These data represent the amount of locally caught fish purchased directly from fishermen by fish markets, seafood vendors, fishing cooperatives, and other "first-fish dealers." Each island agency collects vendor reports to monitor commercial invoice and purchase activity.
To avoid double-counting, secondary markets (those that buy fish from other vendors) are not included in these monitoring programs. Annual summaries are available by species or group and include estimated whole weight, price per pound, and estimated commercial value. Prices and estimated commercial values are amounts paid by markets to fishermen (not retail prices).

In American Samoa, Guam, and CNMI, fisheries are not required to report their catch. In order to monitor fishing activity in these areas, creel surveys are conducted by local agencies.

Creel survey data are used to produce estimates of annual fisheries landings (pounds of fish brought ashore), fishing effort (e.g., number days, trips, hours fished), and catch per unit of effort (CPUE) by gear type or fishing method. The estimation algorithms differ slightly between island area and survey type.

CPUE, also known as catch rate, is a measure of fisheries performance and is related to fish abundance. CPUE, available in Catch and Effort queries available on this website, represents the weight of fish landed divided by the amount of fishing effort expended. These trip-level details are not found in commercial sales data collected from fish dealers.

The two types of Creel Survey Data found on this website are:

Boat-based creel survey data is collected by interviewing fishers (usually at boat ramps as they return from a trip) who fish from a boat.

Data collected in the boat-based creel surveys include:

• Participation observation data
• Counts of the number of trips per day by gear type
• Trip-level interview data from fishers returning to port
• Type of gear
• Number of gear
• Hours fished
• Catch information

Annual landings by gear type are estimated from boat-based creel survey data by applying an expansion algorithm using catch rates (lb per trip) and total estimated activity (number of trips). Estimated landings for individual species are then derived from the proportion of each species compared to the total landings. More detailed information about each boat-based creel survey and its data expansion algorithm can be found under Publications and in the PIFSC Library.

Shore-based creel survey data is collected by interviewing fishers along shoreline areas that are reasonably accessible by surveyors. Because shore-based fishing activity changes as surveyors move along the shoreline, average activity is estimated in segments of a few hours and several shifts of surveys are needed to estimate a 24-hour period.

Data collected in the boat-based creel surveys include:

• Participation observation data
• Counts of the number of gears per timeslot by gear type
• Trip-level interview data from fishers along shoreline areas
• Type of gear
• Number of gear
• Hours fished
• Catch information

Annual landings by gear type are estimated from shore-based creel survey data by applying an expansion algorithm using catch rates (lb per gear-hour) and total estimated activity ( number of gear-hours). Estimated landings for individual species are then derived from the proportion of each species compared to the total landings. More detailed information about each boat-based creel survey and its data expansion algorithm can be found under Publications and in the PIFSC Library.

Within the PIR, only Hawaii's commercial fishers are required to report their catch. A commercial fisher is defined as any person who sells all or part of their catch. Commercial fishers are required to report all fishing activity and landings (including any unsold landings). Aside from federal logbook programs, the Hawaii DAR collects the only fisher-reported data within the PIR. Commercial fisher reports include landings and effort by fishing location, gear type, and species. Summaries by fishing location are not available through this site and all data is grouped to a non-confidential level.

Creel surveys in Hawaii are only used to estimate landings from non-commercial fishing. Hawaii's non-commercial landings are not included in data compiled by WPacFIN. For data access and more information on Hawaii's non-commercial fisheries, please refer to the following links:

• http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dar/fishing/hmrfs/
• https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/recreational-fishing-data/national-saltwater-angler-registry/

WPacFIN's best estimated commercial landings are based on a combination of data sources for each island area. Currently, only American Samoa and Hawaii have a "WPacFIN's Best" estimate. Several data collection sources are integrated (specific collections depend on island area) and processed to remove duplication as well as estimate unmonitored fishing sectors.