Can the 1,424 adult leatherback sea turtles that ply the western Pacific withstand the losses resulting from their interactions with gear set by the Hawai‘i-based longline fishing vessels that target swordfish? A new “internal and deliberative” draft biological opinion (BiOp) … Continued
Another Whale Death: For the second time this year, a Hawai‘i deep-set longline vessel killed a false killer whale while fishing for bigeye tuna. The first incident occurred in January within the 200-mile exclusive economic zone around the state and … Continued
If the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) approves recommendations made last month by the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, Hawai`i shallow-set longliners will have to immediately return to port in Honolulu for at least three days if they catch five … Continued
The National Marine Fisheries Service is seeking public comment on a petition from Defenders of Wildlife that seeks to protect oceanic whitetip sharks (Carcharhinus longimanus) under the federal Endangered Species Act. On January 12, NMFS announced in the Federal Register … Continued
At a time when the bigeye tuna stock in the Western and Central Pacific is being overfished — and by some standards, is already in an overfished state — the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council last month asked the National … Continued
Last year, the Hawai`i deep-set longline fleet interacted with more Hawaiian false killer whales than it had in more than a decade and most of those interactions resulted in serious injuries, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service. This happened … Continued
When estimating the number of false killer whales that interact with the longline fishery, scientists and resource managers do not try to guess the sex of any individual caught. But a recently published study of dorsal fin disfigurements concludes that … Continued
Posted 08/30/2013 The National Marine Fisheries Service has determined that removing North Pacific humpback whales from the federal endangered species list may be warranted. That’s according to an August 29 Federal Register notice in which the NMFS announced the initiation of … Continued
Posted 04/09/2013 Efforts by the Hawai`i County Council to outlaw aerial hunting of mouflon and sheep on Mauna Kea have been struck down by U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright. Following a short hearing in Seabright’s courtroom on April 8, … Continued
Posted 01/24/2013 The Hawai`i Department of Transportation has been notified by the U.S. Department of Justice that it may soon be indicted for criminal violations of the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Endangered Species Act. On December 20, … Continued