Saving Seafood

HAWAII: NOAA, local commercial fishers partner survey

October 2, 2019 — Hooks are in the water for the 2019 Hawaii bottomfish survey, an annual count of abundance done by researchers from the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center since 2016.

Those hooks are part of the second half of the annual survey, and the first portion of the survey went off without a hitch according to Benjamin Richards, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration researcher aboard the NOAA ship Oscar Elton Sette.

The NOAA ship returned to Honolulu Sept. 29 after using deep-water cameras to measure, count and watch Deep-7 bottomfish at 176 locations around the Main Hawaiian Islands.

Target species for these surveys are the “Deep-7” fish — opakapaka, onaga, ‘ehu, gindai, kalekale, lehi, and hapu‘upu‘u.

“The fall 2019 bottomfish survey went very well. With a very professional crew and science party, we had smooth sailing,” Richards said, pointing out newly established collaborations between NOAA Fisheries and the National Weather Service offices. “For the first time, we had National Weather Service Forecasters onboard the NOAA Ship Sette for the duration of the survey. This allowed us to choose ideal operating areas, with light winds and calm seas, maximizing the amount of work the team was able to accomplish.”

Read the full story at The Garden Island

Hawaii May Finally Get An Accurate Count Of Its Bottomfish

October 12th, 2016 — State and federal fishery officials have struggled for decades to determine how many deep-sea bottomfish like onaga and opakapaka are in Hawaiian waters, basing stock assessments on the amount of groupers and snappers caught by commercial fishermen.

The method has made it difficult to assess the health of the fishery and what limits to set on the amount of bottomfish that can be reeled in each year, which affects whether these popular fish appear on the menu and how much they cost if they do.

But scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say a five-year joint effort with state officials, fishermen and others to improve their stock-assessment methods is about to pay off thanks in large part to a newly developed underwater camera system.

Twelve researchers are set to embark on a 15-day mission to take photos of bottomfish using the 70-pound rigs at 66 locations around the main Hawaiian Islands. Scientists will then spend weeks or possibly months counting the fish in the photos, determining their length and identifying the species, which are found at depths ranging from 300 to 900 feet.

That information will be combined with data that six commercial fishermen are currently collecting through a standardized survey method that involves them fishing at certain areas for a set period of time using the same bait.

The initial data analysis is expected in January, said Benjamin Richards, NOAA fishery biologist and the survey’s lead scientist. A final analysis is expected a few months after that. It will ultimately end up being used in the 2018 stock assessment, he said, the first major update in four years and most comprehensive to date.

Read the full story at The Honolulu Civil Beat