Hawaiian Fisheries Issues-3 Guide for Nearshore Fishes-NMFS/DAR Lay Gill Net Restrictions Omilu Story Leave the Big Ones Humpback Whale – Recent Phenomenon?

Hawaiian Fisheries Issues-3

• Guide for Nearshore Fishes-NMFS/DAR

• Lay Gill Net Restrictions

• Omilu Story

• Leave the Big Ones

• Humpback Whale – Recent Phenomenon?

• Deep 7 Bottomfish Closure

Reference

• Shomura, R. 1987. Hawaii’s Fisheries Resources Yesterday (1900) and today (1986). Southwest Fisheries Center Administrative Report 87/21. 14pp.

• SH319 H3 S56 1987

Case against Lay Gill Nets

• Lower biomass of reef fishes

• Fewer larger fish• History• Over-fishing

• Efficient• Left unattended• “disposable”• By-catch• Ghost-fishing• Substrate destruction

Survey Gauging Public Attitudes

• 96%: ocean/reefs are “very important”

• 65%: conditions are fair-poor & worsening

• 65%: recreational over-fishing = problem

• After learning the term– 94%: concerned over impact– 76%: support for ban/restrictions

Omilu –White Ulua

• DLNR: • Limit 10” (250mm)• LR50 • i.e., “legal”

• Tournament Results• Sampled 200 fish• Avg L = 350mm• 6 = sexually mature• All >600mm

Leave the Big Ones

• More fecund

• Larvae show better survival

• Birkeland, c. and P. Dayton. 2005. the importance in fishery management of leaving the big ones. Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 20(7):356-7.

Humpback Whales in Hawaii

• A Recent Phenomenon ?

• Not Present vs Not Noticed

• Recent Hawaiian Whale History

• Herman, L. M. 1979. Pacific Science. 33(1): 1-15

Early Hawaii Whaling History

• 1820- Sperm whaling off Japan

• Balaena ..took a sperm whale

• 1840’s: 1st signs of humpbacks in Hawaii

• 1850’s more shore stations-rendering

• 1915- evidence of lower humpback #’s

• 1962-3: ~3400 humpbacks harvested

Not Present vs Not Noticed

• Cook’s log = 0• Early writings = 0• Petroglyphs = 0• Chants = 0• Vocabulary = 1• Legends, myths = 0• Diety = 0 • Ceremonies = 0• Rituals = 0• Artifacts = 0

• Viewing sites• Boat contact• Tail slapping• Breaching• Lahaina = capital• Night singing• Beachings

What caused the appearance?

• Not food

• Rx to disruptive relocation?

• Natural meandering?

• Changes in oceanographic conditions?

Deep 7 Management

Bottomfish Fish SpeciesBottomfish

• Onaga• Ehu• Opakapaka• Kalekale• Uku• Hapu‘upu‘u• Gindai• Lehi• Butaguchi• Ta‘ape• White Ulua

Affected by closure• Onaga• Ehu• Kalekale• Opakapaka• Gindai

• Hapu‘upu‘u• Lehi

Closure

• May 15 – Oct 31 + ?? (Year by Year)

• MHI

• Deep 7 Species

• Prohibited: Fish for, Possess, Sell

• Release Incidental Catch

Shafer-style Management

• F- ratio (CFM / FM@SY)

• Weighted for 3 zones

• CPUE based on gear used over time

• Weighted for habitat in 3 zones

Biology of these Fishes

• Spawning

• Early life history

• Settlement

• Age at maturity

• Long life span

• Slow growth rates

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Year

SP

R

Ehu Hapu'u Onaga Opakapaka Uku

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Year 1957 1967 1977 1987 1997

Year

Nu

mb

er o

f b

oat

s

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

Nu

mb

er o

f T

rip

s

Vessels Trips

Chef Responses

Said customers are willing to pay more for Hawaii-caught bottomfish

42.8

Said customers are not willing to pay more for Hawaii-caught bottomfish

19

Said customers expect Hawaii-caught bottomfish to be less expensive in Hawaii relative to other fish dishes

9.5

Named bottomfish on list of “most desirable fish species” 77.3

Average percentage of meals that are fish 48.6

Average percentage of fish meals that are bottomfish 26.5

Average price of Hawaii-caught bottomfish dish $29.52

Average price of an imported bottomfish dish $28.46

Average portion size of a bottomfish dish 6.78 oz

Average product yield of whole fish (usefulness increases if stock made)

50%

Average days last month with bottomfish on menu 26.8

Average days last year with bottomfish on menu 325.4

Average percentage customers who are visitors to Hawaii 40.7%

Percentage of Wholesalers Interviewed

Said MHI are better in quality than NWHI bottomfish 100

Said NWHI and imported bottomfish are comparable in quality 33

Said imported better than NWHI bottomfish 33

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

200019

8019

8119

8219

8319

8419

8519

8619

8719

8819

8919

9019

9119

9219

9319

9419

9519

9619

9719

9819

9920

0020

0120

0220

03p

Year

Pounds (1,000lbs)

$0.00

$0.50

$1.00

$1.50

$2.00

$2.50

$3.00

$3.50

$4.00

$4.50

$5.00

LocalPrice ($/lb)

Pounds landed Imported snappers Price*

MHI

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Month

$/lb

hapu kali paka ehu onaga lehi gindai

Bottomfish CPUE in NWHI

0

200

400

600

800

1000

Year

Lb

/day

Annual Bottomfish CPUE MHI

0100200300400500600700800900

1000

19

48

19

52

19

56

19

60

19

64

19

68

19

72

19

76

19

80

19

84

19

88

19

92

19

96

20

00

Year

Lb

/Tri

p

Current Status of Bottomfish in Hawaii’s Management Subareas

ZoneCPUE Ratio

(current/MSY)Effort Ratio

(current/MSY)

Threshold Above 0.7 Below 1.0

Hawaii, all areas combined

0.82 1.13

MHI 0.47 1.88

Mau Zone 1.01 0.96

Ho’omalu Zone 1.13 0.39

More Information

• Moffitt, et al., 2006. Status of the Hawaiian Bottomfish Stocks, 2004. PIFSC Admin. Report H-06-01.

• http://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/adminrpts/2000-present/PIFSC_Admin_Rpt_06-01.pdf