September 30, 2026 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:
The Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) yesterday recognized Kitty M. Simonds, executive director of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, with its Outstanding Contribution to Pacific Coast Fisheries Award during the Commission’s 79th Annual Meeting in Kona, Hawaiʻi.
David Sakoda of the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources presented the award during the meeting’s awards luncheon.
“Her career has had a lasting influence not only in the Western Pacific, but nationally and internationally,” Sakoda said. “We are pleased to recognize Kitty today for her exceptional service, leadership and commitment to the people and marine resources of the Pacific.”
Simonds has served as executive director of the Western Pacific Council since 1983, leading the development and implementation of fisheries management strategies across Hawaiʻi and the U.S. Pacific Islands. Under her direction, the Council pioneered regulations on fishing gear including drift gill nets and bottom trawls, as well as the first satellite-based fishery vessel monitoring system in the United States. She also helped transform the Hawaiʻi longline fishery through onboard observer coverage and gear changes that reduced interactions with and mortality of sea turtles, seabirds and sharks. The Council developed the nation’s first Coral Reef Fishery Ecosystem Plan and advanced the integration of local and traditional ecological knowledge into modern fisheries management.
“For Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Islands, fisheries are not simply an industry. They are food security, cultural heritage, jobs and the ability of our communities to have a voice in decisions affecting our waters,” Simonds said when accepting the award. “We can protect our marine resources without sacrificing the American fisheries that put food on our tables. That requires sound science, meaningful conservation and — most importantly — a seat at the table for the communities that depend on these resources.”
PSMFC established the award program in 1987 to recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the conservation, development and management of marine fishery resources. Past recipients include the late U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, who received the award in 2005, and fisheries scientist Dayton L. “Lee” Alverson of Washington, who was recognized in 1999 for his contributions to fisheries management and research.
The recognition comes as Simonds approaches another milestone. Jan. 3, 2027, will mark her 50th anniversary as a staff member of the Western Pacific Council. A native of Maui, Simonds joined the Council in its early years after working on the staff of U.S. Sen. Hiram L. Fong in Washington, D.C., and Honolulu.
The 79th PSMFC Annual Meeting is being held Sept. 27–30 in Kona and is the Commission’s first annual meeting in Hawaiʻi since the state joined PSMFC as a member in 2024. The Commission is also a nonvoting member of the Council. PSMFC’s annual meeting provides a forum for its six member states — Alaska, California, Hawaiʻi, Idaho, Oregon and Washington — and federal and regional partners to share information and discuss fisheries management issues. This year’s agenda includes Hawaiʻi and Pacific fisheries, federal fisheries science and management updates, fisheries data and technology, electronic monitoring, habitat conservation and other regional priorities.
About the Council
The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional fishery management councils established under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The Council develops fishery management measures for federal waters surrounding Hawai‘i, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Pacific Remote Island Areas, working to support sustainable fisheries through science-based management and stakeholder participation.