February 2, 2007 at 5:21 pm · Filed under Protected Species and Longlines, Notices and Updates, Native Hawaiian Perspectives, Spam
Yesterday morning we saw fishery management in action. Before we had the fun of seeing breaching humpback whales, we were regaled to the sights, sounds, and tastes of fishery management. WesPac (The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council) was holding a Marine Mammal Advisory Committee 
meeting. It was here where we met again some familiar friendly faces from the week and listened to the issues regarding the interactions between false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) and pelagic longline fisheries.
The meeting didn't begin until the usual informal re-introductions were made. At the same time, all the participants found themselves muffins and coffee. The coffee seemed to be Kona coffee and in keeping with Hawaii standards was quite good. Unfortunately, Hawaiian steak (aka SPAM) was not present. I, like Justin before me, recognize the validity of SPAM and was a bit disappointed by the absence of rice and SPAM.
The first topic on the docket was to review the recommendations made from their previous meeting in May. The second was a short summary by Chris Yates regarding the Pacific Scientific Review Group (SRG). Next, Lisa Van Atta discussed some of the various mitigation measures. Our very own Andy Read then talked about the situation in the Atlantic between pilot whales and pelagic longline fisheries. Lastly before lunch, Dave Johnston discussed some findings based on an experimental longline vessel research trip.
The major realization from the Committee meeting was the efficiency of the moderator, Paul Dalzell, and the degree of questions asked by the Committee. At the end of each presentation, the moderator quickly maneuvered with alacrity between the many questioners.
The issue with false killer whales are that they are smart animals who have figured out that free lunches are obtainable from following longline vessels and either eating the bait or the fish (that ate the bait) off the hooks. This behavior (depredation of hooks) impacts both the whales and the fishery. The whales potentially can be mortally hooked or entangled by line and fishers loose (among other things) the money associated with the lost catch.
It was great to see some of the people we had met earlier in the week. Of the people we heard and saw again, these are a few of my observations from the meeting. Sean Martin identified the ways in which working with fishers could yield possible solutions to the issue. Lisa Van Atta and Andy discussed some solutions and ideas from the Atlantic fisheries. Lastly, Dave spoke about some of the possibilities of acoustics research and the limiting of bait discards. Although we did not stay for the afternoon portion of the Committee meeting, it was clear that not enough definitive answers were available and some more on-the-boat research and experimentation will be needed next. In the meantime, the Committee and WesPac are on a trajectory to find solutions to the false killer whale issues.
After the committee broke for lunch, we met for half an hour with Kitty Simonds. Ms. Simonds is the executive director of WesPac. Given the importance of WesPac on marine issues and conservation in the Pacific it was great to meet up with her. She was very friendly and was very enthusiastic about the shift to ecosystem-based management of ocean ecosystems. Further, she spoke about the positives of working with native Hawaiians and the benefits of an Ahupua'a management system of marine resources. (See Jen's post on the 29th to revisit our meeting with the DaMates.) Although WesPac has in the past been a lightning rod for criticism, they are clearly attempting to do proactive work on many issues.
The next stop for us was Hawaiian plate lunches, quality coffee, and (for some) SPAM… ~Michael
January 29, 2007 at 10:31 pm · Filed under Conserving Coral Reefs, Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, Notices and Updates, Native Hawaiian Perspectives, Spam
Welcome to Day 2! What better way to begin a day in Hawai’i than with a delicious breakfast of spam and eggs? Yep, spam and eggs. Okay, it doesn’t sound that great to me, either. But, as Justin (our resident expert on all things Hawaiian) will tell you, spam is very popular here. So, he enjoyed a nice breakfast of spam and eggs…the rest of us will have to work our way there! After breakfast, we all congregated downstairs to head out for the day. However, as those of you who have done field work before know, things rarely go according to plan. The morning was supposed to include a nice boat trip to see ecotour operators and their patrons interacting with spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) and perhaps to catch a glimpse of the humpbacks (Megaptera novaeangliae) that spend the winter months in Hawaii’s waters breeding and calving. Alas, high winds and choppy seas prevented that excursion, so you’ll have to check back here later in the week to see how that goes. Instead, we piled into the van and headed out to the Bishop Museum (www.bishopmuseum.org). The Bishop Museum is located in Honolulu and includes exhibits on Hawai'ian history, the native flora and fauna of the islands, global climate change, and the history and culture of the island nations across the Pacific. The exhibits were fascinating and highlighted the importance of ocean resources in both Hawai'ian and other Pacific island nations’ culture. We saw jewelry and tools made of whale teeth and turtle shell, woven cloth decorated with images of dugongs, weaponry made from whale bone, as well as a “sword” made of wooden material and ferociously outfitted with rows of shark teeth! We learned of the evolution of the islands – how each island was created by the outflow of lava from a volcano beneath the sea floor and has slowly subsided over millions of years, leaving a series of islands and atolls. The oldest of the islands are those at the far reaches of the Northwestern Hawai'ian Islands and the newest is the big island of Hawai’i at the southeastern end of the archipelago. The museum also included an exhibit on many of the species of birds, mammals, and plants on the islands; many of the flora and fauna present on the islands today were brought here by humans, meaning that they are non-native (invasive) species. While our time at the museum was certainly educational, we had to leave after a couple of hours to travel back across Honolulu.
Our trip to the museum was particularly useful today because our afternoon began with a lecture given by Leimana Damate and her husband Bob. Leimana and Bob work for the Pacific Islands Resource Management Institute (PIRMI) and are both native Hawai'ians. They are working to help integrate traditional ecological knowledge and ancient Hawai'ian conservation practices into the current governmental structure for the management of marine resources in Hawai'i. The ancient Hawai'ians managed the islands from the top of the mountains out to the open ocean. Leimana described the traditional Hawai'ian system of governance and the necessity of integrating the native Hawai'ian point of view into resource management in Hawai'i. She and Bob also told us some of the practices the ancient Hawai'ians utilized for the harvest of ocean resources, such as following monk seals to find fish and regulating fishing based on the phase of the moon. Native Hawai'ians have passed these traditions down as part of their oral history since 600 A.D. and are now trying to use that information to help inform sustainable use and conservation decisions.
Our last stop of the day was at the Oceanic Institute near Makapu’u Point on the southeastern tip of the island. Here we met with Alan Friedlander, a reef fish biologist. He told us about the research he has done both in the main Hawai'ian islands (MHI) and the northwestern Hawai'ian islands (NWHI) to examine the benefits of using marine protected areas to help increase the number of fish and hopefully address the issue of overfishing around the MHI. The protected areas around the MHI are closed to fishing, but are small. The NWHI (recently designated a marine national monument – see our upcoming blog on this issue) are basically one enormous closed area. The difference between the number and kinds of fish around the MHI and the NWHI is staggering – as much as 7000% more biomass of top predators such as ulua (jacks) and sharks in the NWHI where fishing pressure is almost non-existent. In addition to research on protected area efficacy, Alan's job includes working with native Hawai'ian communities to use traditional ecological knowledge – like the kind Leimana and Bob talked about – to better manage fisheries.
So, that was our day. The wind is supposed to keep up for another day or so, but after that we should be able to get out on the water! Be sure to check back tomorrow because Tuesday’s itinerary includes a trip to the tuna auction as well as a hike out to a remote beach to see monk seals and albatrosses…
Aloha! ~ Jen
meeting. It was here where we met again some familiar friendly faces from the week and listened to the issues regarding the interactions between false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) and pelagic longline fisheries.
