August 31, 2021 — The Surfrider Foundation’s Hawaii chapters are launching the North Pacific Hagfish Trap Project to reduce the number of hagfish traps washing up on the coastlines of Hawaii.
Hagfish traps are used to catch a primitive, eel-like animal known as “slime eels” or “hagfish.” The animals are sold almost exclusively to Korean markets for food or use in “eel skin” products such as wallets and boots.
Lost and discarded fishing gear is a primary contributor to plastic pollution on Hawaii beaches and poses a major threat to marine and coastal ecosystems. Yet given its international scope, large geographical range, and difficulties in tracing the source of gear, derelict fishing gear remains a challenging problem. Hagfish traps represent one of the many types of commercial fishing gear that pollute Hawaii coastlines.
In the last twenty years, 13 seal pups and one yearling have been found entangled by hagfish traps in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.