Hawaii Archives - Saving Seafood

ESA-listed Species Not at Risk of Extinction From Hawai‘i and American Samoa Longline Fishery Interactions

March 19, 2023 — The following was released by Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) discussed the draft National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) biological opinions (BiOps) released last week for the Hawai‘i deep-set longline and American Samoa longline fisheries. The draft BiOps concluded the two fisheries are not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of Endangered Species Act-listed species that may be accidentally hooked or entangled during fishing operations. The SSC found the no-jeopardy conclusion is well supported by the scientific information used in the analysis.

In the four years leading up to these draft BiOps, the SSC reviewed statistical models evaluating population-level effects of the Hawai‘i deep-set longline and American Samoa longline fisheries on loggerhead and leatherback sea turtles. The SSC this week heard an update on the assessment that evaluated the effect of the Hawai‘i deep-set fishery on the leatherback turtle population. The committee determined that the updated analysis represents the best scientific information available. The models show the two fisheries have no discernable impact on the population projections when comparing scenarios with and without fishery impacts.

The SSC adopted the findings of a working group formed to provide a detailed review of the draft BiOps. The Council will consider the outcomes at its meeting to be held during the week of March 27 in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands and Guam.

“I would like to commend the working group on its efforts to review these 300- to 400-page documents in an extremely short period of time,” said SSC member Craig Severance.

Both draft BiOps include two Reasonable and Prudent Measures (RPMs) to minimize fishery impacts to the species. One RPM requires releasing ESA-listed species in a way that minimizes injury and increases post-release survivorship. Many of the animals are already released alive due to adherence to handling guidelines presented at required annual protected species workshops for commercial fishermen.

The second RPM is to ensure the fisheries have monitoring and reporting programs in place to collect data on the interactions. The deep-set longline vessels are required to carry federal observers on 20% of their fishing trips to monitor interactions with non-target species and assess the effectiveness of measures designed to reduce bycatch. This is high compared to international standards of 5% coverage for longline vessels.

The SSC concluded these RPMs are adequately supported by the best available scientific and commercial data, and encouraged NMFS to support quicker reporting of fishery interaction data to facilitate the timely reporting requirements. One of the Terms and Conditions for the RPMs would require increased monitoring for an area where the Hawai‘i deep-set longline fishery overlaps with the main Hawaiian Islands insular false killer whale population. The SSC recommended NMFS first conduct an evaluation of fishery interaction risk with the latest data to determine whether increased monitoring would be warranted.

HAWAII: Hawaii longliners land swordfish under new MSC certification

March 7, 2023 — Hawaii’s longline fleet has been in full swing since January, in the first season since the fishery was certified sustainable by the globally recognized Marine Stewardship Council, according to the Hawaii Longline Association.

“Hawaii-landed swordfish has always been a high-quality option for seafood lovers,” said Mike Goto, auction manager of United Fishing Agency Ltd., according to a statement from association this week. “The landed quality and size of fish, as well as the diverse culinary preparations for swordfish, really make it a premium seafood product.”

“The fishery is among the most highly monitored and strictly regulated fisheries on Earth,” said Eric Kingma, executive director of the Hawaii Longline Association. “We have 100 percent federal observer coverage, satellite-based vessel monitoring, daily at-sea electronic reporting, and other requirements including protected species mitigation measures. With our recent MSC certification, consumers can be more confident than ever that the Hawaii swordfish they enjoy is harvested in a responsible and sustainable manner.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

HAWAII: Hawaii’s swordfish season gets underway; NOAA rejects fishing proposal for marine monument

March 6, 2023 — The Hawaiian swordfish longline fleet’s first season since it achieved Marine Stewardship Council certification in September 2022 “is in full swing,” according to the Hawaii Longline Association (HLA).

The Hawaii longline shallow-set swordfish season runs from January until June, primarily in international waters around the Hawaii Archipelago, supplying fresh, ice-chilled fish to Hawaii and U.S. mainland markets.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

NOAA Rejects Wespac’s Proposed Fishing Rule For Hawaii Marine Monument

February 27, 2023 — LeBoeuf said NOAA will begin to develop its own regulations instead but would consider a revised proposal from Wespac.

Efforts to designate waters surrounding the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands as a national marine sanctuary began in November 2021. The designation would be an overlay of the monument, which President George W. Bush established in 2006 and President Barack Obama expanded in 2016.

In December at its most recent meeting, Wespac recommended that the National Marine Fisheries Service — an arm of NOAA — authorize noncommercial and Native Hawaiian subsistence fishing from 50 to 200 nautical miles around the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

Read the full article at Honolulu Civil Beat

Feds sued to protect endangered turtles, whales, sharks from fishing lines

February 24, 2023 — The Conservation Council for Hawaii sued National Marine Fisheries Service fisheries in Hawaii and American Samoa for delaying consultations meant to ensure the fisheries are properly managing incidental catch species including several endangered sea turtle, whale and shark species.

In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, the Conservation Council and Michael Nakachi, a Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner, claim the longline fisheries have been exceeding their incidental take limits for nearly nine years in violation of the Endangered Species Act.

The fisheries’ longline fishing gear, mileslong mainlines with baited hooks extending vertically into the water, primarily targets tuna but has no way to exclude nontarget marine animals, luring in and eventually killing hundreds of species including endangered ones.

“By failing to complete the consultations, NMFS is failing to ensure that these fisheries do not jeopardize the continued existence of these species or destroy or adversely modify their critical habitat, in violation of ESA Section 7 and its implementing regulations,” the plaintiffs say in the complaint.

Earthjustice, on behalf of the Conservation Council, first initiated action against the agency in May 2022, asking for consultations and reports to be done on oceanic whitetip sharks, which had been recently designated by the Endangered Species Act and did not have previously established take limits. All parties stipulated to a voluntary dismissal after the fisheries service promised to complete the consultations, which it submitted in September. The plaintiffs say this wasn’t enough.

Read the full article at Courthouse News Service

Public helps NOAA track turtles around Maui

February 14, 2023 — A turtle known as MA100 has commonly been seen around Kaanapali since 2021. Another known as MA101 is commonly seen around Kihei but was first sighted at Maalaea Bay in 2021.

They’re among the many honu that scientists have been able to track around Maui thanks to the help of citizen scientists who report sightings of the Hawaiian green sea turtles based on special etchings on their shell.

The data collected through the citizen science-driven Honu County project helps staff with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries better understand foraging habitats, migration, distribution and the survival status of particular honu across Hawaii.

NOAA recently launched a new online tool to make it easier for folks in the Maui community and statewide to report sightings.

Since the inception of the Honu Count in 2017, nearly 600 people reported 688 sightings of 253 individual turtles. It’s a way for the public to engage in sea turtle research and conservation, according to NOAA.

Read the full article at Maui News

HAWAII: Have you tried the other (other) white meat? … Swordfish

February 13, 2023 — Hawaii’s commercial fishing industry is asking Hawaii families to consider (or reconsider) a fish that’s fallen out of favor over the years.

While Hawaii is known for its ahi and other tuna, swordfish is actually a big part of the commercial fishing industry in the islands. So much so that the Hawaii Longline Association says its fleet provides about half the country’s demand for swordfish — caught more than 1,000 miles north of Hawaii.

Read the full article at Hawaii News Now

What’s the solution to ghost fishing gear polluting oceans?

January 31, 2023 — Industrial fishing has been in hot water with the public for the last few years, with popular documentaries and exposés pointing out the devastating impacts of poor stewardship on the ocean. This outrage isn’t unfounded: In addition to their role in overfishing, industrial fishing fleets leave a huge amount of waste in the ocean, including damaged or lost fishing gear that boats leave behind in their rush to fish. The lost gear clutters the oceans, making them less hospitable to life, and more problematic for other fishermen to use. This so-called “ghost gear” can be found anywhere that fishing boats operate and can drift to other areas. In places where spiraling currents push debris together, it is especially prevalent. Between Hawai’i and California, in a stretch of water known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, much of the metric tonnage of plastic is comprised of ghost fishing gear. But it doesn’t have to be this way; there are potential solutions that could dramatically reduce the amount of abandoned gear in the oceans, keeping plastic out of food webs and reducing the overall burden of the fishing industry on marine pollution.

New research estimates that nearly 2% of all fishing gear is lost annually. This might not sound like much, but it adds up to 25 million pots and traps, along with 78,000 square kilometers of nets. This gear poses a serious threat to ocean wildlife, which get entangled in gear or consume plastic pieces as gear breaks down. Meanwhile, broken-down plastic eventually becomes tiny microplastic particles, which are increasingly ubiquitous in marine food chains and cause serious health issues for fish and other wildlife, as well as potential harm to the people who eat them.

That gear also has a direct human cost, especially for smaller fishermen who are trying to be good stewards of the ocean: For small boats, ghost gear can affect vessels’ propulsion and ability to maneuver, ultimately making sustainable fishing even more difficult. Jon Russell, Food Justice Organizer at the North American Marine Alliance (NAMA), maintains that gear losses are less common when fishermen are careful, and says that in smaller fishing communities, there’s still a sense of pride in doing things the right way. While larger operations can afford to bear the brunt of gear losses financially and operationally, smaller fishers often can’t. But these small fishing communities are still impacted when commercial fleets set their traps down haphazardly. “Then it creates this culture: ‘Well, if they’re not going to do it right, we’re not going to do it right’ and it just gets really toxic really fast,” he says.

When gear is left on the fishing ground by larger boats, it can severely impact the daily routine of other fishermen, particularly smaller operations. “If it’s going to interfere with our daily routine, we cannot maximize our catch,” says Captain Charlie Abner, who is a small boat fisherman and shrimper in the Southeast U.S. “You lose a whole day of fishing because you’ve got to redo your rigs. You’ve got to untangle this, you’ve got to untangle that. So, it’s not easy.”

Read the full article at Salon

HAWAII: Commercial fishermen offered ‘bounty’ to clean up ocean

January 11, 2023 — Those who make their living out on the open ocean now have the opportunity to partake in a side hustle that simultaneously tidies up the environment.

Commercial fishermen have been offered a “bounty” to collect derelict fishing gear, often the culprit of the death of marine animals, and bring the debris back to shore.

Hawaii Pacific University’s Center for Marine Debris Research has launched a project to pay eligible commercial fishers to remove fishing gear at sea before it strikes Hawaii’s coral reefs or wildlife, according to a press release from the university.

The fishermen will be paid a bounty of between $1 and $3 per dry pound of derelict fishing gear found at sea and brought back to Oahu, the research center said.

The research center first tested the program between 2020 and 2021, when researchers trying to determine where the fishing gear was coming from paid fishermen who were already fishing near the northwest Hawaiian islands, the main Hawaiian islands and the North Pacific gyre a bounty to collect the debris and bring it back, Raquel Corniuk, research manager for Hawaii Pacific University’s Center for Marine Debris Research, told ABC News.

Read the full article at abc7NY

HPU project aims to remove derelict fishing gear from the ocean

January 10, 2023 — Hawaii Pacific University’s Center for Marine Debris Research has launched a project to remove derelict fishing gear from the ocean. The goal is to remove 220,462 pounds of derelict fishing gear from the ocean over a two-year period.

The HPU project is a partnership with the Hawaii Longline Association and the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Aquatic Resources with partial funding by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Debris Program Removal Grant.

Lost and abandoned fishing gear, including ghost nets, make up derelict fishing gear that eventually reach Hawaii’s beaches. But before doing so, ocean currents tangle up the gear into large masses that entangle and drown marine animals, and smother and kill Hawaii’s reefs as they make their way to the shoreline. DFG is one of the most harmful types of marine debris to marine animals and ecosystems.

Read the full article at Spectrum News