Hawaii Archives - Saving Seafood

HAWAII: ‘I make nothing’: Local fishers weigh leaving the industry as inflation drives up costs

October 18, 2024 — Troy Pack, the captain of the Itasca, a Hawaiʻi-based longline fishing boat, had a different outlook on his job just a few years ago.

“I loved being a captain. I loved my job. I love fishing, but it’s like I was making good money and it was worth it. It was worth being away from my family and worth being away and being out at sea for 25 days a month,” Pack said.

After a recent fishing trip, the Itasca was docked at Oʻahu’s Pier 38. On one afternoon, Pack, some of his crew and Peter Webster, who owns the Itasca, were taking a break aboard the vessel before heading out on another fishing trip.

There, Pack said he’s been rethinking his career.

After 20 years of fishing, he said he couldn’t live on the pay anymore.

“It’s coming to the point where I’m this close to just quitting, giving up, and just (getting) a normal nine-to-five. This last trip, I came in with 20,000 pounds of fish, they sold 16,000 pounds of it, and threw away 3,500 pounds. After expenses and everything … I would make more money working at McDonald’s,” he said.

The crew just came back from weeks on the ocean fishing mostly for ahi, specifically bigeye or yellowfin tuna.

There are some 140 Hawaiʻi-based longline fishing vessels that bring in more than 20 million pounds of tuna annually.

Collectively, the state’s longline commercial fishing industry is one of the largest local food producers. But Pack said he and others might be forced to leave the industry over what they’re making.

Read the full article at Hawaii Public Radio

Imported vs. local: The battle of seafood transparency

October 2, 2024 — Hawaii’s seafood industry has long been a mix of local catches and imported products, with many consumers unaware of where the fish on their plates truly comes from. Despite the state’s 10-year average of 17.4 million pounds of annual seafood landings from 2000 to 2009, Hawaii still imports about half of its seafood.

While some local spots, like Poke by the Pound in Kalihi, proudly use fresh, locally caught fish, most poke sold in retail and restaurants is imported. With rising concerns over transparency and sustainability, Hawaii isn’t alone—other states, like Louisiana, are also grappling with misleading seafood labeling practices.

A recent source shared that a restaurant called Poke by the Pound in Kalihi strictly used fresh, locally caught fish for their poke bowls, leaving locals and customers with remarks about the freshness of the fish used there. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) requires that all seafood that is stored at stores in the country be labeled with a country-of-origin label; however, once products are prepared- such as poke- the label is no longer required.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Marine debris removal benefits Hawaiian monk seals, ecosystems

September 27, 2024 — Endangered Hawaiian monk seals and other marine life have benefitted from 25 years of large-scale marine debris removal in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI), according to the cover story in the current issue of Science.

Scientists from NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) have been studying the devastating impacts of plastic pollution on marine mammals, sea turtles, fish and coral reefs for more than 40 years. To reduce harm to Hawaiian monk seals, as well as the broader marine ecosystem, large-scale, multi-agency, and multi-partner marine debris removal efforts were initiated to decrease impacts of plastic marine debris, primarily abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear.

A team of researchers from PIFSC, the Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project, and the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program (Hawaiʻi Sea Grant) examined Hawaiian monk seal entanglement records spanning more than 40 years, both before and after large-scale removal efforts were initiated, and found a substantial reduction in the rate of entanglement where the debris removal effort was most concentrated.

Read the full article at the University of Hawaii News

HAWAII: Oahu offshore wind farm plan gets blowback

September 26, 2024 — A company partly backed by the government of France is working to advance an Oahu offshore wind energy project as a federal agency prepares to possibly auction an ocean lease for such use in 2028.

Aukahi Energy LLC, a joint venture involving a subsidiary of French utility giant EDF Group, in recent months has publicly shared its vision to put 22 to 30 floating wind turbines — each taller than a football field — between Oahu and Molokai to supply about 25% of the electricity used on Oahu at an estimated cost of over $1.8 billion.

Read the full article at the West Hawaii Today

HAWAII: Crews haul in record amount of marine debris from Papahanaumokuakea

September 26, 2024 — The Papahanaumokuakea Marine Debris Project has set a new record for a one-day cleanup at the site.

Volunteers with the nonprofit hauled in 14,700 pounds of marine debris on Saturday — the most ever in a day.

Read the full article at Hawaii News Now

HAWAII: Removing Ghost Nets from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

September 23, 2024 — The Hawaiian archipelago extends far beyond its eight main islands to include 137 islands, atolls and shoals stretching 1,591 miles, from Kure Atoll in the northwest to Hawai’i Island in the southeast.

The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is a vast and remote area that encompasses the low-lying Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, atolls and surrounding sea.

“Most people don’t really know it’s even a part of Hawai‘i, let alone 75% of the length of the Hawaiian archipelago,” says Kevin O’Brien, founder and president of the nonprofit Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project.

Read the full article at Hawaii Business

Hawaii fishermen and scientists team up tagging ahi tuna

July 24, 2024 — Tuna researcher Molly Lutcavage has been working with fishermen for over two decades. “We were criticized for working with commercial fishermen. But how could you not work with commercial fishermen? They’re the experts,” she says. A veteran tuna researcher, Lutcavage is helping a team of fishermen and scientists in Hawaii to employ new tagging technology for ahi (yellowfin) tuna.

Nathan Abe, who fishes for ahi and other tuna species in the waters west of the Hawaii’s Big Island has been tagging the ahi tuna with a new HI tag, a small strip of plastic bearing an RFID chip. Developed by Tim Lam and Lutcavage, the HI tag in combination with a smartphone app will help fishermen and scientists learn more about the travels of the ahi tuna.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

HAWAII: Kaua‘i and Big Island fishermen to trial new tuna tagging technology

July 8, 2024 — It’s summertime in Hawai‘i: ‘Ahi season, when Pacific yellowfin tuna traditionally run at their greatest numbers in island waters.

A cadre of Kaua‘i and Big Island fishermen are set this year to do more than simply catch ‘ahi – an iconic, torpedolike tuna important to local culture and cuisine. They will trial first-of-their-kind tags intended to change how fish are studied.

Lifelong Kaua‘i fisherman Cory Nakamura has caught at least one ‘ahi per year since first stepping foot on a boat at the age of 5. He is participating because he wants to ensure future generations can grow up doing the same.

“We would like to continue this culture and lifestyle … We always celebrate having some fresh fish around,” said Nakamura, the principal of Elsie H. Wilcox Elementary in Līhu‘e, who worked as a part-time commercial fisherman during his early teaching days. “It’s going to take some science and some good habits to sustain the availability of fish in the future.”

The Hawai‘i ‘ahi fishery is neither overfished nor subject to overfishing, according to NOAA Fisheries. But there is much to learn about the species in Hawai‘i waters. Its annual migration routes, spawning grounds and connectivity to tuna elsewhere in the Pacific are not well documented.

Read the full article at Big Island Now

Hawai‘i Longline Fishery Sees Revenue Decline in 2023 Due to Drop in Fish Prices at Honolulu Fish Auction

June 10, 2024 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

A report prepared for the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council highlights a nearly 8% decline in revenue for the Hawai‘i longline fishery due to a drop in average fish prices at the first point of landing in Honolulu Harbor. The 2023 Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation Report, which monitors fish catch and revenue, will be presented to scientists and advisors of the Council’s 152nd Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) meeting from June 11-13, 2024, for advice on shaping the future of fisheries management in the Western Pacific Region.

The report indicates that while the Hawai‘i longline fishery landed slightly more fish in 2023, greater yields did not lead to higher revenue. Industry representatives confirmed better catch rates towards the end of 2023, but overall it was a very tough year for the fleet. It was further noted that the volume and price of subsidized foreign imports, coupled with all-time high operational costs, are causing severe economic impacts on the fleet, which is the State’s largest food producer. The Hawai‘i longline fleet consists of 150 U.S.-flagged vessels operating out of Honolulu Harbor. The SSC will discuss this information to provide scientific advice on management of this fishery.

Electronic monitoring is in the planning stages for tracking protected species interactions with the Hawai‘i longline fisheries. SSC discussions will address delays due to funding shortfalls, the reduction in human observer coverage and potential pathways for phasing in electronic monitoring to meet regulatory obligations.

The SSC will also advise the Council on catch limits for the main Hawaiian Islands deep-seven bottomfish fishery. The 2023 report showed recent bottomfish catch has been well-below current limits, and the fishery is neither overfished nor experiencing overfishing. A new stock assessment will help the SSC quantify the risk of overfishing and uncertainty.

A recent national focus on climate change and environmental justice requires the Council to look at ways to manage fisheries for resiliency. To support this effort, the SSC will review revisions and suggestions from various advisory groups on research priorities that promote climate change resiliency, equity and environmental justice, and regulatory efficiency in fisheries management.

The SSC meeting is open for both in-person and remote participation via web conference. Attendees can access the full agenda, background documents and instructions for connecting to the meeting and providing oral public comments at www.wpcouncil.org/event/152ssc-meeting.

Recommendations made by the SSC on these and other matters will be considered by the Council when it meets June 24-26 at the Ala Moana Hotel, Hibiscus Ballroom in Honolulu. Instructions on connecting to the web conference, agendas and briefing documents are posted at www.wpcouncil.org/event/199th-council-meeting.

HAWAII: Proponents Look To Create A New Hawaii Marine Sanctuary ASAP In Case Of A Trump Return

April 14, 2024 — A proposed national marine sanctuary is on pace to take shape in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands by early 2025, and supporters hope that timeline will make it harder to roll back the environmental protections there if former President Donald Trump retakes office next year.

Federal fisheries officials are gathering public comment at meetings across Hawaii for the proposed Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Sanctuary, which would have the same boundaries as the existing national monument that covers a vast ocean area. Unlike the monument, the sanctuary would not include the islands, only the water.

Once the public comment period ends, in early May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will prepare the final documents to designate the new sanctuary. NOAA expects to have those documents completed this winter, according to the agency’s timeline.

The monument is already one of the largest so-called marine protected areas on the planet, prohibiting commercial fishing, oil drilling and other impacts within a more than 582,000-square-mile area.

However, in 2017 Papahanaumokuakea was among the more than two dozen national monuments that came under review during the Trump administration to be potentially shrunk, changed or even eliminated altogether.

Ultimately, Papahanaumokuakea did not see any changes under Trump.

Read the full article at the Civil Beat