Saving Seafood

2021 WESPAC Public Meetings Notice

August 30, 2021 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council announces the following public meetings on fisheries management in offshore waters of Hawai‘i (HI), American Samoa (AS), Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and the Pacific Remote Island Areas (PRIAs). Unless otherwise noted, the meetings will be held by web conference. Host sites are subject to local and federal safety and health guidelines regarding COVID-19; check the Council website for updates. All times listed are local island times. For more information on the virtual meeting connection and complete agendas, go to www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars, email info@wpcouncil.org, fax (808) 522-8226 or phone (808) 522-8220.

Non-Commercial Fisheries Advisory Committee
September 1 (W) 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. (HST)
Major agenda items: Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) uku fishery monitoring and management; Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) sanctuary designation; Proposed Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA) changes; Regional research priorities; and Fishermen observations.

HI Archipelago Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP) Advisory Panel (AP)
September 3 (F) 9 a.m. to noon (HST)
Major agenda items: Seabird mitigation measure revisions in the HI deep-set longline (DSLL) fishery; NWHI sanctuary designation; MHI uku annual catch limit (ACL) specification; Proposed MSA changes; Report on HI bottomfish restricted fishing areas; HI fishermen observations update; and AP plans.

AS Archipelago FEP AP
September 7 (T) 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. (SST)
Major agenda items: AS bottomfish updates; AS large vessel prohibited area update; Proposed MSA changes; AS fishermen observations update; and AP plans.

Fishing Industry Advisory Committee
September 9 (Th) 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (HST)
Major agenda items: Proposed MSA changes; Military impacts on Guam fisheries; Import impacts on HI seafood markets; NWHI sanctuary designation; AS bottomfish rebuilding plan update; MHI uku ACL specification; and Seabird mitigation measure revisions in the HI DSLL fishery.

Mariana Archipelago FEP-Guam AP
September 9 (Th) 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (ChST)
Major agenda items: Proposed MSA changes; Bigeye tuna quota transfer review and options; Guam fishermen observations update; and AP plans.

Mariana Archipelago FEP-CNMI AP
September 11 (Sat) 9 a.m. to noon (ChST)
Major agenda items: Proposed MSA changes; Regional research priorities; CNMI fishermen observations update; and AP plans.

141st Scientific and Statistical Committee
Direct link to meeting: https://tinyurl.com/141SSCMtg. If prompted, password SSC141mtg.
September 14 – 16 (T – Th) 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (HST)
Major agenda items: Seabird mitigation measure revisions in the HI DSLL fishery (action item); and Second Tropical Tuna Workshop and Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Committee Science Committee updates.

Fishery Data Collection and Research Committee (FDCRC)
September 20 (M) 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. (HST)
Major agenda items: FDCRC Strategic Plan 2022-2026; and Catchit Logit implementation report and transfer to territorial agencies.

Executive and Budget Standing Committee
September 20 (M) 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. (HST)
Major agenda items: Financial and administrative matters; and Council family changes.

187th Council Meeting
Direct link to meeting: https://tinyurl.com/187CouncilMtg. If prompted, password CM187mtg.
Host sites: Tedi of Samoa Bldg., Suite 208B, Fagatogo Village, AS
BRI Bldg., Suite 205, Kopa Di Oru St., Garapan, Saipan, CNMI
Cliff Pointe, 304 W. O’Brien Drive, Hagatña, Guam
September 21 – 23 (T – Th) 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (HST)
Major agenda items: Standardized bycatch reporting methodology and fishery ecosystem plan amendments (action item); Seabird mitigation measure revisions in the HI DSLL fishery (action item); AS bottomfish rebuilding plan (action item); and MHI uku ACLs for fishing years 2022-25 (action item).

Written comments on final action items on the 187th Council meeting agenda received by Sept. 17, 2021, will be distributed to Council members prior to meeting. Direct comments to Kitty M. Simonds, Executive Director, WPRFMC, and mail to 1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI 96813; fax to (808) 522-8226; or email to info@wpcouncil.org. Written comments on all other agenda items may be submitted for the record by email throughout the duration of the meeting.

HAWAII: Non-profit receives funding to reduce marine debris, protect sea turtles, seabirds, and monk seals

August 27, 2021 — Hawaii Sea Grant and Hawaii Marine Animal Response (HMAR), the largest Hawaii- based marine species response and conservation non-profit organization has announced it received a $50k funding.

The funding from NOAA Sea Grant and the NOAA Marine Debris Program is to address the devastating impacts of marine debris in the coastal environment, one of the leading causes of injury and death for sea turtles, seabirds, and Hawaiian monk seals.

“We are pleased to partner with NOAA Sea Grant to provide support for projects that will help stop trash and fishing gear at their source,” stated NOAA Marine Debris Program Director Nancy Wallace.

The funding announced Thursday is one of six new, creative projects to tackle marine debris challenges across the country awarded to Sea Grant programs in Hawai‘i, Florida, Georgia, Illinois-Indiana, Puerto Rico, and Wisconsin

Read the full story at KITV

Kui ‘ia ka lei moku e Kanaloa: The Ocean Unites Humanity to Clean Up Marine Debris

August 26, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Scientists and divers from NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center are teaming up with divers from the Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project. They are on a 30-day mission to remove marine debris from the islands and atolls within the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The team departed Honolulu on the M/V Imua on August 24, 2021. We expect the ship to return with more than 110,000 pounds of derelict fishing gear and other marine debris at the end of September. The team will focus on removing derelict fishing nets (ghost nets) and other entanglement hazards, which threaten green sea turtles and Hawaiian monk seals. They will be removed from coral reef environments shallower than 30 feet using breath-hold (free-dive) techniques.

Read the full release here

HAWAII: Researchers return from expedition to Papahanaumokuakea with a sense of hope

August 25, 2021 — Scientists that recently returned to Oahu from a 20-day research expedition to Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument now have some valuable images and data — and a new sense of hope.

The group of scientists headed out on a rare trip from Aug. 1 to 20 aboard the charter vessel Imua for the second half of a two-part summer research project led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. This trip followed another one in July.

It was the first time a team was able to return to the French Frigate Shoals, or Lalo, to observe what has happened since researchers in 2019 discovered the devastating impacts on reefs due to Hurricane Walaka the prior year.

That year, researchers were shocked to discover Rapture Reef, previously one of the most beautiful, diverse reefs in the isles, turned into a wasteland of coral rubble, with no signs of fish or life, by the Category 3 hurricane that passed through in October 2018.

What they found two years later were exciting, promising signs of nature’s resilience.

“Researchers haven’t been able to get back up there until now because of COVID restrictions and limited ship time,” said chief scientist Jason Leonard. “So they were quite amazed an area totally devastated was making a slow recovery. “

Read the full story at the Honolulu Star Advertiser

$3.6M in aid available to fish industries in Hawaii

August 23, 2021 — Qualified fishers and seafood processors and dealers in Hawaii who lost business because of the COVID-19 pandemic can now apply for some of the $3.6 million in federal CARES Act money allocated to the state.

Commercial fishing in Hawaii, like most of the state’s industries, struggled during the coronavirus pandemic as restaurants and businesses closed for extended periods while tourism was at a standstill, cutting the amount of fish sold by fishers.

Last year about $4.3 million was allocated to Hawaii during the first of two rounds of CARES Act funding meant for the nation’s fisheries. The $3.6 million allocated this year is part of a second round of funding and will be distributed by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission.

Read the full story at The Honolulu Star Advertiser

COVID Relief Application Period Open to Hawaii Seafood Industry

August 20, 2021 — Hawaii fishermen and seafood businesses should be ready to apply for more COVID-19 relief funds.

Through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, Congress and NOAA allocated an additional $3.6 million to eligible Hawai‘i fishery participants affected by the novel coronavirus. Applications for Round 2 CARES Act assistance were available this week through the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission website, the Hawai‘i Division of Aquatic Resources reported on its website on Aug. 13.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Native Hawaiian researchers take a groundbreaking field trip to Papahanaumokuakea

August 19, 2021 — Nine researchers and community members recently traveled to Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument for a 15-day expedition.

It was a groundbreaking field trip. All of them are Native Hawaiians.

“Together as a group of Native Hawaiians we went up there to really assess and to learn from the place through a Hawaiian perspective,” Haunani Kane said.

Kane is an assistant professor at Arizona State University’s Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science. She led the study.

“When you look at the representation of native people that get PhD’s in ocean and earth sciences, we aren’t represented by number. We’re represented by two letters, ‘NA,’ because there’s less than 20 of us in the world that’s pursuing this research,” she said.

The team documented conditions on the eastern side of the monument that was hit hard in 2018 by Hurricane Walaka, especially East island.

Kane said the perspective is very different when you see it in person as opposed to looking at satellite imagery.

“When you go out there and you are able to stand there on the island and see it from sea level, you see that the island still is not as tall as it was before, which is really important for sea-level rise, for high tide and things like that,” she said.

Read the full story at Hawaii News Now

“ROUND 2” CARES ACT FUNDING FOR HAWAII‘I’S COMMERCIAL FISHING INDUSTRY

August 18, 2021 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, Congress and NOAA have allocated an additional $3.6 million to eligible Hawai‘i fishery participants affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Applications for “Round 2” CARES Act assistance will be available beginning Monday, Aug. 16, 2021, through the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) website.

Applications must be submitted to the PSMFC by Sept. 30, 2021. Interested applicants should carefully review Hawai‘i’s Round 2 spend plan (also available on the PSMFC website) to determine their eligibility. At a minimum, applicants must be able to claim:

  • Economic revenue losses greater than 35% as compared to the prior 5-year* average revenue; or
  • Any negative impacts to subsistence, cultural, or ceremonial fisheries

*Entities that have been in business less than five years are still eligible for assistance.

Fishery participants eligible for funding include commercial fishing businesses, charter/for-hire fishing businesses, qualified aquaculture operations, wholesale seafood dealers and processors, subsistence/cultural/ceremonial fishers, and other fishery-related businesses.
If you have CARES Act related questions, please email hicares@psmfc.org or call toll free (877) 695-3457.

HAWAII: Nuisance algae threatens native coral reefs at Papahanaumokuakea

August 17, 2021 — Native coral ecosystems in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument are being threatened by an invasive species that’s become a big problem in a short amount of time.

Researchers recently completed a 20-day expedition to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and were alarmed to see how the monument’s reefs are being impacted by a mysterious algae.

“It’s never been recorded anywhere before,” said Brian Hauk, Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research resource protection specialist. “There’s no record of it in scientific publications or journals or research books, any of that kind of stuff. Nobody knows what this stuff is.”

Little is known about the nuisance algae classified as “chondria tumulosa.”

Read the full story at Hawaii News Now

A How-To Guide for Reporting Potential Marine Wildlife Harassment in Hawai‘i

August 13, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Imagine you’re scrolling through social media and a video pops up of a Hawaiian monk seal resting on the beach. The first few seconds of video capture the natural beauty of the wild seal, peacefully slumbering on the sand. But suddenly, someone appears from the side of the frame and starts to mischievously tiptoe toward the sleeping seal. You shout through the screen and try to stop this person from what is inevitably going to happen. But despite your efforts, another one of our Hawaiian monk seals is touched and disturbed.

Reports of people disturbing protected marine wildlife have significantly increased over the last decade. And over the past few years, multiple incidents involving potentially illegal encounters with protected marine species have gone viral on social media, including two recent videos of people touching and disturbing monk seals. These concerning and disrespectful images and videos have, understandably, upset many people in Hawaiʻi and across the country. Incidents like these should be reported to NOAA Fisheries or the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Here’s what you need to know about reporting potentially illegal marine wildlife interactions, how NOAA responds to reports, and what the laws are regarding protected marine wildlife.

Read the full release here