Saving Seafood

Hawai’i Shallow-Set Longline Fishery Has No Discernable Impact on Sea Turtle Populations

October 17, 2019 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Scientists from throughout the Pacific meeting this week in Honolulu found that mortality by the Hawai’i shallow-set longline fishery on loggerheads and leatherbacks are “trivial” and have no impact on their population levels. The fishery, which produces 55 percent of the domestic US catch of swordfish, was shut down on March 19, 2019, after it reached the annual limit of 17 physical interactions with North Pacific loggerhead sea turtles. All 17 were released alive. Since 2004, more than 99 percent of the turtles with which the fishery have interacted were released alive.

The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council made its conclusion after reviewing the assessment of population level impacts of loggerhead and leatherback turtle interactions in the Hawai’i shallow-set longline fishery presented by T. Todd Jones and Summer Martin of the NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) and Zachary Siders of the University of Florida. The assessment is a post-interaction mortality model for the shallow-set longline fishery that evaluates the fishery’s impact on the population trend. The model was developed by PIFSC and based on a population vulnerability assessment for the species conducted in 2018.

The model predicted that the anticipated annual take by the Hawaii shallow-set fishery would have no significant impact on the long-term abundance of these two marine turtle species over the next 100 years. The model also indicated that the past take made no discernable difference on the historical population trend. The model is considered to be conservative because the take is only applied to index beaches, which accounts for about 52 percent of the loggerhead population and about 75 percent of the leatherback population.

The SSC endorsed the take model developed for the shallow-set longline fishery as the best scientific information available for evaluating the impacts of the fishery on loggerhead and leatherback turtle populations. It recommended that PIFSC apply the model to the take data for the Hawai’i deep-set longline fishery (which targets bigeye tuna) and the American Samoa longline fishery (which targets albacore tuna) to provide a robust scientific assessment to be considered in ongoing Endangered Species Act (ESA) consultations. The SSC further encouraged consideration of transferred effect of the US longline fishery closure on target species as well as protected species. [Note: Markets seek foreign imports, which have less stringent regulations and monitoring, when domestically caught fish is unavailable.] The SSC reiterated that the 25 percent reduction goal in the shallow-set longline fishery biological opinion (BiOp) completed by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in June 2019 as “aspirational, overly conservative and not supported by the scientific information presented in the final BiOp, especially in light of the results of the new take model.” The BiOp would allow the fishery up to 16 leatherback sea turtle interactions annually. The SSC recommended that the Council reevaluate its position on the reasonable and prudent measures in the BiOp in light of the model results.

The Council will consider these and other recommendations by the SSC and its other advisory bodies when it meets Oct. 22 to 24, 2019, at the Tauese P. F. Sunia Ocean Center in Utulei, American Samoa. For more info, go to http://www.wpcouncil.org/public-meetings/ or contact the Council at info@wpcouncil.org or call (808) 522-8220.

Trump Sued For Failing To Protect Hawaii’s Cauliflower Coral

October 11, 2019 — The Center for Biological Diversity said Thursday that it is suing the Trump administration for failing to protect cauliflower coral around the Hawaiian Islands.

“The bushy, shallow-water coral species has been devastated by ocean warming triggered by human-caused climate change,” according to a press release.

The warming is due to a “marine heat wave … now hitting Hawaii’s coral reefs hard, and researchers predict massive coral bleaching and death.”

The coral species is estimated to have declined by 36% from 1999 to 2012, and conditions are expected to worsen.

“Cauliflower coral is like the canary in the coal mine of our warming oceans. Marine life around Hawaii will suffer without bold actions to protect coral reefs,” said Maxx Phillips, the center’s Hawaii director. “Hawaii’s coral reefs are dying and they need our help. Letting colorful corals bleach white and die indicates an ocean becoming less bountiful and biodiverse.”

Read the full story at the Honolulu Civil Beat

2019 Public Meetings Notice & Agenda Summaries

October 9, 2019 — 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, American Samoa, Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and Pacific Remote Island Areas. All meetings will be held at the Tauese P.F. Sunia Ocean Center in Utulei, American Samoa, unless otherwise noted. For more information and complete agendas, go to www.wpcouncil.org, email info@wpcouncil.org, fax (808) 522-8226 or phone (808) 522-8220.

Hawai’i Archipelago Fishery Ecosystem Plan Advisory Panel
October 11 (F) 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu
Major agenda items: Advisory Panel plan and work items; Local fishery issues.

134th Scientific and Statistical Committee
October 15-17 (T – Th) 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu
Major agenda items: Benchmark stock assessment for the territory bottomfish management unit species complex; Western Pacific Stock Assessment Review report; National Standard 1 Technical Guidance on carry-over and phase-in report; Terms of Reference for review of the main Hawaiian Islands gray jobfish (uku) fishery.

American Samoa Regional Ecosystem Advisory Committee
October 18 (F) 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Major agenda items: Local data sources to support research; Climate change impacts on fisheries; Coral reef grant projects.

American Samoa Archipelago Fishery Ecosystem Plan Advisory Panel
October 18 (F) 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Sadie’s by the Sea, 3222 Sadie’s St., Utulei, American Samoa
Major agenda items: Territorial Bottomfish Stock Assessment; Local fishery issues.

Executive and Budget Standing Committee
October 21 (M) 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Sadie’s by the Sea, 3222 Sadie’s St., Utulei, American Samoa
Major agenda items: Financial and administrative matters; Council Statement of Organization Practices and Procedures; Council Coordination Committee matters.

Pelagic and International Standing Committee (CANCELLED)
October 21 (M) 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Sadie’s by the Sea, 3222 Sadie’s St., Utulei, American Samoa
Major agenda items: Hawai’i and American Samoa longline fishery reports; Electronic reporting in the Hawai’i longline fishery; Updates from international fishery meetings.

American Samoa Education Committee Subgroup
October 21 (M) 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Sadie’s by the Sea, 3222 Sadie’s St., Utulei, American Samoa
Major agenda items: Education Plan to incorporate fisheries resources into classrooms; Materials development; Vocational education and training development.

Fishers Forum – American Samoa Palolo Harvest: Science and Tradition
October 22 (T) 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Free, family-friendly public event featuring a Palolo Poster Contest with entries from grade to high schools, Exhibits, Presentations, Refreshments, Door Prizes and more!

180th Council Meeting
October 22 (T) 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
October 23 (W) 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
October 24 (Th) 8:30 a.m. to noon
Major agenda items: Mandatory electronic reporting in the Hawai’i longline fishery; Benchmark stock assessment of the bottomfish management unit species complex in American Samoa, Guam and CNMI; Geographic Strategic Plan.

HAWAII: NOAA, local commercial fishers partner survey

October 2, 2019 — Hooks are in the water for the 2019 Hawaii bottomfish survey, an annual count of abundance done by researchers from the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center since 2016.

Those hooks are part of the second half of the annual survey, and the first portion of the survey went off without a hitch according to Benjamin Richards, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration researcher aboard the NOAA ship Oscar Elton Sette.

The NOAA ship returned to Honolulu Sept. 29 after using deep-water cameras to measure, count and watch Deep-7 bottomfish at 176 locations around the Main Hawaiian Islands.

Target species for these surveys are the “Deep-7” fish — opakapaka, onaga, ‘ehu, gindai, kalekale, lehi, and hapu‘upu‘u.

“The fall 2019 bottomfish survey went very well. With a very professional crew and science party, we had smooth sailing,” Richards said, pointing out newly established collaborations between NOAA Fisheries and the National Weather Service offices. “For the first time, we had National Weather Service Forecasters onboard the NOAA Ship Sette for the duration of the survey. This allowed us to choose ideal operating areas, with light winds and calm seas, maximizing the amount of work the team was able to accomplish.”

Read the full story at The Garden Island

Researching and Rescuing Hawaiian Monk Seals and Green Sea Turtles

September 24, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA field biologists returned to Honolulu after 3 months at remote camps in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. They researched and rescued some of the most iconic and endangered species in Hawaiʻi—Hawaiian monk seals and green sea turtles.

This year, our field biologists established protected species camps at five atolls:

  • French Frigate Shoals.

  • Laysan Island.

  • Lisianski Island.

  • Pearl and Hermes Reef.

  • Kure Atoll.

Our field teams also conducted population assessment surveys at Nihoa, Mokumanamana (Necker), and Midway Atoll.

NOAA has operated monk seal research camps at all major breeding sites for 36 years. We have maintained French Frigate Shoals turtle nesting records, which stretch back 47 years. Several of the field researchers have been around for decades. They have some of the most consistent sets of eyes and ears in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. They are able to observe changes in the ecosystem, improving our response to threats to these important species.

Read the full release here

Marine heat wave dubbed ‘Blob’ resurges in Pacific; mass deaths of sea life feared

September 23, 2019 — Across vast stretches of the Pacific Ocean extending from Hawaii north to the shores of Alaska, and southeast to near California, a new marine heat wave is underway.

This event is widely referred to as ‘‘The Blob Part Two,’’ or just another ‘‘Blob.’’ The first event, which took place from 2014 through 2016, earned that odd moniker based on its bold red appearance on maps of ocean surface temperatures.

The new incarnation already has caused coral bleaching in the Hawaiian islands and may be tied to strandings of marine mammals along the California coast. If it intensifies and seeps into deeper waters, this marine heat wave could favor another drought in California by altering the jet stream flowing across the Pacific.

Read the full story at The Boston Globe

Hawaii longliner burns, crew rescued

September 20, 2019 — A Hawaiian tuna longliner vessel caught fire on the afternoon of 17 September off Oahu, but its crew of six and a NOAA observer escaped uninjured in a life raft, Coast Guard officials said.

The 46-foot, 36-ton Miss Emma, a locally well-known vessel built in 1977 and based at Honolulu, caught fire about 8 miles south of Sand Island. The crew transmitted a mayday call at 4:29 p.m., according to an account issued by the Coast Guard in Honolulu.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Bottomfish Survey Underway Across Hawai‘i

September 19, 2019 — Researchers from the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and local cooperative research fisheries have conducted the bottomfish survey in Hawaiʻi every year since 2016. The bottomfish survey provides estimates of bottomfish abundance—independent of fisheries—to assess the status of the Deep-7 bottomfish stock. The Deep-7 are opakapaka, onaga, ʻehu, gindai, kalekale, lehi and hapuʻupuʻu.

Throughout September 2019, the NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette will be home to a group of scientists deploying deep-water camera systems. These cameras are used to observe, count, and measure Deep-7 bottomfish at 176 locations around the main Hawaiian Islands. Scientists will start at the island of Niʻihau and work their way to the island of Hawaiʻi. They will spend their days on small boats deploying their cameras to depths where bottomfish live—between 250–1,300 feet. Researchers aboard the Sette will deploy additional cameras after the small boats depart. Each camera sits on the seafloor for 15 minutes before the researchers recover it and deploy it in a new location. Nothing is left on the bottom.

At the end of the survey, a team of researchers at the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center analyze the videos. They identify, count and measure bottomfish. Scientists turn these observations into abundance and biomass estimates, which they use to continually improve the Deep-7 stock assessment. The assessment provides managers with the best available information to set commercial catch limits and help ensure a sustainable Deep-7 fishery in the Hawaiian Islands.

Read the full story at Big Island Now

Sea Turtles For Swordfish? Feds May Lift Cap On Endangered Species

September 10, 2019 — Endangered turtles are at the center of a dispute between fishing regulators and environmentalists over how many turtles are too many to lose each year to fishermen on the hunt for swordfish in the waters off Hawaii.

Hawaii’s shallow-set longline fishery has been closed since March after fishermen accidentally caught the federal limit of 17 endangered North Pacific loggerhead sea turtles while targeting swordfish. That’s one of two species of sea turtles — the other is leatherbacks — that have shut the fishery down over the past decade when fishermen hit their caps. 

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council has proposed new rules for both species in an effort to get fishermen back out on the water while considering the latest science. The final decision lies with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is expected to open up a public input session soon.

Read the full story at the Honolulu Civil Beat

Western Pacific Region Status of the Fisheries 2018 now available! (with link correction)

August 28, 2019 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The 2018 annual reports on fisheries in Hawai’i and the US Pacific Islands provide data and trends about last year’s fishery participation, catch rates, landings and other fishery performance factors. Each report also covers ecological components that may impact fishery outcomes such as protected species interactions, climate and oceanographic conditions and socioeconomic factors.

The Western Pacific Region Status of the Fisheries 2018 summarizes highlights from the reports. The complete annual reports are available at www.wpcouncil.org/fishery-plans-policies-reports/fishery-reports-2/.

Annual reports are produced for each of five fishery ecosystem plans (FEPs) that have been developed, monitored and amended by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council. They include the Pelagic FEP, the Pacific Remote Island Areas FEP and FEPs for the Hawai’i Archipelago, American Samoa Archipelago and Mariana (Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) Archipelago. For more information or to provide your comments, please contact Amy Vandehey, the Council’s Education and Outreach Coordinator, at amy.vandehey@wpcouncil.org or phone (808) 522-8220.