Saving Seafood

Hawaii longliners seek temporary visas for foreign crew

February 12, 2021 — After two decades it’s far past time to make it easier for foreign fishermen who work in the Hawaii longline fleet, industry advocates say.

The lockdown after the September 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., still reverberates in the U.S. Pacific pelagic fishery, with complicated entry rules and procedures for crew from Indonesia and the Philippines who make up the bulk of the fleet’s workforce.

“Prior to 9/11 our crewmen were allowed to fly into” Honolulu to board the fleet of some 140 longline vessels, said Eric Kingma, executive director of the Hawaii Longline Association.

“So it has been about 20 years now for our fleet not being able to fly our crew in,” he said. “This issue has been around for a while and we need to resolve it.”

During the covid-19 pandemic, the Hawaii fleet has been a vital lifeline for protein to the state’s population even while taking a huge hit in lost revenue. The state’s tourism economy is a scant 25 percent of its usual volume, and between March and July 2020 the longline fleet’s revenue was down 45 percent with the pandemic collapse in restaurant business, said Kingma.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Hawaii Longliners Take Action To Fight Poor Conditions And Human Trafficking

February 8, 2021 — The Hawaii Longline Association says it welcomes the recommendations contained in two recent reports to Congress that outline ways the seafood industry can prevent labor abuse.

The longliners, which primarily target tuna and swordfish, faced intense scrutiny after a 2016 investigation by The Associated Press found a number of foreign crewmen working the vessels were living in squalid conditions and earning as little as 70 cents an hour.

Since then, Congress has called for more oversight of the national and international seafood industry, particularly when it comes to issues of illegal fishing and human trafficking.

Read the full story at the Honolulu Civil Beat

HAWAII: Two of three dead monk seals on Kauai likely died from drowning in lay nets

February 4, 2021 — Post-mortem exams have revealed that two of the three Hawaiian monk seals that were found dead on Kauai’s north shore last year likely drowned in lay nets, wildlife officials said today.

Three seals were found dead separately — in September, November and December — all in the Anahola area of Kauai.

The unusual succession of deaths prompted an investigation by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Law Enforcement, which was offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to the issuance of a civil penalty or criminal conviction in one or both of these endangered Hawaiian monk seals.

The first seal, a juvenile male identified as RL52, was found dead around Sept. 10 after having just been spotted a week earlier nearby in good condition. The second seal, an untagged, juvenile female, was found dead around Nov. 18.

NOAA now believes the first two seals found in September and November likely died after becoming entangled in lay gill nets, a news release from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources said, based on recent lab test results and information gathered by law enforcement officials.

Read the full story at the Honolulu Star Advertiser

Hawaii Longline Association Supports Federal Agency Recommendations Regarding Human Trafficking in the Seafood Supply Chain

February 4, 2021 — The following was released by the Hawaii Longline Association:

Human trafficking, including forced labor in fisheries and the seafood supply chain, has rightfully garnered attention in recent years. This unconscionable activity is not condoned by the Hawaii Longline Association (HLA) and other responsible fishing organizations, and has led to seafood industry-developed standards and social responsibility auditing mechanisms. Recent reports to U.S. Congress present government actions to further prevent and respond to such labor abuses including: 1) Department of Commerce and Department of State Report to Congress on Human Trafficking in the Seafood Supply Chain, Section 3563 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (P.L. 116-92) and 2) Federal Agency Task Force on Human Trafficking in Fishing in International Waters.

“The Hawaii Longline Association commends the work of federal agencies to address this important topic and supports many of the recommendations made in these reports,” said HLA Executive Director Eric Kingma.

Paramount among the recommendations covering domestic fisheries is the development of a temporary visa program for foreign fishing crews. “Providing foreign crews temporary work visas, as recommended in the Task Force report, is an important measure that would benefit foreign workers in our fishery, allowing them to go home and visit family and friends and then return to Hawaii via air travel in an efficient, humane manner,” Kingma said.

Currently, foreign fishermen employed in the fishery are ineligible to obtain a visa and thus are prohibited from flying into Honolulu. Rather, these fishermen must board their employer’s Hawaii-based longline vessel in a foreign port (e.g., Mexico or Canada) or U.S. Territory (e.g., American Samoa) and transit nearly two weeks to Honolulu to begin their legal employment, which is authorized under U.S. law (46 USC 8103(2)(b). However, despite being legally employed to fish on U.S. vessels fishing for highly migratory species in the U.S. EEZ and high seas, without visas they are required to stay within the Honolulu Harbor port area. The only exception to leave the port area is for medical visits or to depart from Honolulu International Airport with permission from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The majority of the 140 active longline vessels operating out of Honolulu Harbor have legally employed foreign crew for over 30 years. Like migrant farm and food processing workers employed across the nation, these skilled fishermen temporarily leave their countries to seek higher paying jobs in the United States, to support their families back home. Other U.S. tuna fleets that fish on the high seas also employ foreign crew, including U.S. distant water purse seine vessels, West Coast-based albacore vessels, and East Coast-based longline vessels. Hawaii longline crew are mainly from Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, and Pacific Island countries.

Read the full release here

Noncommercial fishing is booming in Hawaii during pandemic

January 19, 2021 — Noncommercial fishing in Hawaii has been booming since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and many have turned to it out of necessity, according to fishing supply store personnel.

Since the novel corona­virus made its way to Hawaii in March, Brent Young, owner of Brian’s Fishing Supply in Honolulu, has observed more interest in fishing. Some of his customers are new fishers who want to learn, and others are seniors who haven’t fished in decades, but have had more time to do so.

“There’s no sports, there’s nothing to watch, there’s nothing to do. So they come back and they just want to fish,” Young said.

At times he’s had trouble keeping up with demand for fishing supplies. He had to install racks to a previously empty part of a wall in his store to make sure he had enough supplies, such as hooks, tackle and reel, available for customers.

And while many of them are looking to fish just as a hobby, Young has also noticed more customers who are out of work and need to fish.

Read the full story at The Honolulu Star Advertiser

Sen. Schatz provision for Papahanaumokuakea signed into law

December 31, 2020 — Last Sunday, the president signed a bipartisan government funding bill which included a provision authored by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) that will strengthen protections for the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument by starting the process to designate it as a National Marine Sanctuary.

“A new sanctuary designation means more resources and stronger protections for Papahanaumokuakea,” said Sen. Schatz. “This will give us more opportunities to better understand and conserve one of our most important natural resources.”

The Schatz provision directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to commence the process to designate Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument as a National Marine Sanctuary. Following this initiation, NOAA can begin public meetings and the formal legal process to complete the requirements to finalize an official designation. Sanctuary status for the Monument would make it more difficult to weaken the protections in the Executive Orders signed by Presidents Obama and Bush.

Read the full story at The Garden Island

Humpback Whale Season in Hawaiʻi is in Full Swing Right Now

December 21, 2020 — November is when the koholā (humpback whales) return to Hawaiʻi to breed, birth and nurse calves. An estimated 8,000 to 12,000 of the protected marine mammals migrate from Alaska to the Islands’ warm, shallow waters through April, when they head back north again.

This year, though, the first North Pacific humpback whale sighting was reported on Oct. 8 off Maui, according to the Pacific Whale Foundation—earlier than normal. Researchers at the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, a 13,700-square-mile sanctuary created in 1992 to protect whales in their preferred habitat around the Islands, are getting reports of whale sightings from around the state.

They are also hopeful that total numbers of whales that will be counted this season—now through March 2021—will trend upward. In 2016, numbers dropped nearly 50%, likely due to a lack of food. That was the same year the koholā were removed from the endangered species list.

The COVID-19 pandemic may affect the whale count, too, with fewer whale tours running and fewer visitors in the Islands.

“We can say that (in 2019-20), whale abundance and singing activity was the highest in about five years, indicating that whale numbers in Hawaiʻi have been increasing,” said Marc Lammers, research coordinator with the humpback whale sanctuary, in a webinar he presented last month on the sanctuary’s website.

Read the full story at Hawaii Magazine

Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument moves closer to sanctuary status

December 30, 2020 — President Donald Trump signed a bipartisan government funding bill on Sunday, Dec. 27, which included a provision from Sen. Brian Schatz that will increase protections for the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument by starting the process to designate it as a national marine sanctuary.

The Shatz provision directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to begin the process to designate Papahanaumokuakea as a national marine sanctuary. The senator said the designation will have many positive ramifications.

NOAA can begin completing the requirements to finalize an official designation by holding public meetings and starting the formal legal process when the provision is initiated.

Read the full story at KHON

Huffman, Case Unveil Magnuson-Stevens Act Reauthorization Discussion Draft to Update Federal Fisheries Management

December 18, 2020 — The following was released by The Office of Congressman Jared Huffman (D-CA):

Today, Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), Chair of the Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee, and subcommittee member Ed Case (D-Honolulu) introduced a discussion draft to reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA), the primary law governing federal fisheries management and conservation that has made the U.S. a global leader in sustainable fisheries. This draft is the culmination of a year-long listening tour Rep. Huffman led to get feedback on the legislation – part of his ongoing effort to foster a uniquely transparent, inclusive, science-based approach to updating this important law governing fisheries in American waters.

“This draft includes important and timely updates to the MSA as well as provisions to strengthen communities and support those whose lives and livelihoods depend on healthy oceans and fisheries,” said Reps. Huffman and Case.“With the growing impacts of climate change, difficulties due to the ongoing pandemic, and rapidly evolving needs in fisheries management and science, amending and reauthorizing the MSA remains a top priority. We’re looking forward to the next phase of this process and receiving constructive commentary to inform and shape the bill’s introduction next year.”

In an effort to include as many opinions and viewpoints as possible, Rep. Huffman and Rep. Case held eight listening sessions and covered seven management regions on their nationwide fisheries listening tour. They heard from 80 different experts and stakeholders, in addition to public comments from dozens of members of the public in person and online. From the very beginning, this has been one of the most deliberative, transparent efforts to reauthorize the MSA.

The text of the MSA Reauthorization discussion draft is here. A one-pager on the legislation is here. A section-by-section summary is here. A cover letter on the legislation can be found here.

HAWAII: City details food assistance efforts amid coronavirus pandemic

December 17, 2020 — The City launched a slew of programs this year with aims to help Oahu families and individuals struggling to access food during the pandemic.

Programs included “Farm to Food,” which offered free meals from farmers to residents in need. A similar program called “Fish to Dish” extended support to Hawaii’s fishing industry while also distributing fresh fish to communities across Oahu.

Other programs included 20 free food distribution events and 127 smaller food pop-up events. The City has also partnered with the Hawaii Longline Association, the Honolulu Fish Auction, the Hawaii Seafood Council and the Hawaii FoodBank to help feed people in need.

Read the full story at KHON