Deepwater Longtail Red Snapper

American Samoa: Onaga is assessed as the indicator species for the American Samoa Flame Snapper and Ruby Snapper Complex (there was insufficient catch data to assess ruby snapper). The stock complex is not overfished and is not subject to overfishing (2023 stock assessment). Summary stock assessment information can be found on Stock SMART: American Samoa Flame Snapper .

Guam: Onaga is assessed as part of the 13-species Guam Bottomfish Multi-species Complex. The stock complex is not overfished and is not subject to overfishing (2024 stock assessment). Summary stock assessment information can be found on Stock SMART: Guam Bottomfish Multi-species Complex .

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: Onaga is assessed as part of the 13-species CNMI Bottomfish Multi-species Complex. This stock complex is not overfished and is not subject to overfishing (2019 stock assessment). Summary stock assessment information can be found on Stock SMART: Northern Mariana Islands Bottomfish Multi-species Complex .

Hawaiʻi: Onaga is assessed as part of the 7-species Main Hawaiʻian Island Deep 7 Bottomfish Multi-Species Complex. The stock complex is not overfished and is not subject to overfishing (2024 stock assessment). Summary stock assessment information can be found on Stock SMART: Main Hawaiian Islands Deep 7 Bottomfish Multi-species Complex .

Northwestern Hawaiian Islands: Onaga is assessed as part of the 8-species Northwestern Hawaiʻian Islands Bottomfish Multi-Species Complex. The stock complex has an unknown overfished and overfishing status. This stock complex occurs within the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument where commercial fishing is prohibited and very limited non-commercial fishing occurs.

Pacific Remote Islands Areas: Onaga is assessed as part of the 12-species PRIA Bottomfish Complex. The stock complex has an unknown overfished and overfishing status. This stock complex occurs within the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument where commercial fishing is prohibited and very limited non-commercial fishing occurs.

Onaga is managed as part of multispecies stock complexes under these four ecosystem plans. There are annual catch limits in place for the stock complexes.

Onaga are managed through a combination of federal and local oversight. Commercial fishermen are required to have permits to fish and report their catch to NOAA fisheries or the state or territory.

Recreational fishermen fishing in federal waters for Hawaiʻi bottomfish are required to have permits and record their catch. There are no permit or reporting requirements for recreational fishermen fishing in federal waters for Guam, American Samoa, and Northern Mariana Islands bottomfish, but there are prohibited gear types and harvest techniques. Non-commercial fishing is prohibited within 12 nautical miles of emergent land within the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, unless authorized by a special permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Gear restrictions and operational requirements are in place to minimize bycatch and potential gear conflicts among different fisheries.

A rebuilding plan was implemented in 2022 with the goal of rebuilding the Guam Bottomfish Multi-species Complex, of which flame snapper is a member, by 2031. The stock is no longer overfished and is making progress toward rebuilding.

Onaga are managed according to requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Act . That means management begins with data provided by the fishery or from independent studies. These data support science that tells managers if the fish stock is being fished too heavily (overfishing) and if there are too few fish left in the ocean to maintain a sustainable population (overfished). NOAA fisheries evaluates the outcome of these studies and manages the fishery to maintain fish populations to support food security, cultural practices, and sustainable local economies in the long term.

A core component of managing fisheries under the Magnuson-Stevens Act is using the best available science to determine how much fish can be caught each year. This information is implemented as catch limits. The decisions about what catch limits are appropriate is the result of discussions by a regional fishery management council .

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council includes fishermen and other knowledgeable community representatives from each island area, along with regional government managers and NOAA Fisheries, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They meet three or four times a year in a public forum to discuss, debate, and make recommendations for management to NOAA Fisheries. In addition to catch limits, additional regulations are in place to protect habitats and fish populations through the prohibition of destructive or non-selective fishing gear in the Pacific Islands region.

NOAA Fisheries evaluates Council recommendations to ensure they are consistent with relevant federal laws and Executive Orders. If recommendations meet these requirements, NOAA Fisheries initiates rulemaking through a public notice and comment period.

Under the Magnuson-Stevens Act , the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center is responsible for conducting stock assessments of the bottomfish management unit species, including onaga. These assessments are used to determine stock status from which the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council recommends annual fishery catch limits. In the Pacific Islands Region, NOAA researchers monitor the catch of bottomfish through commercial catch reports, creel surveys, life history surveys, and collaborating with local fishermen as part of the Bottomfish Fishery-Independent Survey . These annual surveys have been done operationally in Hawaiʻi for several years to assess the numbers and sizes of bottomfish around the main Hawaiian Islands and provide biological samples for life history research. NOAA Fisheries is working to expand these surveys to other areas. The science center has continually strived to improve data used in stock assessments and is working toward a single-species assessment for species where adequate data is available.

Our research of the Main Hawaiian Islands Deep 7 Bottomfish group