Saving Seafood

Hawaii bill seeks more oversight of commercial fishing

February 15, 2017 — Hawaii lawmakers advanced a bill Tuesday calling for more oversight of the commercial fishing industry after an Associated Press investigation found hundreds of foreign fishermen confined to boats and some living in subpar conditions.

The bill would require fishing boat owners who want a commercial license in Hawaii to provide state officials with a copy of employment contracts held with every fisherman on board before the license is granted.

Without those contracts, there’s no way for state officials to check whether fishermen are getting what they were promised or if an investigation should be launched about possible human trafficking, said Rep. Kaniela Ing, who introduced the proposal.

“I think we’ve learned through decades of democracy that industry self-policing doesn’t usually work,” Ing said.

The bill passed the House Committee on Ocean, Marine Resources and Hawaiian Affairs Tuesday and it goes next to the Judiciary Committee.

Ing’s proposal calls for keeping records of employment contracts with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, which issues fishing licenses.

Read the full story at the Hawaii Tribune-Herald

HAWAII: State may be breaking law in accommodating foreign fishermen

February 10, 2017 — They work without most basic labor protections just a few miles from Waikiki’s white sand beaches, catching premium tuna and swordfish sold at some of America’s most upscale grocery stores, hotels and restaurants.

About 700 of these foreign fisherman are currently confined to vessels in Honolulu without visas, some making less than $1 an hour.

Hawaii authorities may have been violating their own state law for years by issuing commercial fishing licenses to thousands of foreign workers who were refused entry into the country, The Associated Press has found.

Under state law, these workers — who make up most of the crew in a fleet catching $110 million worth of seafood annually — may not be allowed to fish at all, the AP found.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Star Advertiser

HAWAII: Air Force wants to test more weapons in Kauai waters

February 6, 2017 — The waters off Kauai’s Pacific Missile Range Facility have been used for military weapons tests for more than fifty years, but some are troubled by one of the military’s most recent requests.

In December, a Florida-based Air Force squadron asked for a permit that would allow continued testing of long-range missiles whose explosions are documented to have debilitating effects on dolphins and whales.

“These marine mammal populations off Kauai are already being barraged by military training activity,” said David Henkin, an attorney with Earthjustice, an environmental activist group. “There are very specific populations of marine mammals that only live around Kauai, so if we harm those particular individuals, we run the risk of harming the population and losing that very important component of our environment.”

Officials say this is the second permit request by the squadron, which completed a one-day training mission where nine weapons were released last October.

Read the full story at KFVE

HAWAII: Longline association slams AP article claiming slavery

February 4, 2017 — A Hawaii Industry Task Force is firing back at the Associated Press after a September article accusing the local long-line fishing industry of slavery and human-trafficking.

The article implies that some foreign crewmen working on Hawaii fishing boats were undocumented are treated unfairly when it comes to pay rates and are kept as prisoners on their boats even while docked in Honolulu.

After conducting its investigation the task force found that all crewmen onboard those boats have documentation and are allowed off of their boats while docked.

Read the full story at KITV. 

America’s Fishing Industry Unites to Support Chris Oliver for NOAA Fisheries

January 27, 2017 — The following was released by the National Coalition for Fishing Communities: 

Washington, D.C. – In a nearly unprecedented display of unanimity, members of the fishing industry representing New England, Pacific, North Pacific, Mid-Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Hawaiian and Southeastern fisheries, as well as the National Fisheries Institute based in Washington, D.C have rallied to support the appointment of North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) Director Chris Oliver as the next Assistant Administrator for Fisheries at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

In the past week, several letters have been sent to President Trump’s transition team advocating for the appointment of Mr. Oliver to lead NOAA Fisheries. In total, the letters represented 55 seafood companies, trade associations and conservation groups. NOAA Fisheries, also known as the National Marine Fisheries Service, is the nation’s top regulator of fishing in federal waters.

The push comes at a time when more 90 percent of the seafood consumed in the United States is imported from overseas, resulting in an astonishing $13 billion seafood trade deficit.

“America’s fisheries generate millions of jobs and contribute billions to the economy, but we could do a lot more,” said Daniel Occhipinti, General Counsel of Oregon-based Pacific Seafood Group and one of the leaders of the coalition. “We believe Chris Oliver has the experience to increase the economic productivity of our fisheries while also promoting conservation and sustainability, which is critical.”

Mr. Oliver has spent his career in fisheries management, serving for the past 16 years as the Executive Director of the NPFMC. Prior to serving as Executive Director, Oliver also worked served as the Deputy Director and Gulf of Alaska Fishery Management Plan Coordinator.“

I’ve known Chris Oliver for many years, and without a doubt, he has the skills and experience required for this job,” said Lori Steele, Executive Director of the West Coast Seafood Processors Association. “

Chris has a keen sense for how to balance competing interests in a way that promotes sustainability, enhances community and, most importantly, optimizes productivity of a fishery.”

“I’ve known Chris for about ten years. What he can bring to NOAA Fisheries is a strong commitment to using the council process for managing fisheries,” said Mary Beth Tooley, an at-large member of the New England Fishery Management Council and Maine resident “Chris is an ardent believer in the tenets of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. He is committed to achieving optimum yield, while preventing overfishing”.

The diverse coalition supporting Oliver represents a nearly-unprecedented level of cooperation between disparate fishing communities across the nation, including American seafood businesses from more than nine states, dozens of local fishermen’s associations, the leading trade groups from across the country.

“People ask why we have a $13 billion dollar seafood trade deficit and what we can do to fix it,” said Occhipinti, “the answer isn’t trade barriers, it’s increasing domestic production. We think Chris Oliver is the man for the job.”  Signers of the letter include:

FISHING ORGANIZATIONS

Pacific Seafood Processors Association
Major seafood processing companies with operations in Alaska and Washington

The Seafood Coalition
Consortium of fishing organizations across the nation

Freezer Longline Coalition
Longline companies, vessel owners, and related businesses in the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands (BSAI) and Gulf of Alaska (GOA).

National Fisheries Institute
Non-profit organization dedicated to education about seafood safety, sustainability, and nutrition

Garden State Seafood Association
New Jersey fishermen and New Jersey’s fisheries dependent businesses

Organized Fishermen of Florida
Commercial fishermen from Florida.

Marine Conservation Alliance
“Seafood-interest organization of coastal communities, harvesters, processors, and western Alaska Community Development Quota entities”

Long Island Commercial Fishing Association
Group dedicated to sustainable fishing out of New York.

Southeastern Fisheries Association
“Nonprofit fisheries trade association [in the Southeastern United States] founded by a core group of fish dealers in 1952.”

Golden Gate Fisherman’s Association
“A group of sport fishing professionals and concerned anglers dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of he marine fisheries in the San Francisco Golden Gate waters” 

Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers
Alaskans who fish for “King, Snow and Bairdi crab in the Bering Sea.”

At Sea Processors Association
“Trade association representing six companies that own and operate 16 U.S.-flag catcher/processor vessels.”

Sportfishing Association of California
Works to promote California sportfishing needs with governing agencies at the state, federal, and international levels.

Ventura County Commercial Fishermen’s Association

West Coast Seafood Processors Association
“Serves the needs of the shore-based seafood processors in California, Oregon, and Washington”

Columbia River Crab Fisherman’s Association

Coos Bay Trawlers Association

Western Fishboat Owners Association
“Non-profit representing albacore troll-vessel owners and supporting businesses in California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii.”

American Fishermen’s Research Foundation
“Established in 1971 to aid, encourage, promote, and support science and education in the field of albacore and related fish species.”

Coalition of Coastal Fisheries

Directed Sustainable Fisheries

Southern Offshore Fishing Association

SEAFOOD COMPANIES

Pacific Seafood
Over 2500 employees at over 35 facilities in seven states

Dana Wharf Sportfishing
Private sportfishing charter company out of Dana Point, California.

Coastal Villages

Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance
A non-profit working to represent commercial fishermen in the Gulf.

Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen’s Association
Organization for organizing Florida Keys fishermen into “an effective lobby to protect and promote the fishing industry.”

Alaska Groundfish Data Bank

Alaskan Leader Seafoods
Longline business that owns four freezer-longliners fishing out of Alaska. 

Alaska Marine Conservation Council
“Community-based, non-profit organization committed to protecting the long-term health of Alaska’s marine ecosystems”

Alaska Whitefish Trawlers
Has represented the Gulf of Alaska shore-based catcher-vessel trawl industry for over four decades.

Aleutian Spray Fisheries, Inc.
Fishes for Alaska Pollock, Pacific Cod, Opilio Crab, and Alaska King Crab

Alliance of Communities for Sustainable Fisheries
“Formed to allow for an organized community voice for fishing and fisheries in response to current and future state and federal legislation that affects fishing, fisheries, and attendant coastal and marine environments”

American Albacore Fishing Association
Non-profit representing commercial pole and line vessels.

American Seafoods Company
Harvests, processes, distributes and markets a diverse array of seafood products from sustainably managed fisheries in U.S. waters off Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.

Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation
“The purpose of the Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation to promote economic growth and opportunities for residents of its member communities through sustainable use of the Bering Sea resources.”

Harbor Masters and Port Captains Incorporated
Organization of port leaders throughout California

California Fisheries & Seafood Institute
“The nation’s largest regional organization representing members of the consumer seafood supply industry.”

Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbara
“Integrates Regional Efforts Of Fishing Communities With The Aim Of Improving The Economic And Biological Sustainability Of Fisheries”

California Wetfish Producers Association
Established in 2004 to promote sustainable fisheries and foster cooperative research on sardines, mackerels, anchovy and market squid, as well as coastal tunas

California Marine Affairs & Navigation Conference
“Consortium of California harbors, ports and marine interest groups.”

Catalina Offshore Products
Seafood company sourced out of Southern California

California Lobster and Trap Fishermen’s Association

Fishing Vessel Owners Association
Longline vessel operators, based in Seattle.

Fisheries Survival Fund
Atlantic scallop fishermen from Maine to Virginia.

Groundfish Forum
Trade association representing 6 trawl companies fishing for flatfish.

Hawaii Longline Association
“Established in 2000 to advance the interests of the fishermen and related industries involved in the Hawaii longline fisheries.”
Icicle

Midwater Trawler’s Cooperative

Northwest Food Processors Association

Pacific Whiting Conservation Cooperative
“Trade association representing three companies that own and operate 10 U.S.-flag catcher/processor vessels for whiting in the West Coast.”

Southern Offshore Fishing Association

Tri Marine

Trident Seafoods
Largest seafood company in the United States

Washington Trollers Association
“Serving fishermen whose livelihoods depend on the salmon”

United Catcher Boats
Owners of vessels that trawl for groundfish in the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska, and West Coast

United Fishermen’s Marketing Association

West Coast Fisheries Consultants
Association of consultants working in the West Coast fishing industry
CITY/STATE ENTITIES

City of Unalaska, Alaska

Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association
“Non-profit trade association serving the hospitality needs of Oregon.”

Oregon Trawl Commission
Oregon state government agency.

California Sea Urchin Commission
Works to “ensure a sustainable sea urchin resource and a reliable supply of quality seafood product”

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Read the full release here

Endangered Hawaiian monk seal population rises to 1,400

January 25, 2017 — HONOLULU — The population of Hawaiian monk seals — one of the world’s most critically endangered marine mammals — has been increasing 3 percent a year for the past three years, federal wildlife officials said Tuesday.

There are now about 1,400 of the seals in the wild, said Charles Littnan, lead scientist of the Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“This is phenomenal, hopeful news for the population,” Littnan told reporters. “Yet we have a long way to go to recovery.”

The population has experienced increases in the past, including the mid-2000s, but Littnan characterized those as minor blips.

Hawaiian monk seals declined in numbers for years, most recently as juveniles struggled to compete for food with large fish and sharks in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, a mostly uninhabited stretch of tiny atolls that includes Midway.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Virginian-Pilot

NOAA plans to open federal waters in Pacific to fish farming

January 6, 2017 — HONOLULU — As traditional commercial fishing is threatening fish populations worldwide, U.S. officials are working on a plan to expand fish farming into federal waters around the Pacific Ocean.

The government sees the move toward aquaculture as a promising solution to overfishing and feeding a hungry planet. But some environmentalists say the industrial-scale farms could do more harm than good to overall fish stocks and ocean health.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is creating a plan to manage commercial fish farms in federal waters, the area of ocean from three to 200 miles offshore, around Hawaii and other Pacific islands.

The program is similar to one recently implemented by NOAA in the Gulf of Mexico. The farms in the Gulf and the Pacific would be the only aquaculture operations in U.S. federal waters, though there are smaller operations in state waters close to shore.

Fish farming has been practiced for centuries in Hawaii and around the world. But modern aquaculture, some environmentalists say, carries pollution risks and the potential for non-native farmed fish to escape and enter the natural ecosystem.

Most shellfish consumed in America comes from farms, and their methods are widely considered sustainable. However, some farms that grow carnivorous fish such as salmon have raised concerns about sustainability because they use wild-caught fish to feed the captive species.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Seattle Times

NOAA awards $8 million for coastal resiliency investments across the nation

December 22, 2016 — NOAA Fisheries is pleased to announce $8 million in recommended funding for 11 shovel-ready coastal resiliency projects in various sites across the country. These awards are part of NOAA’s continued commitment to build resilient coastal ecosystems, communities, and economies.

“Americans who live on the coast face enormous risks when Mother Nature strikes; however, it is natural infrastructure—wetlands, marshes, floodplains, and coral reefs—that often serve as our best defense. The selected projects will restore our natural barriers and help keep people, communities, and businesses safe,” said Eileen Sobeck, assistant NOAA administrator for Fisheries.

Six projects aim to restore critical wetlands, marshes, and floodplains in Massachusetts, California, Washington, and Hawaii, which increase resiliency and offer flood protection for homes and businesses:

  • The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation will receive $250,000 to restore floodplain connectivity in the Teanaway Community Forest which will reduce peak flows and recharge groundwater for the nearby community and enhance streams for salmon by reducing water temperatures.
  • Ducks Unlimited will receive $1.5 million to transform 710 acres of former salt evaporation ponds in South San Francisco Bay into marsh and upland habitat which will increase resiliency to sea level rise and flooding.
  • The Nature Conservancy will receive $721,095 to support coastal habitat restoration on the Hawaiian island of O’ahu through invasive species removal, native species replanting, and traditional management practices to strengthen ecological and community resilience.
  • Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe will receive $1 million to restore the tidal connection between Kilisut Harbor and Oak Bay, Washington. This effort will provide passage for endangered juvenile salmon, and enhance cultural traditions of fishing and clam digging.
  • The Redwood Community Action Agency will receive $1,091,045 in funds to support a multi-phase project to enhance Martin Slough in Northern California which will reduce flooding on surrounding public and agricultural land and improve habitat for threatened salmonids.
  • The Town of Yarmouth, Massachusetts will receive $633,044 to replace a degraded and undersized bridge on a major transportation corridor in Cape Cod and allow for restoration of the estuary to reduce flooding for property owners caused by storm surge and also improve fish passage.

Two projects focus on coral reef restoration efforts in Florida and in Hawaii to help sustain many economically-important fisheries and natural barriers to storm surge:

  • The Coral Reef Alliance will receive $842,782 to reduce the flow of water and levels of nutrients and sediment that reach nearshore coral reefs off West Maui. In applying best management practices, the project will increase these reefs’ resilience to climate changes.
  • The University of Miami will receive $521,920 to restore coral reefs across Miami Beach and Key Biscayne which will improve the resiliency of threatened staghorn and elkhorn corals to sea temperature changes.

Read the full story at Phys.org

Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council Sends Letters to Obama on Impacts of Marine National Monuments

December 19, 2016 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

HONOLULU — The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is hopeful that when President Obama arrives in Honolulu tomorrow, he will acknowledge the $100 million commercial fishing industry in Hawai‘i and the impacts on that fishery by his expansions of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (MNM) in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) and the Pacific Remote Islands MNM, which includes nearby Johnston Atoll. The value of the Hawaii longline fishery is excess of $300 million when factoring in retail markets and support industries and their employees.

The National Marine Fisheries Service’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center has reported that the expanded Papahanuamokueakea MNM may account for a potential loss of about 2.5 million pounds per year of tuna and other pelagic species worth on average $8 million, more than $9 million in fishery support businesses (e.g., fuel, gear, ice, etc.), $4.2 million in household income and $0.5 million in tax revenue and affect more than 100 jobs. The impact will be much greater on fishermen who historically utilized the US waters around the NWHI as their primary fishing grounds as well as smaller boats that are restricted in their range. Given these economic impacts, the Council believes that prohibiting commercial fishing in this area should be phased in.

On Dec. 1, 2016, the Council sent its fifth letter to Obama about its concerns with the NWHI MNM expansion and a sixth letter about the impacts of the three other marine national monuments that have been proclaimed in the US Pacific Islands. The Rose Atoll, Pacific Remote Islands and Marianas Trench MNMs impact the fisheries of not only Hawai‘i but also American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) as well as local and US mainland seafood consumers. The Obama administration has not responded to any of the Council’s previous four letters, which were sent over the past nine months.

Presidential proclamations through the Antiquities Act have banned commercial fishing in 61 percent of US waters around the Hawaiian Islands and have placed 51 percent of US waters around the US Pacific Islands under MNM designation. The Antiquities Act requires that monuments be proclaimed for the smallest size needed for conservation of resources of scientific and cultural interest. Obama has invoked future climate change impacts on biodiversity as one of the primary reasons for the presidential action in his proclamations expanding the NWHI and Pacific Remote Islands MNMs.

Climate change impacts occur over much larger areas than contained in any marine monument. The Council believes climate change impacts will not be mitigated by prohibiting the commercial catch of a well-managed and enforced US fishery in discrete areas of US waters. Furthermore, the Council has repeatedly questioned the use of the Antiquities Act for marine conservation of tuna, billfish and other highly migratory species, which move well beyond the monument boundaries.

“The Antiquities Act process circumvents the National Environmental Policy Act and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, both of which require environmental, social and economic analysis and public input,” notes Council Executive Director Kitty M. Simonds.

Prior to the expansion of the NWHI monument, which spans an area four times the size of Texas, about 10 percent of the fishing effort of the Hawai‘i longline fleet were in these monument waters. Another 10 percent were in the US waters around nearby Johnston Atoll, which Obama closed to fishing when he expanded the Pacific Remote Islands MNM in 2014.

“The push for the monuments was driven not by popular demand but by a Washington, DC-based environmental organization, the Pew Environment Group, which has had the ear of successive presidents,” explains Council Chair Edwin Ebisui Jr. “A Pew funded study estimated that the Marianas Trench MNM would result in $10 million per year in direct spending, $5million per year in tax and the creation of 400 jobs. Needless to say, neither Guam nor the CNMI has seen any economic benefits from the monument. After seven years a monument management plan has not been completed by NOAA and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Now there is talk about overlaying the monument status with a National Marine Sanctuary designation.”

While the local governments have received no economic benefit from the monuments, NOAA and the US Fish and Wildlife Service have been receiving $3 million per year for “monument management,” notes the Council’s letter about the Marianas Trench, Pacific Remote Islands and Rose Atoll MNMs. At the same time, the US Coast Guard and NOAA Office of Law Enforcement have not received additional funds or assets to increase patrols of the monument waters..

The Council was established by Congress in 1976 and has authority over fisheries seaward of state/territory waters in the US Pacific Islands pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Act. For more information and to download the letters, go to www.wpcouncil.org, email info@wpcouncil.org or phone (808) 522-8220.

Letter to Obama on Papahanaumokuakea

Letter to Obama on Rose Atoll, Marianas Trench and Pacific Remote Islands MNM

See the full release at WESPAC

Little input on fishing in expanded monument area

December 15, 2016 — LIHUE, Hawaii — The first round of several meetings addressing options for management of the newly expanded Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument came to Kauai Tuesday night.

Joshua DeMello, fisheries analyst with the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, explained the process to a scant audience at Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School.

“We’re also looking at options for Native Hawaiian subsistence fishing,” DeMello said.

Read the full story at the Garden Island