Saving Seafood

Team collects over 86,000 pounds of marine debris from Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

August 4, 2023 — Over 86,000 pounds of marine debris were cleared from the Pacific Ocean, thanks to the conservation efforts of a Hawaii nonprofit organization.

During a 30-day cleanup, a team from the Papahanaumokuakea Marine Debris Project removed the debris from shallow coral reefs and shorelines of islands and atolls along Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument is home to thousands of wildlife species, many of which are endangered, and contain 3.5 million acres of coral reefs.

The 16-person team’s target areas along the island chain were the Maro Reef, Laysan Island, and the Lisianski Island. Of the total debris cleared, 57,240 pounds were removed from the Maro Reef, 16,820 pounds were removed from the Laysan Island, and 12,040 pounds from the Lisianski Island.

Read the full article at Hawaii News Now

HAWAII: Pier 38 Fish Market Lures Us with Fresh-Off-the-Boat Seafood

August 3, 2023 — Pier 38 Fish Market sells seafood so fresh that some lands in Honolulu by boat or plane the same day it’s sold. ‘Ahi from nearby waters, hamachi flown in from Japan, lobster from Maine, sweet amaebi shrimp worthy of a sushi counter: The selection changes daily at this tiny retail shop.

The fish market opened in April next to Nami Kaze restaurant. Dinner crowds might miss it since it closes at 5 p.m. I stumble on it after brunch with a friend. Since we’re happily full, I plan to browse and return another day. But I can’t resist and end up circling back to buy hamachi sashimi ($15 for a little more than half a pound), amaebi, a block of ‘ahi ($18.95 a pound) and a lobster ($16.95 a pound). I marvel over a rainbow of tobiko, flying fish roe in plain orange, green with a wasabi kick and yellow from a hint of citrusy yuzu.

It’s like being in a seafood version of a candy shop. Each time I go, I hear customers comparing prices at other fresh seafood counters on O‘ahu. The selection and lower-than-usual retail prices make sense when you consider the fish market’s location within shouting distance of the fishing boats at the pier, and the fact that its owner, Fresh Island Fish, is Hawai‘i’s largest seafood distributor.

Read the full article at Frolic

Who Is Killing Hawaii’s Endangered Monk Seals?

June 23, 2023 — When federal officials announced earlier this month the death of Malama, a young female monk seal pup whom they believe was likely killed intentionally, the case sparked widespread community outrage and calls to bring whomever is responsible to justice.

However, since 2009 federal authorities have managed to prosecute just one of 16 confirmed cases in which a critically endangered Hawaiian monk seal was intentionally killed, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Those 16 cases don’t include Malama, officially known as RQ76, whose body was found in March near Waianae with blunt-force injuries. Her death still has not been confirmed as intentional.

It’s not clear why NOAA has struggled for so long to prosecute those responsible for killing these seals that are native to and only live in the Hawaiian Islands. A spokesman for the agency’s law enforcement branch did not respond to requests this past week to discuss the general challenges that they face.

Read the full article at the Civil Beat

University of Hawai’i study finds social media found to be effective research tool for fisheries monitoring

June 9, 2023 — Social media is an effective data-collection tool when studying the activities of recreational fisheries, reducing the limitations of cost and timeliness associated with traditional research methods, according to a new study.

University of Hawai’i at Hilo Adjunct Associate Professor and Hawai’i Cooperative Fishery Research Unit Leader Tim Grabowski was the lead author of the paper, which was published in March 2023 in Aquatic Biology.

Read the full at SeafoodSource

NOAA hearing underscored opposition to marine sanctuary plan

June 5, 2023 — The public hearing in American Samoa about U.S. plans to expand a Pacific marine sanctuary has failed to assuage fears of tuna cannery job losses and further economic decline in the territory, according to workers, business owners and political leaders.

After a decade of lobbying by the Hawaii-based Pacific Remote Islands Coalition, the U.S. government earlier this year said it could double the size of the protected area around uninhabited U.S. islands in the Pacific Ocean, making more ocean area off-limits to fishing fleets.

But the proposal has been greeted with dismay in American Samoa, where residents fear a heavy blow to the economically crucial tuna industry. Dozens of placard-wielding employees of the StarKist cannery in American Samoa protested outside a recent hearing held in Pago Pago by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees protected marine and coastal areas.

“I have seven children between the ages of two and 17, they are all in school, and I have been supporting my family working for StarKist Samoa,” Tanielu Malae, the sole breadwinner for his family, said at the May 25 hearing. “Do the people in Hawaii that made this proposal know what it is like for people like us that did not have proper education if we lose our jobs.”

American Samoa’s Lieutenant Governor, Talauega Eleasalo Ale, who said he was at the hearing as a resident rather than representing the territory’s government, made an emotional appeal to “brothers and sisters” in Hawaii.

Read the full article at Samoa News

Locals testify against expanding marine monument

May 22, 2023 — THE local opposition to a proposed expansion of a marine national monument in the Pacific Remote Islands was clear Friday, as most public commentators expressed their frustrations and aired their concerns to representatives of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

NOAA was on island to collect public comments regarding a proposal to expand the boundaries of marine protections at Howland and Baker Islands, and Kingman Reef and Palmyra Atoll, as well as encompass the areas under one marine national monument.

Most speakers against the expansion of the national marine monument shared one or more of the following basic arguments: the NOAA process to establish the sanctuary was too unilateral, in that it came from the federal government with not enough input from the Pacific; Pacific peoples were already conserving marine resources prior to NOAA’s establishment; and American Samoa’s fish canning industry will be damaged if the PRI national monument is expanded.

Read the full article at Marianas Variety 

Amata and Expert Witnesses Highlight Fishing Fleet Role in Countering PRC in Pacific Islands

May 18, 2023 — The following was released by Amata Coleman Radewagen:

Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata and expert witnesses together strongly emphasized the importance of the U.S. Pacific fishing fleet and American-produced tuna in a Tuesday hearing on countering the PRC in the Pacific Islands, as well as highlighting how stationing Coast Guard vessels at Pago Pago Harbor would be an important signal of U.S. commitment in the Pacific.

Video of the hearing is available in its entirety HERE. American Samoa’s strategic role was highlighted in expert testimony provided by Dr. Peter Watson, President and CEO, The Dwight Group; Cleo Paskal, Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies; Alexander Gray, Managing Partner, American Global Strategies; Derek Grossman, Senior Defense Analyst, The RAND Corporation; and Emil Friberg, former Assistant Director and Senior Economist, International Affairs and Trade, Government Accounting Office. Congresswoman Amata’s statement and question begins at the 51:25 mark, leading into Dr. Watson’s response ending at 56:28.

‘Lively discussion’ expected at marine sanctuary public meetings

May 18, 2023 — AS the public comment deadline for a proposed designation of a marine sanctuary in the central Pacific draws near, the Pacific Remote Islands Coalition expects a “lively discussion of comments” at upcoming public meetings.

The PRI Coalition is a Hawaii-based organization formed in 2014. According to their website, they support the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s proposal to designate the Pacific Remote Islands as a new marine sanctuary.

The PRI Coalition, however, is not the officiating governing body that designates new marine sanctuaries. They are merely advocates for such actions over the Pacific Remote Islands, which include Wake Atoll, Johnston Atoll, Jarvis Island, Howland and Baker Islands, and Kingman Reef and Palmyra Atoll. These islands are around 2,000 nautical miles east of the CNMI.

Read the full article at Marianas Variety

UH: $5.1M aims to find solutions to critical marine debris problem

April 24, 2023 — The University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program and its partners were awarded $5,120,959 to address rampant marine debris issues in Hawai‘i and develop urgently needed, innovative solutions that can be shared worldwide.

The funding will primarily focus on derelict fishing gear that has been abandoned, lost or discarded. Department leaders say this kind of debris devastates threatened and endangered species such as Hawaiian monk seals, sea turtles and humpback whales; harms commercial and recreational fisheries; poses a hazard to shipping and boating; pollutes the shoreline and nearshore waters; and is a health hazard to humans and other animals.

This investment from the National Sea Grant College Program will connect visionary experts from across the state and region in three multi-year projects to increase the efficiency of derelict fishing gear removal, repurpose the gear that is brought to shore and engage a network of community members and resource managers throughout the Pacific to develop a regional Pacific Islands Marine Debris Action Plan.

“It is an honor to be partnering on these projects with researchers, cultural practitioners, industry members, and other experts from all across the state to tackle a problem that has had profound negative impacts on the environment, the economy and the health of our communities,” said Darren T. Lerner, Hawai‘i Sea Grant director and principal investigator of two of the grants in a department news release. “While Hawai‘i and the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument are known worldwide as hotspots for ocean plastic pollution and environmental damage, the cutting-edge technologies that will be developed through these large grants will have far-reaching impacts on other states and nations impacted by ocean plastic pollution.”

Read the full article at Maui Now

HAWAII: Though often overlooked, fishermen say swordfish has a place on your table

April 8, 2023 — Spring time is swordfish season in the pacific and Hawaii fisherman are reeling them in.

While many local fish buyers look for the best price and quality when it comes to Ahi, many in the industry say swordfish is often an unappreciated and under-utilized commodity for the region.

It’s often shipped out, away from the islands. But fishermen are trying to change that — they say swordfish has a place at your table.

Read the full article at Hawaii News Now