Saving Seafood

Hawaii opens application for fishery virus relief funding

November 4, 2020 — Businesses in Hawaii’s fishing and aquaculture sectors can begin applying for federal coronavirus relief funding.

The U.S. Department of Commerce opened the application period Monday for qualified fisheries impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, The Garden Island reported Monday.

More than $300 million in federal funding was allocated for fisheries and aquaculture, including more than $4.3 million for Hawaii businesses.

Applications must be submitted to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission by Nov. 23.

Applicants should be able to claim revenue losses of more than 35% compared to their previous five years of average revenue or negative impacts to their subsistence, cultural or ceremonial fisheries.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

HAWAII: Application period for federal fishing funds begins today

November 2, 2020 — The CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act authorizes and provides appropriations to the U.S. Department of Commerce to aid qualified fisheries impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over $300 million was identified for fisheries and aquaculture, with a total sum of $4,337,445 allocated for eligible Hawai‘i fishery sectors. The application period opens today.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources has developed a spending plan with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

Applications must be submitted to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission by Monday, Nov. 23. Interested applicants must review the spending plan to determine their eligibility.

Read the full story at The Garden Island

2021 Traditional Lunar Calendars Are Now Available

October 22, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is pleased to announce the availability of the 2021 traditional lunar calendars for American Samoa, the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Guam and Hawaiʻi. The calendars aim to raise awareness about traditional ecological knowledge and enhance community involvement in fishery management. Council staff and regional Advisory Panels collaborated to highlight 13 popular fishing spots. Each location has historical and current information, species commonly caught, fishing methods, gear used and the reason it is important to fishermen.

For more information or to request a print version of a calendar (available in limited numbers), please contact the Council at info@wpcouncil.org. Tell us the name and quantity of your requested calendar, along with your mailing address.

Calendars are also available to download and print by clicking on the images below or by visiting www.wpcouncil.org/educational-resources/lunar-calendars.

New report reveals insights into the condition of natural and cultural resources of Papahānaumokuākea

October 22, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA:

The State of the Monument Report

NOAA has published a peer-reviewed State of the Monument report that was jointly produced by the co-trustees of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The report includes information on the status and trends of living resources, habitats, ocean conditions, maritime and cultural archaeological resources, and the human activities and natural events that affect them.

The data used in the report were collected from research over the last 10 years. Assessments of status and trends involved scientists and researchers from the monument’s management agencies and partners, and were based on the most recent data available as well as expert opinion.

An unrivalled reef ecosystem

Located northwest of the main Hawaiian islands, Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is virtually unpopulated. Because of its isolation, scale, and high degree of protection, the monument provides an unrivalled example of reef ecosystems still dominated by top predators such as sharks. This is not seen in most other island environments due to human activity.

Papahānaumokuākea is of great importance to Native Hawaiians, and has spiritual significance in Hawaiian cosmology. Cultural sites found on the islands of Nihoa and Mokumanamana are on both National and State Registers for Historic Places. Mokumanamana has one of the highest densities of sacred sites in the Hawaiian Archipelago.

The monument is also home to a variety of post-Western-contact historic resources, such as those associated with maritime heritage, the Battle of Midway, and 19th century commercial whaling.

What the report says

Impacts from local human uses have been relatively few, and the monument’s reefs and other marine resources are considered to be in nearly pristine condition. However, some marine habitat has been impacted by derelict fishing gear, large storms, aggressive nuisance algae, and coral bleaching. Most marine areas of the monument have not been significantly affected and are in relatively good to fair condition.

Read the full release here

HAWAII: NOAA seeking volunteers for fish count

September 30, 2020 — The Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center is launching a new citizen science project called OceanEYEs. We are seeking volunteers to help find Deep 7 bottomfish in underwater videos.

A student in the Young Scientist Opportunity program and our scientists have partnered with Zooniverse.org to develop a user-friendly web page called OceanEYEs. There, citizen scientists can help review images from our annual bottomfish survey, tagging and identifying all the fish that they see. Scientists can then use those data to train advanced artificial intelligence (AI) tools, to look at different ways of counting fish in video. The data can also be used as information for stock assessments.

The images are collected every year during the Bottomfish Fishery-Independent Survey in Hawaii (#BFISH) using state of the art stereo-camera systems. The survey provides an estimate of the number of “Deep 7” bottomfish. That’s a group of seven species of fish that have both economic and cultural value to the islands. The data from this survey are used in the Deep 7 stock assessment to provide managers with the best information to make management decisions. That includes annual commercial fishery catch limits.

Read the full story at The Garden Island

The Impacts of Ghost Nets on Coral Reefs

September 28, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Ghost nets are silently drifting through the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, snagging on coral reefs and entangling wildlife. Scientists in the Pacific Islands have observed ghost nets tumbling across expansive coral reef environments. They break, shade, and abrade coral, preventing them from healthy growth. These lost or abandoned fishing nets are a persistent threat that accumulate over time, but we know little about the damage nets inflict upon corals.

In 2018, our marine debris team quantified the damaging effects of ghost nets on coral reefs of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands for the first time. They found that regardless of net size or algae growth, corals were lost. They recently published their findings in Marine Pollution Bulletin.

The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands stretch for more than 1,243 miles northwest of the main Hawaiian Islands. They contain 124 mostly uninhabited small islands, atolls, reefs, and submerged banks. They are recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and are encompassed by the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Within these protected waters, far from human inhabitants, ghost nets are leaving their mark on reefs. But how much of an impact are these nets having on corals?

Read full release here

WPRMFC gives Trump Administration suggestions to promote seafood

September 28, 2020 — The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRMFC) has suggested actions to the Trump Administration in order to “promote seafood competitiveness and economic growth and to provide regulatory relief to support economic recovery for the offshore fisheries of Hawai’i, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and eight Pacific Remote Islands (PRIAs),” according to a WPRFMC press release.

Two parties voted against the proposals: the council member representing the Hawai’i State Department of Land and Natural Resources, as well as the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Pacific Islands Regional Administrator.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Hawaii Court Hears Case On Legality Of Foreign Fishing Labor

September 21, 2020 — The Hawaii Supreme Court heard arguments Friday on the legality of granting licenses to foreign workers in Hawaii’s longline commercial fishing fleet, which for years has been under scrutiny after an Associated Press investigation revealed claims of human trafficking and questionable labor practices.

The case involves the issuance of Hawaii state commercial fishing licenses to individual foreign fishermen who are not “lawfully admitted” to the United States.

State law says only those legally in the country can get licenses to catch and sell marine life, but the workers do not have visas to enter the U.S. so they are ordered to live onboard the fishing boats by federal officials. They must eat, sleep and work on the boats, often for years at a time, and are subject to deportation.

Friday’s hearing stems from a petition that was filed by a Native Hawaiian fisherman who sought to have the state enforce a statute that declares only people who are in the U.S. legally can acquire commercial fishing licenses.

The petition was denied by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, which issues the permits, and a lower court upheld the ruling before the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case.

Read the full story at Hawaii Public Radio

WPRFMC: Federal Fishery Managers Agree to Longline Electronic Reporting, Preliminary Hawai’i Grey Snapper Limits

September 21, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Yesterday, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council concluded its 2020 third-quarter meeting with the following recommendations and actions, among others. The Council is mandated by Congress to manage the fisheries offshore of Hawai’i, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and the U.S. Pacific Remote Islands Areas. The complete list of actions taken by the Council at the three-day meeting will be posted at http://www.wpcouncil.org/event/183rd-council-meeting/.

Mandatory Electronic Reporting: The Council took final action on a regulatory amendment for mandatory electronic reporting for vessels operating under the Hawai’i longline limited entry permit and vessels larger than 50 feet in length (i.e., size classes C and D) operating under the American Samoa longline limited entry permit. Under the amendment, vessel operators must record and submit logbook data within 24 hours after completion of each fishing day using an electronic logbook application certified by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). In the event of technology malfunction, vessel operators would be required to submit the logbook data by paper or electronically within 72 hours of the end of each fishing trip. The recommended date for implementing mandatory electronic reporting is by July 1, 2021. This regulatory amendment is pending approval by the Secretary of Commerce.

Main Hawaiian Island Grey Snapper (Uku): The Council selected a preliminary annual catch limit (ACL) of 295,419 for main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) grey snapper for fishing years 2022 to 2025. This ACL corresponds to a 41% risk of overfishing. The Council also selected an annual catch target (ACT) at 36% risk of overfishing, which corresponds to annual catch of 291,010 pounds. The Council will work with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to develop accountability measures to ensure the catch does not exceed the ACL. The Council recommended that accountability measure options be considered that recognize the challenges with tracking catch from the noncommercial fishery. The Council may take final action on the ACL and accountability measures at its meeting in March 2021.

Seabird Mitigation in the Hawai’i Longline Fishery: Hawai’i longline vessels are required to mitigate interactions with seabirds. The Council will be considering including tori lines (also known as bird streamers or bird scare lines) at a future meeting as an additional option to measures already in place. The Council asked NMFS to support at-sea trials for winter 2020/spring 2021 through an Experimental Fishing Permit that would allow testing tori line efficacy without the use of blue-dyed bait when fishing north of 23° N.

North Pacific Striped Marlin: The Council will work with NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office (PIRO) to develop a proposed international measure to limit total catch of North Pacific striped marlin in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean from 2021 to 2024. The North Pacific population is considered to be overfished and subject to overfishing. The Council will work with NMFS PIRO to incorporate U.S. longline catch limits of North Pacific striped marlin at 457 metric tons, consistent with previous Council recommendations, into the proposed measure.

Oceanic Whitetip Sharks: The Council requested NMFS PIFSC to provide updates on its oceanic whitetip shark projects for the Council and Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) to consider at its December 2020 meetings. The species is considered overfished and subject to overfishing and is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The Council also recommended that the Oceanic Whitetip Shark Working Group proceed with analyzing longline mitigation measures and that updates be completed and reviewed by the Council’s Plan Team before the March 2021 SSC meeting.

Advisory Committees: The Council approved the membership of the Non-Commercial Fishing Advisory Committee to include the Hawai’i Marine Recreational Fishing Survey coordinator, NMFS PIRO recreational fishing coordinator,NMFS PIFSC recreational fishing coordinator,Saipan Fishermen’s Association representative,Pago Pago Gamefish Association Representative, Shut Up and Fish (Guam noncommercial), Hawaii Fishermen’s Alliance for Conservation and Tradition representative(s), Pacific Islands Fisheries Group representative(s) and Hawai’i fishing club representative(s).

The Council also approved the following proposed new members of the Fishing Industry Advisory Committee: Michael Goto (United Fishing Agency, Ltd., Hawai’i), Kerry Umamoto (Hilo Fish Company, Hawai’i), Josh Schade (Ahi Assassins, Hawai’i), Eric Kingma (Hawaii Longline Association, Hawai’i), Kenton Geer (commercial seamount fisherman, Hawai’i),Carlos Herrera (Hitman’s Tackle, Guam), Vince Haleck (Tautai O Samoa Association, American Samoa), Lino Tenorio (commercial bottomfish fisherman, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) and Dean Sensui (Hawaii Goes Fishing, Western Pacific Region).

Offshore Energy: The Council adopted an offshore energy policy that takes into account potential impacts of such developments to federal fisheries, habitat and ecosystem.

For more information, contact the Council at info@wpcouncil.org or at (808) 522-8220.

Cooperative Research Key to Successful Start of Annual Bottomfish Survey in Hawaiʻi

September 18, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The coronavirus pandemic is affecting many aspects of our lives and has increased pressure on the local Hawaiian fishing community. During these challenging times, we are relying on our ten-year cooperative research partnership with the local fishing community to continue survey operations critical to fishery management. The annual Bottomfish Fishery-Independent Survey in Hawaiʻi (#BFISH) became operational in 2016. It has provided important local abundance estimates used in the Main Hawaiian Islands Deep 7 Bottomfish Stock Assessment.

One difference between BFISH and many of our other research missions is its foundational partnership with the local fishing community. In addition to work done from the NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette, local bottomfishers typically conduct two-thirds of the overall sampling effort. They use up to six commercial fishing vessels distributed among the main eight Hawaiian islands. These cooperative research fishers are contracted through Lynker Technologies and the Pacific Islands Fisheries Group. They conduct hook-and-line sampling using a design developed in partnership with PIFSC scientists. This year, they have stepped up to the plate and are conducting 100 percent of the sampling.

These small, open-deck fishing vessels are crewed by only a few people. They are a safer alternative to larger platforms, such as NOAA ships. All parties are following Center for Disease Control-recommended precautions to make sampling as safe as possible. Most of the vessels will be operating to and from neighbor islands, where COVID cases remain lower than in more populated regions. All crew members conduct self-evaluations with temperature checks each morning and wear masks at all times.

While our partnership with the local community has always been important, this year it has been critical to the continued success of the survey. Research fishing operations began in mid-August 2020 and will run through the end of November. Research fishers are conducting hook-and-line sampling at 453 locations across the main Hawaiian islands. They will be deploying the MOUSS stereo-video camera system at 47 locations around Oʻahu and Penguin Bank.

Read the full release here