Saving Seafood

Help for Hawaii’s Fishing Industry

July 14, 2020 — When it comes to Hawaii’s homegrown food sustainability, farming operations usually come to mind. But beyond farm aid, fish aid can’t be forgotten. That’s particularly true in Hawaii, the source of coveted quality catches such as tuna, billfish (swordfish and marlin), and open-ocean fish (mahimahi, ono and opah).

Just as farmers have been hard-hit by the months-long pandemic shutdown, so, too, have fishers and related operations. The shuttering of restaurants, seafood markets and other fish outlets have left some vessels inactive in Honolulu Harbor for 3-1/2 months, with about half of the workforce laid off. The COVID-19 lockdown has caused a 50% reduction in revenue for Hawaii longline vessels over the last four months, totaling losses of more than $20 million so far.

Read the full opinion piece at Seafood News

$2.6M in federal aid committed to new program with hopes to help keep Hawaii’s fishing industry afloat

July 8, 2020 — Mayor Kirk Caldwell on Tuesday announced a new “fish to dish” program to help Hawaii’s ailing fishing industry.

“Our fishing community is feeling the economic strain of this pandemic like so many other industries on Oahu,” said Caldwell in a statement. “Hawaii’s longline fisherman provide a valuable source of food to our island, and fortifying this industry not only provides our community with some of the freshest fish in the world, but sets up a sustainable network to solidify our food security ahead of future disasters.”

Hawaii Longline Association Executive Director Eric Kingma said that when the market crashed in March, wholesale companies laid off about half of their employees, and some boats have remained idle for several weeks.

Overall, the direct and indirect economic impacts amount to about $1 billion and have affected about 9,000 jobs, he said, so this program comes at a critical time for the industry.

Read the full story at the Honolulu Star Advertiser

HAWAII: City throws a line to the longline fishing industry with a new program

July 8, 2020 — Nearly 350,000 fish portions will be distributed to Oahu families over the next five months.

It’s part of a new city initiative called the “Fish to Dish” program. Its intended to support families in need while helping the longline fishing industry.

The city is paying for it with more than $2.6 million from the Coronavirus Relief Act. The funding is expected to cover 28 vessel landings per week for the next three months.

“This support really does, in many ways, act as an investment into Hawaii’s fishing industry, into its future, as well as to get us through this pandemic period,” Eric Kingma, executive director of the Hawaii Longline Association said.

Kingma added that recent restaurants welcoming back customers have helped stabilize the ahi market in particular, but the other fish species continue to take a hit.

Read the full story at Hawaii News Now

Hawaii Fishermen Are Stuck In Port As Federal Aid Falls Short

May 19, 2020 — For the past three months, much of Hawaii’s longline fishing fleet, the one that normally stocks the state’s markets and restaurants with fresh poke, ruby red ahi and slabs of swordfish, has been tied up in port as the coronavirus ravages the islands’ economy.

With tourism all but shut down due to Hawaii Gov. David Ige’s 14-day quarantine and restaurant service reduced to takeout for social distancing purposes, there’s less demand for fish.

Prices have dwindled to the point where going out on the water can be more expensive for fishermen than the price of the catch coming in.

State and federal governments have done little to help out, despite the fact that fish are a critical source of protein for the islands’ residents.

Read the full story at the Honolulu Civil Beat

Hawaii-based fishing boats caught in economic meltdown

May 6, 2020 — About 145 commercial longline fishing boats are based in Honolulu and the group that represents them say they are facing a financial disaster.

Each year, Hawaii’s fishing industry brings in about a $100 million worth of fish on a wholesale basis. That’s according to Eric Kingma, executive director of the Hawaii Longline Association.

He says that in the last eight weeks as demand from restaurants has plunged, revenue losses for longline fishing have run about 60 percent over that time period.

And Kingma says this is not just a short-term issue..

Read the full story at Hawaii Public Radio

Hawaii longliners donate 2,000 pounds of bigeye tuna to foodbank

April 24, 2020 — The Hawaii Longline Association (HLA) announced Thursday that it is collaborating with members of the state’s fishing industry to donate some 2,000 pounds of fresh big-eye tuna to the Hawaii Foodbank.

The donation, done in coordination with United Fishing Agency (Honolulu Auction), Hawaii Seafood Council, Nico’s Pier 38 and Pacific Ocean Producers, is the beginning of a new pilot program with the Hawaii Foodbank. As part of the partnership, the foodbank will buy $50,000 worth of seafood landed by the longliners.

“The face of hunger is changing every day and our nearly 140 vessels operating out of Honolulu Harbor are ready and able to make critical contributions to Hawaii’s fragile food supply,” said Eric Kingma, HLA’s executive director.

Kingma’s group lands about 30 million pounds of fish per year and generates more than $100 million in landed dock-side value, placing Honolulu Harbor sixth in the nation in terms of fisheries port value.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Hawaii Longline Association Launches Partnership with Hawaii Foodbank

April 23, 2020 — The following was released by the Hawaii Longline Association:

The Hawaii Longline Association (HLA) has collaborated with members of Hawaii’s fishing industry in donating 2,000 pounds of fresh seafood to Hawaii Foodbank. The donation, done in coordination with United Fishing Agency (Honolulu Auction), Hawaii Seafood Council, Nico’s Pier 38, and Pacific Ocean Producers, is the beginning of a new pilot program with the Hawaii Foodbank.

Through the partnership, Hawaii Foodbank plans to purchase $50,000 worth of seafood landed by Hawaii longline vessels. The purchase will ensure that Hawaii Foodbank will be able to meet the needs of Hawaii residents  facing hardship as a result of COVID-19. It will also support Hawaii’s longline fishermen, who, like many other fisheries across the nation, have suffered devastating losses in revenue within the last 4 weeks.
“We’re pleased to partner with Hawaii Foodbank on this important initiative supplying high-quality fresh fish to community members in need during this COVID-19 situation,” said Eric Kingma, PhD, executive director, Hawaii Longline Association. “The face of hunger is changing every day and our nearly 140 vessels operating out of Honolulu Harbor are ready and able to make critical contributions to Hawaii’s fragile food supply.”

The Hawaii longline fishery lands around 30 million pounds of fish per year, and generates  more than $100 million in landed dock-side value, placing Honolulu Harbor 6th in the Nation in terms of fisheries port value.

Fish caught by HLA, including ahi, marlin, and opah, will, according to Hawaii Foodbank, “be distributed through [Hawaii Foodbank’s] network of food partner agencies at distribution sites across Oahu. United Fishing Agency will break down the fish into filets and package into insulated boxes for distribution.”

For more information on the work being done by Hawaii Foodbank to support those in need during the current crisis, visit hawaiifoodbank.org.

Hawaii marine monument expansion’s impact on fishing debated 5 years later

April 15, 2020 — Tensions flared fast as the proposed expansions of national marine monuments near Hawaii in President Barack Obama’s second term set fishermen and conservationists against each other.

The Hawaii Longline Association, representing about 150 permitted vessels, objected to fishermen being locked out of fishing grounds. Conservationists aligned with The Pew Charitable Trusts, which advocates for marine protected areas (MPAs) around the world, and rallied for the preservation of coral reefs, unknown life in the deep sea, and the area’s natural and cultural resources.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Hawaii Longline Fishery Producing Fresh Seafood for Hawaii Food Security

March 17, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council and Hawaii Longline Association:

Due to COVID-19 impacts, local food security, self-sufficiency and access to healthy food and fish are increasingly important. Hawaii longline vessels are positioned to continue supplying fish to Hawaii restaurant and retail markets for local Hawaii consumption during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

The Hawaii longline fishery is the largest food producing industry in the State of Hawaii. The fishery is comprised of 150 active vessels supplying highly monitored fresh, ice-chilled fish to Hawaii and US mainland markets.

The Hawaii longline fishery is considered globally as a golden standard in tuna fisheries, with robust management measures and strict monitoring and enforcement.

Hawaii residents consume seafood at twice the national average, as fish is culturally important to Hawaii’s diverse communities.

According to HLA Executive Director Eric Kingma, PhD, “The Hawaii Longline Association [HLA] is working with government officials, restaurants, and retail outlets to ensure that Hawaii consumers continue to be supplied with safe, high-quality, healthy seafood products caught by Hawaii longline vessels.”

For further information, contact Kingma at (808) 389-2653 or Eric.K.Kingma@gmail.com.

US congressional committee turns up heat on Western Pacific council’s handling of funds

September 5, 2019 — Four influential members of the US Congress have requested a federal investigation into the use by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (Wespac) of millions of dollars of funds intended to promote conservation, reports the Honolulu Civil Beat, an investigative journal based in Hawaii.

In a letter sent Aug. 29, Democratic representatives Raul Grijalva, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee; Jared Huffman, chairman of the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife; Ed Case, from Hawaii; and Gregorio Sablan, an independent representative from the Northern Mariana Islands, asked Peggy Gustafson, the US Department of Commerce’s inspector general, to conduct a “comprehensive review of the Western Pacific Sustainable Fisheries Fund…and report on lapses in transparency and accountability and possible waste and abuse of government funds”.

The fund, which was initially seeded by millions of dollars in fines against foreign vessels fishing illegally in US Pacific islands, now relies on contributions made by the Hawaii Longline Association, a group that represents most of the state’s 144-vessel fleet.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News