Western Pacific 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

Territory not included in NOAA’s “Fisheries of the United States” annual report

October 8, 2024 — The director of the Department of Marine & Wildlife Resources, Taotasi Archie Soliai has written to the Deputy Ass’t Administrator for Regulatory Programs of NOAA, Samuel Rauch III on his concerns about American Samoa not being included in NOAA’s “Fisheries of the United States” Annual Report, pointing to “a longstanding pattern of marginalization for our community.”

DMWR director’s concerns comes on the heels of the 200th Meeting of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council held in Honolulu, last month, where an Indigenous Committee to provide recommendations to federal authorities on cultural fishing rights and related issues was established.

Read the full article at Samoa News

Can Japan sustain the rebound of its ‘phantom fish’?

October 7, 2024 — Around the room are different pieces of equipment used in Yoichi over a century ago. Black and white photos of the fish meal fertilizer process line the walls. He points to a poster showing the herring catch in Hokkaido from 1870 to the 1950s.

“So in the high peak, there were close to 1 million tons of herring being caught, like 970,000 tons,” he says. “But you know, herring catch declined over the years and in the mid-1950s the herring fishery collapsed.”

In recent years, the fishermen have tried to manage the fishery themselves, to avoid another collapse in the future. Hatcheries aided in the recovery, but some co-ops and processors are taking the charge to conserve the herring population seriously, with strict fishing management. Ikuo Wada, who leads the Ishikari Fishing Co-Op in Hokkaido, says the shorter fishing period and wider nets made a big difference. And they’ve even secured a sustainability certification from the Japanese government.

But Kouta Fukuhara, a dried herring processor I spoke with in Yoichi, is skeptical.

“The current structure of Japanese fishing is not sustainable. Let me compare with Alaska. Alaska Department of Fish and Game regulates all kinds of commercial fishing — when it starts, how much fish to be caught… In Japan, we don’t have a such a legal structure,” Fukuhara says. “And the fishermen catch a lot of herring, bring it back and take the fish to the market. And the market is saturated with herring. Too much herring in the market, and the price goes down and they don’t make much money.”

Read the full article at KCAW

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter combats illegal fishing in Pacific waters

October 4, 2024 — U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Oliver Berry crew traveled more than 7,600 nautical miles from the Hawaiian Islands to the west coast of Fiji where they began their patrol in support of Operation Blue Pacific — promoting security, safety, sovereignty, and economic prosperity in Oceania.

During their patrol, the cutter’s crew moored in Pago Pago, American Samoa, Nadi, Fiji, and Apia, Samoa.

In Apia, the crew participated in multiple community relations events, including subject matter exchanges with the First Canoe Club and the Paddling Club. During a Partnership in Education event at a local school, the Oliver Berry crew held a first aid and CPR demonstration, demonstrating basic life-saving techniques. The crew also hosted the entire Samoa School of Maritime Training to show the students life on the Oliver Berry and convey the cutter’s capabilities.

Read the full article at Samoa News

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

Council Creates Indigenous Committee to Strengthen Traditional Voices in Pacific Fisheries

September 27, 2024 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Concluding its 200th meeting, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council established an Indigenous Committee to provide recommendations to federal authorities on cultural fishing rights and related issues.

Sub-panels for Hawai‘i, American Samoa, Guam and the CNMI will include members with expertise in traditional fishing practices and community ocean activities in their respective regions. The new committee will augment the Council’s Fishery Rights of Indigenous People Standing Committee, which was established in the mid-1980s.

Throughout its 48-year history, the Council has addressed indigenous issues and sought to modify the impact of federal fishery management on Native Hawaiians, Samoans, Chamorros and Carolinians, who have fished in the Western Pacific for centuries.

With the growing emphasis on ecosystem-based management, traditional ecological knowledge, equity, and environmental justice, the Council created the new Indigenous Committee to ensure culturally relevant recommendations that include indigenous perspectives in the region’s decision-making process.

The Council requested a presentation on how the recognition process for indigenous peoples could work and the benefits an existing system now provides to Native American Tribes. Currently, the United States does not recognize the indigenous peoples of the Western Pacific Region—Kānaka Maoli, Samoans, CHamoru and Refaluwasch—in the same way it does federal Native American Tribes. This difference puts the Pacific groups at a disadvantage in federal relations.

The Endangered Species Act, for example, allows subsistence use of endangered species as a food source for Native American Tribes, but such exceptions were not considered for regional indigenous peoples when the U.S. entered international agreements to protect green sea turtles, a traditional food in the Pacific. Expanded recognition could address existing and future issues affecting Pacific Islanders.

National Marine Sanctuaries in the Pacific

The Council reviewed a NOAA status update on the proposed national marine sanctuaries in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) and Pacific Remote Islands (PRI). Since March 2024, public hearings have been held across the Hawaiian islands on the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the NWHI sanctuary, with no action yet reported on a draft EIS for the PRI sanctuary.

The Council expressed concerns over the process for establishing fishing regulations under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, section 304(a)(5), contending it fails to provide a clear rationale for why such regulations are necessary. The Council stressed the need for assessing potential threats to sanctuary resources—including fishing—before determining regulations to address those concerns.

The Council bid a fond farewell to Manny Dueñas from Guam whose 3-year term ended in August 2024. He was a Member of the Council for a total of 12 years, having previously served between 2003 and 2012, including as Chair from 2011-2012. Dueñas has led the Guam Fishermen’s Cooperative Association for nearly 40 years, and has been a passionate champion of his culture and fishing rights. During his tenure, the Council provided funds supporting projects for indigenous fishing practices throughout the Western Pacific Region. Seabird, sea turtle and oceanic whitetip shark bycatch mitigation measures were established for the Hawai‘i longline fishery. A major restructuring of managing fisheries was adopted by the Council–instead of species-based, four archipelago ecosystem plans were developed for American Samoa, the CNMI, Guam and Hawai‘i.

The Council’s 201st meeting will be held virtually Dec. 16-18, 2024. Major agenda items will include actions on the Guam bottomfish rebuilding plan, striped marlin stock sustainability, uku stock assessment and catch limits in Hawai‘i, longline vessel crew training and electronic monitoring. Information will be posted on our website at www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars.

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

Council Receives Praise, Spars with NMFS on Policies

September 26, 2024 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Praise from a top federal administrator combined with an airing of interagency issues energized the second session of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council’s 200th meeting Tuesday.

Sam Rauch, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs at the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), opened the session by complimenting the Council for its achievements.

“This Council doesn’t get enough credit for leadership in the region and the example it has set nationally and internationally; things done here echo throughout the world,” said Rauch.

“To name a few,” Rauch continued, “the Council prohibited destructive gears, explosives, poisons; implemented measures on drift gillnets before the drift gillnet act; created areas where industry can thrive and at the same time reduce impacts to protected species; and crafted gear measures with industry that are models for the rest of the world—circle hooks, wire leaders and vessel monitoring systems (VMS).”

The Council welcomed Rauch’s comments, though much of the session focused on policy and procedural disagreements between the Council and NMFS.

Council members expressed frustration with the proposed Endangered Species Act (ESA)-listing of giant clams in the U.S. Pacific Territories. NMFS initiated a status review in 2017 in response to a petition to list 10 species of giant clams under the ESA, but published the proposed rule in July 2024, opening the proposal for a 90-day public comment period. NMFS presenter John Rippe said that for giant clams in general, quantitative data and survey data is very limited.

Council member Sylvian Igisomar questioned if NMFS had considered unpopulated as well as populated areas when gathering information about the giant clams’ spatial distribution.

“I feel NMFS is just ramming this through the system,” said Igisomar, Secretary of the CNMI Department of Lands and Natural Resources. “Some of these species shouldn’t have been [proposed]—just because you can’t access an area, doesn’t mean the clams are not there.”

The Council reiterated its request for NMFS to engage early with local agencies and communities, and to collaborate with the governments of American Samoa, Guam and the CNMI. The members emphasized the importance of working proactively with the U.S. Pacific Territories before considering ESA listings and critical habitat designations.

Council member Chelsa Muña questioned NMFS’s listing of giant clam species as endangered in regions like Guam and the CNMI where those species haven’t been present for many years. “We are working with Palau to reintroduce the species. It’s disconcerting to see the ones that don’t occur in the Marianas on the list since they’re not part of the natural habitat. You will be restricting our ability to repopulate the area,” Muña emphasized.

Members noted that from past experience with other ESA-listed species like turtles, once giant clams are listed, it is difficult to delist them later. Muña said, “If climate change is included as one of the threats, then there is nothing we can really do to change that impact.”

Muña, director of the Guam Department of Agriculture, added this would affect attempts to recover the species, as is the case with several species of corals. “Outplantings require permits, and you can’t outplant corals that are endangered because you have to harvest,” she noted.

Rippe explained that under the ESA, the United States is required to list species based on their status throughout their entire range, not just in certain areas. Though some giant clam species in question don’t occur in the Mariana Archipelago, they exist elsewhere in their range, such as the Great Barrier Reef, the Philippines and Indonesia, which justifies the listing.

American Samoa Council member Archie Soliai added, “For the whole session we heard on ESA and Marine Mammal Protection Act issues, what sticks out the most is ‘restrict, control and prohibit.’ Giant clams are important to our culture, and this inhibits our food security.”

The Council asked NMFS to extend the public comment period to allow more time for agency outreach to affected communities and for community members to comment. It also asked that NMFS work with governments of American Samoa, Guam and the CNMI to review data supporting proposed rules and their socioeconomic and cultural impacts.

The Council sessions at the Ala Moana Hotel Hibiscus Ballroom will conclude Wednesday, Sept. 25.

News for the Western Pacific Region