Perhaps nothing highlights the need to tighten WCPFC’s shark finning and transshipment measures more than Greenpeace’s documentation last September 9 of the activities of the Taiwanese vessel Shuen De Ching 888. “The catch log indicated only three blue sharks were … Continued
Several years ago, the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission adopted a measure ostensibly aimed at banning shark finning, a practice that has helped drive several shark species worldwide toward extinction. But at last month’s annual commission meeting, as the … Continued
In this issue, Environment Hawai`i takes a closer look at the U.S. purse seine fleet fishing in the South Pacific. Although the purse seiners fish thousands of miles from Hawai`i and none regularly pulls into port in Honolulu, they are … Continued
Invasive Initiative: The state’s ability to deal effectively with invasive species has been sorely challenged of late, with the rapid spread of the little fire ant, coconut rhinocerous beetle, coffee berry borer, coqui frogs, weeds too numerous to count, and … Continued
Editor’s note: On November 30, the National Marine Fisheries Service announced that it had approved an agreement between the Hawai`i Longline Association and Guam that cleared the way for charging Hawai`i longliners’ bigeye tuna catch against the Guam quota allocation, … Continued
So which fishery has a greater impact on the overfished bigeye tuna stock in the Western and Central Pacific, the longline or the purse seine? The longline fleet, which targets adult bigeye, removes the most reproductive fish from the population, … Continued
Since 1987, the United States has had a treaty arrangement with 15 small South Pacific island states plus New Zealand and Australia. Every year, American taxpayers pony up a certain base amount to give the U.S. purse seiners the right … Continued
“A number of vessels in this fleet have sub-par safety and pollution records. During safety inspections, crews have failed emergency drills due to, in part, unqualified persons in key positions and language barriers due to a mixed, nearly entirely foreign … Continued
For the last quarter century, consumers of canned tuna in the United States have been assured by most of the brands on the supermarket shelves that what they are eating was caught without harming dolphins. The dolphin-safe label of the … Continued
A concrete drainage outlet in West Kapolei proposed and approved by government agencies more than two decades ago — but never built — is undergoing closer scrutiny as its developer seeks to obtain again all of the project’s permits that … Continued