Saving Seafood

HAWAII: Buoys attract schools of tuna to benefit Kaua‘i fishermen

November 12, 2021 — Kaua‘i is set to receive new Fish Aggregation Devices when a state program receives its next round of federal funding.

FADs attract species including tuna, ono, mahimahi and types of billfish, to fishers’ benefit. Kaua‘i has two installed off its North and South Shores, respectively, but the island is missing another seven.

“Kaua‘i will be the first, next stop for replacing the FADs,” said researcher Kim Holland, of the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology, on Wednesday. “We hope that’s going to happen before the end of the year.”

Kaua‘i will be allotted five new devices in the immediate future, with more planned.

The Hawai‘i FAD program, which totals 55 units when complete, has existed since 1980. It’s currently operated by HIMB, the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, the University of Hawai‘i and the Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources.

Read the full story at The Garden Island

 

Researchers push back against Hawaii shark protection bill

May 13, 2019 — Legislation meant to protect Hawaii’s shark population was altered at the 11th hour to remove the apex predators from the bill amid concerns from the scientific community.

The bill was intended to extend protections already in place for manta rays to include all rays and sharks, West Hawaii Today reported Tuesday.

It would have made it illegal to “capture, take, possess, abuse, or entangle any shark, whether alive or dead, or kill any shark, within state marine waters,” the measure said. There were exceptions for academic research, but the scientific community found them inadequate.

University of Hawaii shark researcher Kim Holland said researchers would be forced to apply for permits from Department of Land and Natural Resources personnel without scientific expertise.

“It will be virtually impossible to prove that someone is ‘knowingly’ fishing for sharks,” wrote Holland, adding state enforcement resources are already insufficient for current polices.

Holland also said the bill was too ambiguous in defining terms such as “take” and “harassment.”

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Star Advertiser