Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument Archives - Page 2 of 11

WesPac discusses catch limits

July 26, 2021 — The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council and managers of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (PMNM) agreed to work together to develop a draft management plan ahead of the formal sanctuary proposal process scheduled to start this fall.

In December 2020, President Trump signed a funding bill that would strengthen protections for the monument by designating it as a national marine sanctuary.

While the PMNM, and its subsequent expansion, was established via presidential proclamation, the sanctuary proposal process is a bottoms-up approach to management similar to the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and would give the council “a seat at the table” to propose regulations for the entire area.

“After the 2016 expansion allowing recreational and subsistence fishing, we engaged with fishermen and Native Hawaiian communities about fishing in the expanded area,” said council Executive Director Kitty Simonds. “We had sessions about customary exchange, but didn’t get much traction.”

This is allowed in the Marianas Trench and Rose Atoll Marine National Monuments.

Read the full story at Lahaina News

Back to the Field: NOAA Biologists Return to Papahānaumokuākea to Study and Protect Hawaiʻi Wildlife

July 16, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

A team of biologists from NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center is setting off for a field season in the remote islands of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The team departed Honolulu on the M/V Kahana II July 10, and the ship will return August 6. However, most of the biologists will stay behind for a season of hard work collecting data on some of the iconic threatened and endangered species of Hawaiʻi—Hawaiian green sea turtles and Hawaiian monk seals.

The Work of NOAA Field Biologists in the Monument

The primary goal of this research cruise is to set up biological field camps at five sites within the monument:

Lalo (French Frigate Shoals)
Kamole (Laysan Island)
Kapou (Lisianski Island)
Manawai (Pearl and Hermes Reef)
Hōlanikū (Kure Atoll)

Setting up camp on these remote islands is a big undertaking—each camp needs tents and all of the food, fresh water, scientific equipment, and safety supplies that teams of three to seven biologists will need for their stay of over 2 months. The research cruise team will also conduct monk seal surveys at islands where they do not establish camps—Nihoa, Mokumanamana (Necker) and Kuaihelani (Midway Atoll).

Once camps are established, the real work begins. Hawaiian monk seal biologists at the five camps will survey the islands to get an accurate count of monk seals. They will also monitor moms and pups to track reproductive success and attach identification tags to seals’ flippers to help track individuals through their lives. At two of the sites (Lalo and Pearl and Hermes Reef), the team will use an underwater device (sound trap) to record monk seal vocalizations and understand the noises they hear.

Marine turtle biologists will join a team of two who have been at Lalo since early spring. The turtle team will count and tag male turtles and nesting female turtles, monitor nest success, and collect samples from hatchling turtles.

Read the full release here

Western Pacific Council, Marine Monument Managers Collaborate on Draft Management Plan

June 29, 2021 — A new agreement will improve recreational and subsistence access to a central Pacific marine monument, but commercial fisheries will still be shut out.

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council and managers of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument agreed last week to work together at a meeting in Honolulu. The two entities agreed to develop a draft management plan ahead of the formal sanctuary proposal process scheduled to start this fall. In December 2020, President Trump signed a funding bill that would strengthen protections for the monument by designating it as a national marine sanctuary, the Council said in a press release.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Native Hawaiian culture woven into marine area plan

June 28, 2021 — Co-trustees of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument recently released Mai Ka Po Mai, a historic-guidance document that will help federal and state agencies further integrate Native Hawaiian culture into all areas of management of the 582,578-square-mile protected region in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

“Mai Ka Po Mai is a groundbreaking document,” said Dr. Sylvia Hussey, Office of Hawaiian Affairs CEO and ka pouhana in a press release.

“This document demonstrates that providing Native Hawaiian voices equal footing with federal and state entities in a complex management structure can lead to the successful stewardship of our most precious natural and cultural resources,” she said.

”Moreover, it shows that traditional indigenous resource management is a best-management practice to address climate change and other environmental challenges currently facing humanity. We hope that this stewardship approach is replicated elsewhere in Hawai‘i and throughout the globe.”

Mai Ka Po Mai establishes a collaborative management framework for incorporating Native Hawaiian culture into the stewardship of Papahanaumokuakea for the four monument co-trustees: the federal Department of Commerce and Department of the Interior, state of Hawai‘i and OHA.

Read the full story at The Garden Island

Western Pacific Council and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Managers Collaborate to Draft Management Plan

June 28, 2021 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council and managers of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM) agreed to work together yesterday at a meeting in Honolulu to develop a draft management plan ahead of the formal sanctuary proposal process scheduled to start this fall. In December 2020, President Trump signed a funding bill that would strengthen protections for the monument by designating it as a national marine sanctuary.

While the PMNM, and its subsequent expansion, was established via presidential proclamation, the sanctuary proposal process is a bottoms-up approach to management similar to the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and would give the Council “a seat at the table” to propose regulations for the entire area.

“After the 2016 expansion allowing recreational and subsistence fishing, we engaged with fishermen and native Hawaiian communities about fishing in the expanded area,” said Council Executive Director Kitty Simonds. “We had sessions about customary exchange, but didn’t get much traction.” This is allowed in the Marianas Trench and Rose Atoll Marine National Monuments.

The Council will collaborate with NOAA to prioritize issues and develop potential management actions for the proposed sanctuary, keeping in mind the sideboards of the original monument proclamation, such as the prohibition of commercial fishing.

Bigeye Tuna Catch Limits
The Council recommended setting a bigeye tuna longline catch limit of 2,000 metric tons (4.4 million pounds) for each of the U.S. Participating Territories of American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. A limit of 1,500 metric tons (3.3 million pounds) per territory, up to 3,000 metric tons total, may be transferred to U.S. vessels as permitted through specified fishing agreements. Monies from these agreements, approved by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, go into the Western Pacific Sustainable Fisheries Fund and are used to implement projects in each territory’s marine conservation plan.

A 2020 assessment for the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) bigeye tuna says the stock is healthy—not subject to overfishing or overfished.

For 2023 to 2026, the Council supported not setting a bigeye tuna catch limit for the U.S. Participating Territories, and allowing each region to transfer up to 1,500 metric tons (4,500 metric tons total) to U.S. permitted vessels. This recognizes that a new Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission conservation and management measure for tropical tunas is likely beginning in 2022, and stock assessments for WCPO bigeye tuna are expected in 2023 and 2026.

Main Hawaiian Islands Deep 7 Bottomfish Catch Limits
The Council recommended that NOAA implement the 492,000-pound annual catch limit with an in-season accountability measure for fishing years 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24. According to a 2022 assessment, the stock is healthy—not overfished and no overfishing is occurring. It is estimated at 22 million pounds, nearly 2 million more pounds than the last assessment done in 2018.

Presidential Executive Orders
NOAA Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs Sam Rauch summarized the multi-agency Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful report that provides recommendations on how the United States should achieve the goal of conserving at least 30% of waters by 2030. The report resulted from President Biden’s Executive Order (EO) 14008 on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.

Rauch posed several key questions for future engagement, including an evaluation of currently effective conservation actions and areas that meet the conservation criteria, among others. While the initiatives described in the report are not new, he emphasized the critical role of the regional fishery management councils in reaching the goals of the president, and noted it was a recognition justly earned for work done over the years.

Regarding the president’s EO 13985 and EO 14031 on advancing racial equality and underserved communities, the Council agreed to inform the Biden Administration of the barriers to providing equity, justice and opportunity to those in the Western Pacific Region. More than 75% of the region’s population identifies as indigenous, Asian American, Pacific Islander or other persons of color—all groups that fall under the EO’s definition of underserved communities that have historically been denied equitable treatment.

For years, Council leadership has reminded Administrations that “we are not asking for more, we are asking for different” to effectively support our Pacific communities.

The Council heard a presentation on EO 13985 that described equity barriers such as limited capacity, communication differences, available funding opportunities, regional representation and rigid national policies, among others. Members were reminded of Council-supported initiatives, like fishery development projects and territorial scholarships, aimed at addressing economic, social and educational disparities in the region.

“A perfect example of this is Guam fishermen’s applications for the CARES Act economic relief funds,” noted Michael Dueñas, Council member from Guam. “Initially, only 270 fishers applied due to lack of access to technology and language barriers. After extensive outreach, that number increased to 468.”

For meeting agenda and briefing materials, visit www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars.

HAWAII: Marine debris research team fishes for clues in tons of ‘ghost nets’

May 10, 2021 — In an open-air structure called the “Net Shed” a team from Hawaii Pacific University’s Center for Marine Debris Research picks through a tangled mess of fishing nets.

They’re surrounded by mounds of twisted twine.

“It’s about five tons inside the ‘Net Shed’ and probably three tons outside, waiting for analysis,” said Jennifer Lynch, co-director of HPU’s marine debris program.

She’s heading up the effort to untangle the nets, cut and measure pieces, and look for clues.

“Lengths and widths and twine diameter, twin twists, knotted versus knot-less nets. You name it. We’re documenting what these pieces are,” she said.

The netting came from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. HPU partnered with Papahanaumokuakea Marine Debris Project to bring it back last month.

“We brought back just under 95,000 pounds of plastics in total. And of that 80,000 pounds were specifically ghost nets,” said Drew McWhirter, who’s working on the project for his master’s degree in HPU’s Marine Science Program.

Read the full story at Hawaii News Now

Expedition hauls tons of plastic out of remote Hawaii atolls

April 23, 2021 — A crew returned from the northernmost islands in the Hawaiian archipelago this week with a boatload of marine plastic and abandoned fishing nets that threaten to entangle endangered Hawaiian monk seals and other animals on the uninhabited beaches stretching more than 1,300 miles north of Honolulu.

The cleanup effort in Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument lasted three weeks and the crew picked up more than 47 tons (43 metric tons) of “ghost nets” and other marine plastics such as buoys, crates, bottle caps and cigarette lighters from the shores of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

The monument, the largest protected marine reserve in the U.S. and one of the largest in the world, is in the northern Pacific Ocean and surrounded by what is known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch — a huge gyre of floating plastic and other debris that circulates in ocean currents. The islands act like a comb that gather debris on its otherwise pristine beaches.

The ecosystem in the monument is diverse, unique and one of the most intact marine habitats on Earth. But the beaches are littered with plastic and nets that ensnare endangered Hawaiian monk seals — of which there are only about 1,400 left in the world — and green turtles, among other wildlife.

The crew removed line from a monk seal on the expedition’s first day.

With virtually no predators, the islands are a haven for many species of seabirds, and Midway Atoll is home to the largest colony of albatross in the world. There, the land is littered with carcasses of birds that have ingested plastics and died.

The cleanup was organized by the nonprofit Papahanaumokuakea Marine Debris Project, which partners with the state of Hawaii and federal agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at The Washington Post

‘If we’re not up there cleaning up this threat, nobody is’: Team hauls more than 47 tons of marine debris out of Pacific Ocean

April 23, 2021 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Wednesday that a team of scientists hauled 47.2 tons of marine debris out of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the North Pacific Ocean.

A crew of 12, which completed their expedition over 24 days, included staff from NOAA Fisheries, the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Hawaii Pacific University’s Center for Marine Debris Research.

Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is the largest contiguous fully protected conservation area in the U.S., encompassing an area larger than all the country’s national parks combined, according to the national monument’s website.

The monument is in the northern Pacific Ocean and surrounded by what is known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch — a huge gyre of floating plastic and other debris that circulates in ocean currents. The islands act like a comb that gather debris on its otherwise pristine beaches.

Read the full story at USA Today

Biden Plan To Conserve More Ocean Habitat Worries Hawaii Fishing Interests

April 1, 2021 — Days after taking office, President Joe Biden signed a sweeping new executive order to conserve 30% of the nation’s total land area and 30% of all waters it controls by 2030.

Read the full story at the Honolulu Civil Beat

Sen. Schatz provision for Papahanaumokuakea signed into law

December 31, 2020 — Last Sunday, the president signed a bipartisan government funding bill which included a provision authored by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) that will strengthen protections for the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument by starting the process to designate it as a National Marine Sanctuary.

“A new sanctuary designation means more resources and stronger protections for Papahanaumokuakea,” said Sen. Schatz. “This will give us more opportunities to better understand and conserve one of our most important natural resources.”

The Schatz provision directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to commence the process to designate Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument as a National Marine Sanctuary. Following this initiation, NOAA can begin public meetings and the formal legal process to complete the requirements to finalize an official designation. Sanctuary status for the Monument would make it more difficult to weaken the protections in the Executive Orders signed by Presidents Obama and Bush.

Read the full story at The Garden Island