Last year, the number of longline sets targeting swordfish hit a record low of 300, according to Russell Ito of the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. Only 14 of the 150 longline vessels fishing around Hawai‘i last year were shallow-set vessels, he … Continued
Whether Hawai‘i longliners are fishing for bigeye tuna or swordfish, they must limit their interactions with federally protected species or face a partial or complete closure. False killer whales and loggerhead and leatherback sea turtles have been the main species of concern over … Continued
Recent reports by the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) suggest that the pelagic population of false killer whales within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) around Hawai‘i may be larger than was previously thought. Or it may be about … Continued
In late November, the Hawai‘i deep-set longline fleet, which targets bigeye tuna, caught three false killer whales in federal waters off the Big Island. All of them were release alive, but had been hooked in the mouth area and freed with … Continued
At approximately 10:30 p.m. on October 10, 2017, the Commercial Fishing Vessel (CFV) Pacific Paradise, a 79’ longline fishing vessel owned by TWOL, LLC, ran aground in shallow waters of the Waikiki-Diamond Head Shoreline Fisheries Management Area (FMA). Over the … Continued
The federal government is suing the owners of the Pacific Paradise for at least $1.66 million in an effort to recover costs associated with removing the fishing vessel from the reef off Waikiki where it ran aground in October 2017. … Continued
Michael Tosatto, administrator of the Pacific Islands Regional Office (PIRO) of the National Marine Fisheries Service, says his office requires holders of longline permits “to list the business and to declare (under penalty of perjury) that the information is true. … Continued
Last March, Gov. David Ige submitted to the National Marine Fisheries Service a list of nominees for upcoming at-large vacancies on the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Wespac). “All the nominees have knowledge of or experience in the conservation and … Continued
One of the terms and conditions in the shallow-set fishery BiOp requires NMFS to conduct a workshop with fishermen, observers, relevant experts and NMFS’ Protected Resources Division staff to “determine whether there are more effective methods for removing more fishing … Continued
How does the middle of the Pacific Ocean, an area that’s practically a desert when it comes to the nutrients that lie at the very heart of the marine food chain, manage to support some of the largest life forms … Continued