Saving Seafood

UH: $5.1M aims to find solutions to critical marine debris problem

April 24, 2023 — The University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program and its partners were awarded $5,120,959 to address rampant marine debris issues in Hawai‘i and develop urgently needed, innovative solutions that can be shared worldwide.

The funding will primarily focus on derelict fishing gear that has been abandoned, lost or discarded. Department leaders say this kind of debris devastates threatened and endangered species such as Hawaiian monk seals, sea turtles and humpback whales; harms commercial and recreational fisheries; poses a hazard to shipping and boating; pollutes the shoreline and nearshore waters; and is a health hazard to humans and other animals.

This investment from the National Sea Grant College Program will connect visionary experts from across the state and region in three multi-year projects to increase the efficiency of derelict fishing gear removal, repurpose the gear that is brought to shore and engage a network of community members and resource managers throughout the Pacific to develop a regional Pacific Islands Marine Debris Action Plan.

“It is an honor to be partnering on these projects with researchers, cultural practitioners, industry members, and other experts from all across the state to tackle a problem that has had profound negative impacts on the environment, the economy and the health of our communities,” said Darren T. Lerner, Hawai‘i Sea Grant director and principal investigator of two of the grants in a department news release. “While Hawai‘i and the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument are known worldwide as hotspots for ocean plastic pollution and environmental damage, the cutting-edge technologies that will be developed through these large grants will have far-reaching impacts on other states and nations impacted by ocean plastic pollution.”

Read the full article at Maui Now

HAWAII: Though often overlooked, fishermen say swordfish has a place on your table

April 8, 2023 — Spring time is swordfish season in the pacific and Hawaii fisherman are reeling them in.

While many local fish buyers look for the best price and quality when it comes to Ahi, many in the industry say swordfish is often an unappreciated and under-utilized commodity for the region.

It’s often shipped out, away from the islands. But fishermen are trying to change that — they say swordfish has a place at your table.

Read the full article at Hawaii News Now

Biden backs sanctuary status for Remote Pacific Islands waters

March 23, 2023 — President Joe Biden directed the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo to start the process of designating waters of the U.S. Pacific Remote Islands as a National Marine Sanctuary on Tuesday, drawing praise from supporters who have advocated such a designation for more than a decade.

The sanctuary designation process directed by the president will include opportunities for public comment. Biden also directed Raimondo and Secretary of Commerce Deb Haaland to conduct a public process to work with indigenous communities of the Pacific to appropriately rename the existing Pacific Remote Islands National Monument (and potentially the islands themselves) and to provide posthumous recognition will also be awarded to the Hui Panalaau — 130 young, mostly Native Hawaiian men sent to secure U.S. territorial claim to the islands in the run up to World War II.

“Mahalo to President Biden for his support in protections of the Pacific Remote Islands,” said Jonee Peters, executive director of Conservation Council for Hawaii and a Hui Panalaau descendant. “With his support, this action ensures a healthy marine ecosystem of native species, corals, seabirds, and all of the marine ohana that support the perpetuation of traditional voyaging practices in Oceania. Furthermore, I am grateful for his recognition of the bravery and sacrifices made by the Hui Panalaau.”

Read the full article at Spectrum News

Biden To Create New Marine Sanctuary In Pacific

March 22, 2023 — President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that he would expeditiously expand and increase environmental protections for a group of remote atolls and islands in the Central Pacific and the nearly 777,000 square miles of waters around them.

He’s directing the commerce secretary to consider initiating a new national marine sanctuary designation within the next 30 days around the Pacific Remote Islands, which would further his goal of conserving at least 30% of U.S. ocean waters by 2030.

A coalition of Pacific island leaders and members of Hawaii’s congressional delegation among others applauded Biden’s decision, though there were some lingering concerns.

Read the full article at Civil Beat

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