfishing boat on land for repair (Click on picture for a larger picture) |
In 1997 two licensed vessels fished during the full 12 month calendar year, with a third commencing operations in December. These three vessels primarily targeted bottom fish, landing pelagics incidentally.
These larger vessels that are able to fish extended trips, sometimes traveling as far as Pagan. Total bottomfishing operations and trips to islands north of Saipan, where bottomfish are more abundant, have been increasing in recent years.
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| Manual/Powered Reels on a large bottomfishing boat (Click on picture for a larger picture) |
With these larger vessels, bottomfishing is more efficient because most highliner operators utilize Global Positioning System (GPS), fathometers, and electric or hydraulic reels. These vessels have landed most of the bottomfish reported in this web site after 1995.
Species
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| A large bottomfish (Click on picture for a larger picture) |
Deepwater (>500 ft) fishing, targeting onaga and other prized snappers, is largely commercial, whereas, those targeting shallow water (100-500 ft) species, such as emperor-type fish, can also be subsistence.
In 1995 the large boats harvested a large volume of onaga (Etelis coruscans) and giant grouper (Epinephelus octofasciatus).
Trends
Bottomfishing in the CNMI has steadily improved from its previous decline in 1992, and it continues to show recovery by increased landings. This improvement in growth in the fishery is evidenced by the 42% increase over 1994 landings and the 96% increase over 1993.
Domestic U.S., joint-venture, and foreign vessels are continuing their inquiry about full-time bottomfishing throughout much of the CNMI. The impact to the commercial market is still unclear despite a fish market assessment study conducted in 1994. Frequent sampling was conducted on the full-time bottomfish operations and a final report will soon be available.
Revenues and prices will continue to increase with renewed fishing interest, larger financial investment, and increased utilization of modern electronics and equipment. Deepwater snappers still command the best prices. Fishermen utilizing larger vessels will have greater access to these fish; the market for them will continue to improve as the supplies of these fish remain consistent and quality is well maintained. With a proper bottomfishing training program that addresses proper fish handling, fathometers, and nautical charts, use of modern electronic equipment such as GPS, fish finders, electric reels, anchoring techniques, and marketing, this industry should continue to grow.
With the planned expansion of biological data collection from the bottomfish fishery, an assessment should be completed for the bottomfish stocks surrounding Saipan. After identifying the extent of resource utilization, additional data collecting could be used to help determine comprehensive management strategies. Continued sampling of vessels fishing for bottomfish plus actual fishing by DFW in the northern islands could provide a better CPUE of the fishery for these areas.