Saving Seafood

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

HAWAII: Measure to protect Hawaii fishing industry one of five food and farm bills signed Friday

June 30, 2025 — Retailers selling ahi sashimi, poke and sushi in Hawaii now have a year to label the origin of yellowfin and bigeye tuna in those products so consumers know if they are buying locally caught fish.

Gov. Josh Green on Friday signed a bill imposing the labeling requirement, which takes effect July 1, 2026.

House Bill 534, now Act 238, was one of five bills Green signed Friday pertaining to food, agriculture and biosecurity.

“The health and resiliency of our agricultural lands and producers are not just vital—they are the very foundation of Hawaii’s well-being and future, ” Green said in a statement.

Hawaii fishing industry advocates say most of the raw ahi in sashimi, poke and sushi sold at stores in Hawaii is imported, and that retailers don’t have to disclose where the fish is from due to a loophole in federal seafood labeling law.

Imported ahi in such products currently sold in Hawaii is often labeled “previously frozen ” and priced far less than local ahi labeled as “fresh.” Imported ahi also is often treated with carbon monoxide gas to maintain the color and appearance of fresh ahi.

A year from now, disclosing the country from which the fish originates also will be required on labels.

Read the full article at The Honolulu Star-Advertiser

HAWAII: Governor signs measures aimed at protecting agriculture in Hawaii

June 30, 2025 — A pilot program to fight agriculture-related crimes in Hawaii will go into effect July 1 on the Big Island and Oahu.

The program within the state Department of Law Enforcement is intended to strengthen laws relating to agriculture theft — including cattle rustling — plus trespassing and hunting without permission on private ag land.

The law, which goes into effect July 1, 2026, was introduced by Rep. Tyson Miyake, a Maui Democrat and majority whip, with Kahaloa and fellow Big Island Reps. Nicole Lowen and David Tarnas signing on as co-sponsors.

According to Eric Kingma, executive director of the Hawaii Longline Association, the local market for fresh ahi poke sold at retail largely has been replaced by foreign-caught, gas-treated tuna imported from Vietnam, the Philippines, China, Indonesia and other countries. He added the new law “should help Hawaii’s commercial tuna fishermen statewide.”

“This bill will hopefully drive consumer demand for more fresh Hawaii-landed ahi poke at retail because they will see that the previously frozen, gas-treated tuna is not from Hawaii,” Kingma said.

Read the full article at the Hawaii Tribune-Herald