Saving Seafood

HAWAII: City details food assistance efforts amid coronavirus pandemic

December 17, 2020 — The City launched a slew of programs this year with aims to help Oahu families and individuals struggling to access food during the pandemic.

Programs included “Farm to Food,” which offered free meals from farmers to residents in need. A similar program called “Fish to Dish” extended support to Hawaii’s fishing industry while also distributing fresh fish to communities across Oahu.

Other programs included 20 free food distribution events and 127 smaller food pop-up events. The City has also partnered with the Hawaii Longline Association, the Honolulu Fish Auction, the Hawaii Seafood Council and the Hawaii FoodBank to help feed people in need.

Read the full story at KHON

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 bill seeks more oversight of commercial fishing

February 15, 2017 — Hawaii lawmakers advanced a bill Tuesday calling for more oversight of the commercial fishing industry after an Associated Press investigation found hundreds of foreign fishermen confined to boats and some living in subpar conditions.

The bill would require fishing boat owners who want a commercial license in Hawaii to provide state officials with a copy of employment contracts held with every fisherman on board before the license is granted.

Without those contracts, there’s no way for state officials to check whether fishermen are getting what they were promised or if an investigation should be launched about possible human trafficking, said Rep. Kaniela Ing, who introduced the proposal.

“I think we’ve learned through decades of democracy that industry self-policing doesn’t usually work,” Ing said.

The bill passed the House Committee on Ocean, Marine Resources and Hawaiian Affairs Tuesday and it goes next to the Judiciary Committee.

Ing’s proposal calls for keeping records of employment contracts with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, which issues fishing licenses.

Read the full story at the Hawaii Tribune-Herald

Fallout from Revelations of Slavery in Hawaii Fishing Industry

October 14th, 2016 — AP recently reported on suspected labor exploitation in Hawaii’s multi-million-dollar fishing industry, prompting a robust response from advocacy organizations, businesses, and legislators. Documenting the hardships of 770 foreign workers confined to Hawaiian fishing boats almost year-round, AP brought attention to a troubling legal loophole in Hawaii’s labor statutes: Hawaiian fishing boats are precluded by state legislation from federal regulations guaranteeing federal labor protections.

As a consequence of this legal loophole, examples of labor exploitation abound—including seizure of identity documents, severe underpayment, deplorable safety and hygiene conditions, and insurmountable debt from recruitment fees and contract-breach.

Whole Foods responded to the revelations by dropping goods from the Hawaii fish auction from their three Hawaii stores until there is suitable proof that no labor exploitation exists in the supply chain. Other smaller businesses followed suit, expressing similar sentiments about rooting out all instances of labor exploitation and trafficking in delivery of goods.

On the day the report was published, members of the Hawaiian Longline Association, fishing vessel owners, and the Hawaii Seafood Council formed a task force to oversee rectifying the allegations of labor exploitation. The task force drafted a contract in response to the critical report, requiring signature from all owners by October 1st in order to continue selling fish at the Hawaii fish auction. The contract purportedly protects workers from further exploitation by guaranteeing certain hiring and workplace practices will be adopted.

The contract however still lets owners set the minimum salary, allows workers to spend the entire year at sea (15 trips, 10 to 40 days each), and still requires workers to stay on board while the boat owner holds their identity and immigration documents. The contract under scrutiny is shown to be little more than a good will gesture, rather than a consequential path to ensuring proper treatment of foreign workers in this industry.

Read the full story at Human Rights First

Hawaii lawmakers promise reform for confined fishermen

September 19th, 2016 — State and federal lawmakers are promising to improve conditions for hundreds of foreign fishermen working in Hawaii’s commercial fleet, and at least one company has already stopped buying fish from the boats following an Associated Press investigation that found the men have been confined to vessels for years without basic labor protections.

Whole Foods halted buying seafood caught by foreign crew until it’s clear the men are treated fairly. On Sunday, the Hawaii Seafood Council said that starting Oct. 1, the Honolulu Fish Auction will sell fish only from boats that have adopted a new, standardized contract aimed at assuring no forced labor exists on board.

The AP report found commercial fishing boats in Honolulu were crewed by men from impoverished Southeast Asia and Pacific Island nations who catch prized swordfish, ahi tuna and other seafood sold at markets and upscale restaurants across the country. A legal loophole allows them to work on the American-owned, American-flagged boats without visas as long as they don’t set foot on shore. The system is facilitated by the U.S. Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection.

While many men appreciate the jobs, which pay better than they could get back home, the report revealed instances of human trafficking, tuberculosis and food shortages. It also found some fishermen being forced to defecate in buckets, suffering running sores from bed bugs and being paid as little as 70 cents an hour.

On Capitol Hill, Hawaii’s congressional delegation — U.S. Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz along with Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, all Democrats — said they were exploring legislative solutions after being startled by the findings about the state’s $110 million industry, which ranks fifth among the country’s highest-grossing fisheries.

“It is completely unacceptable that the inhumane treatment of any workers, foreign or not, is legal under U.S. federal law,” Hirono said in a statement.

In Honolulu, state Rep. Kaniela Ing, chair of the Ocean, Marine Resources and Hawaiian Affairs committee, asked state Attorney General Doug Chin to weigh in on whether boat owners should be regulated under Hawaii rules. If so, Ing said there would likely be an injunction ordered to halt labor or business violations. If not, he said he would introduce legislation to protect the workers, who labor up to 22 hours a day.

Read full story from The Missourian