Ever since the state Legislature created the ‘aha kiole advisory committee in 2007 to lay the groundwork for an indigenous knowledge-based natural resource management system, the committee and its community coordinator have been hounded by controversy. Critics first alleged (and … Continued
Aha Moments: The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council’s sponsorship of the Aha Ki`ole/Aha Moku movement is apparently back in full swing after a one-year hiatus when the council-backed initiative enjoyed the support of state government. Now that state funds are long … Continued
They may be the spitting image of their distant cousins found in warm waters across the globe, but the false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) that live around the Main Hawaiian Islands are so different that they constitute a so-called “distinct … Continued
How long does it take to respond to a request for records under the federal Freedom of Information Act? In the case of a request filed more than two years ago by Environment Hawai`i,seeking travel records for Kitty Simonds, the executive … Continued
When Congress passed and President George Bush approved the 2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act, no one seemed to notice that language appropriating $6.7 million in compensation to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands commercial bottomfish and lobster fishers didn’t really jibe with reality. … Continued
Final Bigeye Rule: The National Marine Fisheries Service has issued a final rule to implement a quota on bigeye tuna caught in the western Pacific by the Hawai`i longline fleet. The rule, published in the December 7, 2009, Federal Register, took effect December … Continued
The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, which recommends management measures for fisheries in the U.S. waters of the western and central Pacific Ocean, is finding that as resources diminish, managing what remains is getting harder and harder. The discussions … Continued
The international limit on the Hawai`i longliners’ catch of valuable bigeye tuna in the waters of the Western and Central Pacific Ocean has been pretty well shredded with the recent amendment to the pelagic fishery management plan of the Western … Continued
The National Marine Fisheries Service has given final approval to a play to allow Hawai`i longline vessels to attribute part of their catch of bigeye tuna to Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa. The proposal is … Continued
The meeting held in the conference room of the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Honolulu office on the afternoon of January 29 must have been a doozy. As a result of what he claimed was uncivil behavior of a participant, … Continued