Saving Seafood

Sharks, Fishing Rules and Disaster Recovery: Hawaiʻi Fishermen Invited to Bring Their Concerns to Nine Island Forums

November 9, 2026 —  The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Sharks taking fish off the line. Confusing fishing regulations. Damage to boats and harbors from natural disasters. Concerns about the future of local fishing.

These are real challenges facing Hawaiʻi’s fishing communities, and the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council and its partners want to hear directly from those experiencing them. Nine public meetings across the Hawaiian Islands from Nov. 13 through Dec. 3, 2026, will bring fishermen, community members and fisheries agencies together to tackle local challenges and identify solutions.

The Hawaiʻi Small Boat Fishers’ Forum builds on community conversations held since early 2025, with a focus on turning fishermen’s concerns into priorities and potential actions. The Council and Pacific Islands Fisheries Group are working together to connect local fishing communities with the agencies and organizations involved in managing and supporting Hawaiʻi’s fisheries.

What’s on the table?

  • Sharks taking the catch: Addressing shark depredation and improving state and federal shark regulations.
  • Disaster relief and recovery: Helping fishing communities prepare for and recover from damage to boats, harbors and fishing infrastructure.
  • Fishing rules and research: Improving fisheries management through fishermen’s firsthand observations, better data and community input.
  • The future of local fishing: Strengthening fishing infrastructure, supporting local seafood and food security, and sustaining fishing traditions, including discussions on the cultural harvest of green sea turtles.

Each island faces its own challenges, and participants are encouraged to bring forward the issues that matter most to their communities.

Most meetings begin at 5 p.m. with a Fisheries Open House, where attendees can meet agency representatives and local organizations, learn about ongoing projects and resources, and ask questions one-on-one. Fisheries updates and open discussions will follow, giving fishermen an opportunity to share concerns, recommend solutions and help identify next steps.

Whether you fish commercially, non-commercially or to feed your family — or simply care about the future of Hawaiʻi’s fishing communities — your perspective matters.

Meeting Schedule

All meetings are from 5 to 8 p.m., except Honolulu, which is from 6 to 8 p.m. Food and refreshments will be provided.

  • Friday, November 13 – Hilo, Hawaiʻi Island: Itsuko’s Kitchen
  • Saturday, November 14 – Kona, Hawaiʻi Island: West Hawaiʻi Civic Center
  • Monday, November 16 – Waiʻanae, Oʻahu: Waiʻanae Intermediate School
  • Tuesday, November 17 – Honolulu, Oʻahu: Ala Moana Hotel (6–8 p.m.)
  • Wednesday, November 18 – North Shore, Oʻahu: Waialua Elementary School
  • Monday, November 30 – Kaunakakai, Molokaʻi: DHHL Conference Room
  • Tuesday, December 1 – Lānaʻi City, Lānaʻi: Lānaʻi High & Elementary School
  • Wednesday, December 2 – Maui: Location TBD (check the Council calendar for updates)
  • Thursday, December 3 – Līhuʻe, Kauaʻi: Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School

Your fishery. Your voice. Our future. Come share what’s happening on the water and help shape the conversation.

For more information, visit the Council Inflation Reduction Act Project webpage or contact Zach Yamada at zach.yamada@wpcouncil.org or Alex Min at PacificFisheries@gmail.com.

About the Council

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional councils established under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to manage fisheries in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The Council is responsible for developing and implementing fishery management plans for waters surrounding Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, the CNMI and U.S. Pacific Remote Island Areas. The Council works to promote sustainable fisheries, protect marine ecosystems and support the livelihoods of fishing communities through science-based decision-making and stakeholder engagement.

A Winter at Sea Reveals Seasonal Habits of Whales, Dolphins, and Seabirds in Hawaiʻi

August 21, 2026 — The Hawaiian archipelago is teeming with marine life, and winter brings some of the most exciting activity of the year. It’s a season when many whale and seabird species travel to the islands. Migratory baleen whales such as humpback and minke whales are only found in Hawai‘i in the winter, when they seek warmer waters to breed. Others—including various types of dolphins—rely on this marine ecosystem year-round, but scientists have yet to uncover the details of their wintertime habits.

To close that gap, the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center launched a survey in late January 2026. Scientists spent 2 months monitoring these species around the main Hawaiian islands aboard the NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette. The mission, called the Winter Hawaiian Islands Cetacean and Ecosystem Assessment Survey, is only the second of its kind.

Six years after the first winter survey, researchers returned to better understand where, when, and how many whales and dolphins use this habitat. The data from these surveys feed into stock assessments, helping us track the status of these species and make informed conservation decisions. This work is especially important for high-priority species like false killer whales, including an endangered population that lives around the main Hawaiian islands.

Winter conditions at sea can be rough, with higher swells and lots of white caps. This makes animals harder to see. But NOAA scientists are experienced with scientific methods that rise to the challenge. During the survey, eagle-eyed visual observers spied more than 200 groups of whales and dolphins, even in difficult conditions. They documented humpback mothers with their calves, bottlenose dolphins riding the ship’s bow, and pantropical spotted dolphins leaping high into the air. Cutting-edge passive acoustic technology helped detect other whales and dolphins that could be heard but not seen.

In these photos, take a look behind the scenes of the survey and find out which species spend their winters in Hawaiʻi.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

NOAA: Drone technology aids whale research off Hawaii

July 29, 2016 — HONOLULU — Federal researchers returning from a 30-day expedition to study whales and dolphins around the Hawaiian Islands said Thursday they are looking for clues to help sustain healthy populations of the marine mammals.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists told reporters that gathering data on the animals is often difficult, especially around the windward coasts of the Hawaiian Islands.

The researchers worked from a large ship, instead of using their normally small survey boats, and explored the coasts of the main Hawaiian Islands where wind conditions and severe weather make it difficult to navigate and remain at sea for extended periods of time.

The team also used a hexacopter drone to photograph the whales and dolphins, something they have never done before in this region.

Using drones allows researchers to get better images of groups of whales because they are not disturbed by the approaching boat, said NOAA’s Erin Oleson, who led the expedition.

The vantage point of the drone also allowed them to more accurately count the number of individuals in a pod, including mothers and calves that sometimes stay underwater. The number of calves helps researchers gauge the whale’s reproductive health. The perspective also allows the scientists to get more accurate size estimates for individual whales.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at The Daily News

Why U.S. Fisheries Are A Global Model Of Sustainability

May 5, 2016 — In the 40 years since passage of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, we’ve been on a journey that has made U.S. fisheries management a global model of sustainability. In the Pacific Islands, we see the wisdom of this act on our dinner plates and in our local fisheries every day.

In our region, much credit goes to the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, which is responsible for recommending conservation and management measures to NOAA Fisheries in the Pacific Islands. Comprised of commercial and non-commercial fishermen, and environmental, academic and government interests, the council has a proud track record of achieving its goal of sustainable fisheries.

Within the Councils’ expansive jurisdiction – extending from the Hawaiian Islands through the Western Pacific including American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam – only a small number of stocks are subject to overfishing or overfished.

Read the full story at the Honolulu Civil Beat