June 9, 2023 — Social media is an effective data-collection tool when studying the activities of recreational fisheries, reducing the limitations of cost and timeliness associated with traditional research methods, according to a new study.
University of Hawai’i at Hilo Adjunct Associate Professor and Hawai’i Cooperative Fishery Research Unit Leader Tim Grabowski was the lead author of the paper, which was published in March 2023 in Aquatic Biology.
June 5, 2023 — The public hearing in American Samoa about U.S. plans to expand a Pacific marine sanctuary has failed to assuage fears of tuna cannery job losses and further economic decline in the territory, according to workers, business owners and political leaders.
After a decade of lobbying by the Hawaii-based Pacific Remote Islands Coalition, the U.S. government earlier this year said it could double the size of the protected area around uninhabited U.S. islands in the Pacific Ocean, making more ocean area off-limits to fishing fleets.
But the proposal has been greeted with dismay in American Samoa, where residents fear a heavy blow to the economically crucial tuna industry. Dozens of placard-wielding employees of the StarKist cannery in American Samoa protested outside a recent hearing held in Pago Pago by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees protected marine and coastal areas.
“I have seven children between the ages of two and 17, they are all in school, and I have been supporting my family working for StarKist Samoa,” Tanielu Malae, the sole breadwinner for his family, said at the May 25 hearing. “Do the people in Hawaii that made this proposal know what it is like for people like us that did not have proper education if we lose our jobs.”
American Samoa’s Lieutenant Governor, Talauega Eleasalo Ale, who said he was at the hearing as a resident rather than representing the territory’s government, made an emotional appeal to “brothers and sisters” in Hawaii.
May 22, 2023 — THE local opposition to a proposed expansion of a marine national monument in the Pacific Remote Islands was clear Friday, as most public commentators expressed their frustrations and aired their concerns to representatives of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
NOAA was on island to collect public comments regarding a proposal to expand the boundaries of marine protections at Howland and Baker Islands, and Kingman Reef and Palmyra Atoll, as well as encompass the areas under one marine national monument.
Most speakers against the expansion of the national marine monument shared one or more of the following basic arguments: the NOAA process to establish the sanctuary was too unilateral, in that it came from the federal government with not enough input from the Pacific; Pacific peoples were already conserving marine resources prior to NOAA’s establishment; and American Samoa’s fish canning industry will be damaged if the PRI national monument is expanded.
May 18, 2023 — The following was released by Amata Coleman Radewagen:
Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata and expert witnesses together strongly emphasized the importance of the U.S. Pacific fishing fleet and American-produced tuna in a Tuesday hearing on countering the PRC in the Pacific Islands, as well as highlighting how stationing Coast Guard vessels at Pago Pago Harbor would be an important signal of U.S. commitment in the Pacific.
Video of the hearing is available in its entirety HERE. American Samoa’s strategic role was highlighted in expert testimony provided by Dr. Peter Watson, President and CEO, The Dwight Group; Cleo Paskal, Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies; Alexander Gray, Managing Partner, American Global Strategies; Derek Grossman, Senior Defense Analyst, The RAND Corporation; and Emil Friberg, former Assistant Director and Senior Economist, International Affairs and Trade, Government Accounting Office. Congresswoman Amata’s statement and question begins at the 51:25 mark, leading into Dr. Watson’s response ending at 56:28.
May 18, 2023 — AS the public comment deadline for a proposed designation of a marine sanctuary in the central Pacific draws near, the Pacific Remote Islands Coalition expects a “lively discussion of comments” at upcoming public meetings.
The PRI Coalition is a Hawaii-based organization formed in 2014. According to their website, they support the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s proposal to designate the Pacific Remote Islands as a new marine sanctuary.
The PRI Coalition, however, is not the officiating governing body that designates new marine sanctuaries. They are merely advocates for such actions over the Pacific Remote Islands, which include Wake Atoll, Johnston Atoll, Jarvis Island, Howland and Baker Islands, and Kingman Reef and Palmyra Atoll. These islands are around 2,000 nautical miles east of the CNMI.
April 24, 2023 — The University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program and its partners were awarded $5,120,959 to address rampant marine debris issues in Hawai‘i and develop urgently needed, innovative solutions that can be shared worldwide.
The funding will primarily focus on derelict fishing gear that has been abandoned, lost or discarded. Department leaders say this kind of debris devastates threatened and endangered species such as Hawaiian monk seals, sea turtles and humpback whales; harms commercial and recreational fisheries; poses a hazard to shipping and boating; pollutes the shoreline and nearshore waters; and is a health hazard to humans and other animals.
This investment from the National Sea Grant College Program will connect visionary experts from across the state and region in three multi-year projects to increase the efficiency of derelict fishing gear removal, repurpose the gear that is brought to shore and engage a network of community members and resource managers throughout the Pacific to develop a regional Pacific Islands Marine Debris Action Plan.
“It is an honor to be partnering on these projects with researchers, cultural practitioners, industry members, and other experts from all across the state to tackle a problem that has had profound negative impacts on the environment, the economy and the health of our communities,” said Darren T. Lerner, Hawai‘i Sea Grant director and principal investigator of two of the grants in a department news release. “While Hawai‘i and the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument are known worldwide as hotspots for ocean plastic pollution and environmental damage, the cutting-edge technologies that will be developed through these large grants will have far-reaching impacts on other states and nations impacted by ocean plastic pollution.”
April 8, 2023 — Spring time is swordfish season in the pacific and Hawaii fisherman are reeling them in.
While many local fish buyers look for the best price and quality when it comes to Ahi, many in the industry say swordfish is often an unappreciated and under-utilized commodity for the region.
It’s often shipped out, away from the islands. But fishermen are trying to change that — they say swordfish has a place at your table.
March 23, 2023 — President Joe Biden directed the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo to start the process of designating waters of the U.S. Pacific Remote Islands as a National Marine Sanctuary on Tuesday, drawing praise from supporters who have advocated such a designation for more than a decade.
The sanctuary designation process directed by the president will include opportunities for public comment. Biden also directed Raimondo and Secretary of Commerce Deb Haaland to conduct a public process to work with indigenous communities of the Pacific to appropriately rename the existing Pacific Remote Islands National Monument (and potentially the islands themselves) and to provide posthumous recognition will also be awarded to the Hui Panalaau — 130 young, mostly Native Hawaiian men sent to secure U.S. territorial claim to the islands in the run up to World War II.
“Mahalo to President Biden for his support in protections of the Pacific Remote Islands,” said Jonee Peters, executive director of Conservation Council for Hawaii and a Hui Panalaau descendant. “With his support, this action ensures a healthy marine ecosystem of native species, corals, seabirds, and all of the marine ohana that support the perpetuation of traditional voyaging practices in Oceania. Furthermore, I am grateful for his recognition of the bravery and sacrifices made by the Hui Panalaau.”
March 22, 2023 — President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that he would expeditiously expand and increase environmental protections for a group of remote atolls and islands in the Central Pacific and the nearly 777,000 square miles of waters around them.
He’s directing the commerce secretary to consider initiating a new national marine sanctuary designation within the next 30 days around the Pacific Remote Islands, which would further his goal of conserving at least 30% of U.S. ocean waters by 2030.
A coalition of Pacific island leaders and members of Hawaii’s congressional delegation among others applauded Biden’s decision, though there were some lingering concerns.
March 19, 2023 — The following was released by Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:
The Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) discussed the draft National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) biological opinions (BiOps) released last week for the Hawai‘i deep-set longline and American Samoa longline fisheries. The draft BiOps concluded the two fisheries are not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of Endangered Species Act-listed species that may be accidentally hooked or entangled during fishing operations. The SSC found the no-jeopardy conclusion is well supported by the scientific information used in the analysis.
In the four years leading up to these draft BiOps, the SSC reviewed statistical models evaluating population-level effects of the Hawai‘i deep-set longline and American Samoa longline fisheries on loggerhead and leatherback sea turtles. The SSC this week heard an update on the assessment that evaluated the effect of the Hawai‘i deep-set fishery on the leatherback turtle population. The committee determined that the updated analysis represents the best scientific information available. The models show the two fisheries have no discernable impact on the population projections when comparing scenarios with and without fishery impacts.
The SSC adopted the findings of a working group formed to provide a detailed review of the draft BiOps. The Council will consider the outcomes at its meeting to be held during the week of March 27 in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands and Guam.
“I would like to commend the working group on its efforts to review these 300- to 400-page documents in an extremely short period of time,” said SSC member Craig Severance.
Both draft BiOps include two Reasonable and Prudent Measures (RPMs) to minimize fishery impacts to the species. One RPM requires releasing ESA-listed species in a way that minimizes injury and increases post-release survivorship. Many of the animals are already released alive due to adherence to handling guidelines presented at required annual protected species workshops for commercial fishermen.
The second RPM is to ensure the fisheries have monitoring and reporting programs in place to collect data on the interactions. The deep-set longline vessels are required to carry federal observers on 20% of their fishing trips to monitor interactions with non-target species and assess the effectiveness of measures designed to reduce bycatch. This is high compared to international standards of 5% coverage for longline vessels.
The SSC concluded these RPMs are adequately supported by the best available scientific and commercial data, and encouraged NMFS to support quicker reporting of fishery interaction data to facilitate the timely reporting requirements. One of the Terms and Conditions for the RPMs would require increased monitoring for an area where the Hawai‘i deep-set longline fishery overlaps with the main Hawaiian Islands insular false killer whale population. The SSC recommended NMFS first conduct an evaluation of fishery interaction risk with the latest data to determine whether increased monitoring would be warranted.