Splash!
Virtual Tuna, Ulua and Mandatory Permits
Hawai‘i shoreline and small-boat fishermen were invited as stakeholders to an unusual fishing outing. On August 27, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (the Council) held the state’s first Virtual Fishers Forum, which was attended by more than 100 fisherfolk. The two topics for the online forum were fishermen as science partners, exploring options for mandatory permits, and reports for Hawai‘i’s noncommercial small-boat fishermen.
Tuna Pop-Up Tagging
The “fishermen as science partners” discussion was led by Molly Lutcavage of the Pacific Islands Fisheries Group and Large Pelagics Research Center. Molly, an Atlantic bluefin tuna expert who splits research time between the East Coast and Hawai‘i, has also done work with sailfish, bigeye tuna and swordfish.
Molly’s message highlighted how fishermen have helped identify tuna movement patterns through fish tagging, which is important for fish stock science and management.
“Local fishermen seek, require and prioritize timely knowledge in these times of changing ecosystems and economics. And they are prepared to assist in deploying tags at multiple locations across the Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI). With committed participation by these fishermen partners, we propose a cooperative research effort that provides a successful model to unlock often overlooked and unknown secrets of tuna in the Pacific and beyond,” Molly said.
“Complex Dispersal of Adult Yellowfin Tuna From the Main Hawaiian Islands” is a well-sourced and clearly written paper by the team of Chi Hin Lam, Clayward Tam, Donald R. Kobayashi and Molly. It last March and was a collaborative effort with Hawai‘i fishermen and scientists tagging ‘ahi.
