Saving Seafood

Future Of Commercial Fishing In Protected Pacific Waters In Courts’ Hands

August 20, 2025 — Hawaiʻi-based longliners have logged more than 900 hours pursuing tuna in previously protected parts of the Pacific Ocean, online tracking data shows, since President Donald Trump lifted a commercial fishing ban in late April.

That new fishing opportunity disappeared recently when a district court judge ruled that U.S. fishery officials didn’t follow proper procedures before opening up the vast waters that form the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument.

The remote area has become the latest flashpoint between conservationists who want more of the Pacific placed off-limits to better protect tuna stocks and sensitive marine environments and regional fishing leaders who say they need access to more fishing grounds — who now have Trump’s ear.

Those leaders have already stated they’d like to see the waters around the Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary opened up as well.

For the monument, Judge Micah Smith found that officials should have sought public input before enacting Trump’s order, which ultimately aims to reopen more than 400,000 square miles of deep ocean. Smith said they also need to publish new, proposed fishing rules in the Federal Register.

Read the full article at Civil Beats

Hawaii false killer whales could go extinct by midcentury

August 18, 2025 — A unique species of endangered Pacific dolphin off Hawaii are declining at a faster rate than once thought, with the largest distinct population segment expected to drop below 100 individuals by the mid-2030s, according to new NOAA research.

Scientists from NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and other institutions found that between 1999 and 2022, the population of protected dolphins — known as “false killer whales” — shrunk by 3.5 percent annually. That trajectory places the species on a likely path to extinction by midcentury.

Roughly 132 individuals are believed to have lived in the population segment closest to Hawaii’s main islands in 2022, compared to as many as 190 in 2015.

Read the full article at E&E News

The Endangered Population of False Killer Whales in the Main Hawaiian Islands is Declining

August 15, 2025 — Three false killer whale populations occur in the waters of Hawaiʻi. There are two island-associated populations—one around the main Hawaiian islands and another around the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands—and a broadly ranging pelagic population. The small main Hawaiian Islands insular distinct population segment of false killer whales was listed as endangered in 2012 and faces multiple ongoing threats. Evidence suggests—based on high rates of dorsal fin and mouthline injuries—that fisheries interactions represent one of the most significant threats to this population. This threat may also act synergistically with other threats, such as exposure to pollutants and reduced genetic diversity, on the insular population. Scientists at the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center led the development of a new method to more accurately estimate the size of the main Hawaiian Islands insular false killer whale population by incorporating animal movement.

We analyzed photos of dorsal fins of 202 main Hawaiian Islands insular false killer whales encountered over 20 years (1999–2022) and movements from 53 satellite tags deployed from 2007–2022. We found that the population numbered 139 whales in 2022 and declined by 3.5 percent per year during the last 10 years of the study. Our findings provide the first reliable trend estimate for the population since it was listed as endangered and suggest the population will number fewer than 100 individuals within 10 years.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries 

Hawai‘i Island Community Consultation – Round 2 Navigating Change

August 14, 2025 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Continuing to build on conversations from the March 2025 meetings, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council and partners will host the 2nd in a series of community consultation meetings on Hawai‘i Island.

EVERYONE WELCOME!

We invite fishing families and the public to participate in these vital discussions. Your voice matters as we work together to navigate changes and enhance the fishing community’s future.

The meetings will start with an Open House of agency representatives and light refreshments, followed by an overview of the Council’s community consultation effort, presentation on fishery challenges, and discussion and feedback.

 

Meeting Schedule:

East Hawai‘i

  • Date: August 22, 2025 (Friday)
  • Time: 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (HST)
  • Location: Ka Waihona, Island Nation – Ma Uka, Ma Kai, 196 Kamehameha Ave, Hilo, HI
  • Main Discussion Topics: Improving Fishing Infrastructure & Access to Fisheries

West Hawai‘i

  • Date: August 23, 2025 (Saturday)
  • Time: 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (HST)
  • Location: West Hawai‘i Civic Center, 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Hwy, Kailua-Kona, HI
  • Main Discussion Topics: Impacts of Shark Depredation, Ahi Size, Markets, and Competing Activities

Community meetings across the remainder of the Hawaiian Islands will be scheduled throughout the second half of the year.

For more information, please contact Zach Yamada (zach.yamada@wpcouncil.org, www.wpcouncil.org) or Alex Min (alex.cannon.min@gmail.com, www.fishtoday.org/pacific-islands-voices). See flyers below and please help to spread the word!

About the Council

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional councils established under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to manage fisheries in the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The Council is responsible for developing and implementing fishery management plans for waters surrounding Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, the CNMI and U.S. Pacific Remote Island Areas. The Council works to promote sustainable fisheries, protect marine ecosystems and support the livelihoods of fishing communities through science-based decision-making and stakeholder engagement.

Report: Hawaiʻi’s False Killer Whales Trending Toward Extinction

August 14, 2025 — Thirteen years ago, the Main Hawaiian Islands’ dwindling population of false killer whales was officially declared endangered, a move intended to help their numbers recover after years of getting hooked and tangled in nets, mostly set by nearshore commercial fishers.

But instead of rebounding, a new report finds, the vulnerable group has only continued to shrink at a troubling pace.

The report, published Thursday in the journal Endangered Species Research, estimates that the unique population of false killer whales inhabiting the waters around the main islands has shrunk from about 184 individuals in 2012, when it was listed under the Endangered Species Act, to 139 members in 2022.

That’s an average population loss of 3.5% a year at a time when federal and state fisheries managers were supposed to be taking meaningful steps to better protect the mammals and boost their numbers.

Read the full article at Civil Beats

Judge blocks Trump bid to allow fishing at marine monument

August 12, 2025 — A federal judge in Honolulu blocked a NOAA guidance Friday that permitted commercial fishing around protected Pacific islands and atolls.

The ruling from Judge Micah Smith of the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii said the Trump administration’s unilateral decision to open a large swath of the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument violated the Administrative Procedure Act by forgoing public comments or hearings.

That notice to fishermen came one week after President Donald Trump’s proclamation declaring 400,000 square miles of the monument would no longer be subject to commercial fishing prohibitions that had been in place between 50 and 200 nautical miles of Wake and Jarvis islands and the Johnston Atoll. The areas, which have ecological, cultural and historical value, became subject to fishing bans when President Barack Obama expanded the monument in 2014 under the Antiquities Act of 1906.

Read the full article at E&E News

Environmental lawyers, Trump officials meet in court over fishing in Pacific monument

August 7, 2025 — Was the process of allowing commercial fishing in the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument followed properly?

President Donald Trump issued a proclamation in April to open PIHMNM to commercial fishing, in part by ordering that the secretary of commerce “shall not prohibit commercial fishing” in the monument, located in the central Pacific Ocean.

About a week later, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that commercial fishing is no longer banned in those waters, and just days after that, longline fishing boats were observed fishing in the monument.

But environmental lawyers in a legal battle to stop the fishing say a formal process, which includes public hearings, is required first.

Read the full article at Hawaii Public Radio

Unprecedented acidification ahead for corals in Hawaiʻi waters

July 17, 2025 — Across the globe, oceans are acidifying as they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, threatening coral reefs and many other marine organisms. A new study, led by oceanographers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, revealed that unprecedented levels of ocean acidification are expected around the main Hawaiian Islands within the next three decades.

Increased ocean acidification has the potential to harm marine life by weakening the shells and skeletons of organisms such as corals and clams, amplifying the effects of existing stressors, and threatening ocean-based ecosystems. However, researchers have hope, as some organisms have shown signs of adapting to the changing waters. The study helps researchers, conservationists and policymakers understand the future challenges facing Hawaiʻi’s coral reefs and provides information for preserving these critical ecosystems for future generations.

Researchers within the laboratory group of Brian Powell, professor in the Department of Oceanography at the UH Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), used advanced, fine-scale computer models to project how ocean chemistry around the main Hawaiian Islands might change over the 21st century under different climate scenarios based on how much carbon dioxide societies continue to emit.

“We found that ocean acidification is projected to increase significantly in the surface waters around the main Hawaiian Islands, even if carbon emissions flatline by mid-century in the low emission scenario,” said Lucia Hošeková, lead author of the paper and research scientist in SOEST. “In all nearshore areas these increases will be unprecedented compared to what reef organisms have experienced in many thousands of years.”

Read the full article at the University of Hawaii News

HAWAII: Governor signs agriculture and biosecurity bills into law

July 1, 2025 — Some priority bills for local food and agriculture have become law with Gov. Josh Green’s signature, including one that the governor had previously intended to veto.

One of the measures Green signed into law is House Bill 427, which renames the state’s agriculture department as the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, and gives it more powers and resources to fight invasive species.

It establishes a deputy for biosecurity and covers a swath of changes to state rules on invasive species, including allowing the governor to declare a biosecurity emergency in case a pest spreads or threatens to spread, as well as take control of goods, vessels and property and use funds to control the pest.

The bill also sets aside $8.5 million over the next two years for the Hawaii Invasive Species Council and appropriates $500,000 each for the Hawaiʻi Ant Lab and the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Response over the next two years.

Senate Bill 1249 aims to help fight agricultural crimes by adding resources and stronger penalties for ag crimes like theft and trespassing.

Read the full article at Hawaii Public Radio

WPRFMC asks Trump to allow commercial fishing in Papahānaumokuākea

June 30, 2025 — Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to allow commercial fishing in parts of the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC) has asked the president to do the same for the Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary.

Comprising several islands and atolls, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument was first established in 2006, and commercial fishing was banned within the monument in 2010. The monument was later expanded by former U.S. President Barack Obama to 582,578 square miles in size, making it the nation’s largest marine protected area.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource