Abstract
The proposed expansion of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRI) raises questions about the economic impact on fishing within the expansion area, specifically the tuna industry in American Samoa (AS). A preliminary analysis showed that fishing effort within the currently unprotected area has been historically low within the last several years1, which suggests that the proposed expansion would have a minimal impact on fisheries and the associated StarKist cannery on AS. However, understanding the potential impact of the expansion requires a more detailed analysis to better understand historic purse seine and longline fishing effort in this area, as well as the activity of purse seine, longline vessels and fish carrier vessels (i.e., transshipment vessels) associated with the AS tuna cannery in Pago Pago Harbor.