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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0883.001 2008-2010 BRENDA J. FORD o Phone: (808) 326 -5684 olg Council Member : ?r ` .. +.'. Fax: (808) 329 -4786 \1147e Email: bford @co.hawaii.hi.us Council District 7 — Central Kona 'DTI a ; ;;ji, Hawai `i County Council County of Hawai `i Kailua Trade Center 75 -5706 Hanama Place, Suite 109 Kailua -Kona, Hawai `i 96740 July 28, 2010 re: Comm 883 To: J Yoshimoto, Chair And Hawai`i County Council Committee Members From: e- eBrenda J. Ford Council Member, District 7 Subject: Lost Fish Coalition Presentation Materials The attached documents is a copy of the presentation by Tina Owens, to be held during the Food & Energy Sustainability Committee on August 2, 2010, held in Hilo. Please provide a copy to each Council Member and the appropriate staff. If you have any questions feel free to email or call my office. Mahalo. BJF /lw Cow*. tio. J • Reif. To: _ E Ref. gate. AUG, 2 2010 Serving the Interests of the People of Our Island Hawai `i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer Presentation to Hawaii County Council -- Aug 2, 2010 Tina Owens Hawaii's Fisheries What is a commercial fisherman in the state of Hawaii? Anyone who accepts money in exchange for marine life. What is a commercial fishery? A fishery is an industry, large or small, in which people earn their living by catching and selling fish or other marine life. Fisheries are usually defined and managed based on the target species. Why is the aquarium fishery the most lucrative in the state? Most of the fisheries that people think of — bottomfish, tuna, marlin, swordfish, occur in waters outside of Hawaii's jurisdiction, i.e. the federal waters from 3 to 200 miles from shore. Compared to these fisheries, monies brought in by the aquarium trade are tiny. More about this later. Why do they claim to be the most regulated fishery? Only because Hawaii has very, very few fishery laws for ANY fishery. So far, there are no bag limits, limits on how many fishers there may be, limits on anything really. Other than the universally required Commercial Marine License, tropical fish collectors in Hawaii must have a special "aquarium permit." Here in West Hawaii, they have geographical restrictions (the Fish Replenishment Areas). That is all the regulation presently in place for fish collectors here. Anyone can get a license with no restrictions, anyone can take as much of anything they want, except turtles, marine mammals and manta rays, none of which is suitable for aquariums. Economic Impact Value of West Hawaii Fishery now According to DAR data, the aquarium fishery in West Hawaii in 2009 was valued at $1,271,329. These figures are self - reported figures and are part of the catch reports. Whether they are accurate or not is unprovable. Value to state in taxes Since a growing number of fish collectors are also their own wholesalers, the value may or may not rise with the addition of a middleman. These figures are not available. Nevertheless, using the self - reported figure of $1,271,329, the calculation of GET going to the state would be approximately $51,000. Not much. Value to state of an average Burger King in Hawaii Value of Ocean Tourism As of 2002 the statewide value of the ocean tourism industry was $388,000,000, almost 200X the value of the statewide aquarium industry. ($388,000,000 vs $1,892,000 statewide figures) Information from a DAR Earth Day presentation We are giving away our assets A yellow tang brings its collector about $4.50 That same fish on the mainland may bring in $50 or more. The one making the profit is not the Hawaii collector, nor is it the state of Hawaii. And each fish collected is a fish a tourist will never see. A fish that will never reproduce on the reef, it won't even make a meal for a predator. Which is economically more important to the state of Hawaii? Can the two industries exist side -by -side or will the continued collection of fish ruin the ocean tourism trade? Attempts to manage the aquarium industry Complaints as far back as 1973 As far back as 1973 the state of Hawaii was getting complaints about how the tropical fish collectors were denuding the reef. The concern was so bad even back then that a moratorium on the collection of reef fish was imposed. However, that moratorium was lifted only one month later when the state began to require catch reports. Apparently they felt they could thereupon monitor the situation. Unfortunately the moratorium served as a lesson to the collectors: catch too much and we'll shut you down. So, it was in their best interests not to tell how much they were actually catching. That would keep everyone happy and regulators in the dark. The testimony of a collector before this very Council clearly showed that the information lodged with the state was grossly inaccurate, by a factor of 10. Perhaps you remember Dr. Walsh telling you that in 1983 there were eight collectors and a total of 30,000 fish collected. He got those figures from state records. Yet collector Jim Lovell swore that there were more than 30 collectors and more than 350,000 fish exported. No clue how many were actually caught. Obviously the requirement to file catch reports did not provide the state with information needed to manage this industry, even thirty years ago. As recently as 2000, I spoke with then -chair of DLNR, Mr. Tim Johns, and he admitted that the catch reports were so inaccurate that no useful data could be derived from them. Moving of Industry to West Hawaii The aquarium industry had been centered in Oahu but with the damage to the reefs produced by Hurricane Iwa in the early `80s, many collectors relocated to West Hawaii. Better transportation facilities and more flight service aided this transition. From that time on West Hawaii has supplied the vast majority of marine animals shipped from the state. As more and more collectors took up work here — the water is clear and clean and almost always calm — the pressure on the reefs rose. And so did complaints. West Hawaii Reef Fish Working Group's failure The DLNR had consistently seen the animosity against collectors as an issue between two conflicting industries: the aquarium industry vs. the dive industry. To ameliorate the problem, in 1996 the state set up a working group, known as the West Hawaii Reef Fish Working Group. This group met every month for 18 months. It consisted of dive operators, fish collectors, state officials and legislators, scientists, and a few "ex- officio" people, community members not aligned with either side. My husband was one of those. The purpose of the group was to hash out some legislation that would be acceptable to both sides and would provide management for the aquarium industry. It seemed to work, until the proposed bills reached the Legislature and were met with huge opposition by the aquarium industry, including the very people who had helped craft the bills. The entire process fell apart and the collectors remained free to do as they pleased. No management, no regulations, no restrictions. LOST FISH Coalition At that point, the LOST FISH Coalition was formed and decided to take matters into their own hands. The difference now was that the average member of the community would have a voice, and a loud one. Long story short, in less than a year the LOST FISH Coalition got Act 306 passed. This Act provided a means for establishing no- aquarium collecting areas, kapu areas, gill net rules, mooring buoys and any other local marine management that was needed. West Hawaii Fisheries Council Act 306 required "substantive community involvement" and working from the template of the Reef Fish Working Group, the West Hawaii Fisheries Council was formed. You already know about the broad spectrum of user groups and stakeholders represented by the Council. Although the WHFC has handled many issues, not all aquarium - related, many of the most serious problems facing our reefs are aquarium- related. As you know by earlier presentations to this County Council, every issue the WHFC undertakes is carefully vetted with all user groups involved. On aquarium matters especially, the collectors have been included, asked for input, and had adequate representation on the WHFC. You will recall the package of rules the Council is trying to get through the administrative rule package. User Conflict (Pebble Beach) Species of Special Concern Limited Entry Bag Limits (Future) Last month you heard the aquarium collectors say they wanted management, not a ban. Yet, at an earlier County Council meeting you heard them say they don't want management. Every chance they have, they will oppose any restrictions on their industry. More than 30 years attempting to get some meaningful management for this fishery and all we have are geographic limits. Tourists continue to complain that they aren't seeing as many fish. Can we afford this? Too Large Fishery = Overstressed Reefs = Unsustainable Fishery West Hawaii vs. The Great Barrier Reef Square miles of West Hawaii reefs vs. Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park area open to collecting covers 6,396,473 sq /mi. The total available reef area of West Hawaii is only 11,642 sq. /mi. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is 550X larder than all of West Hawaii's reefs put together. Number of Collectors vs. Number of collectors on GBR The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park initiated a Limited Entry program in 1997 and has presently approx. 20% fewer active permits* than in West Hawaii. *GBR allows up to three fishers per permit so exact number is unknown. Overall comparison of fishing pressure The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park aquarium collectors extract an average of 0.02 fish per sq /mi of reef. The West Hawaii fish collectors extract an average of 37.9 fish per sq /mi. The pressure of aquarium collecting on West Hawaii's reefs is 1.895X that of the Great Barrier Reef. Information from a DAR Earth Day presentation Great Barrier Reef Management Protocols (2008) In addition to restricting areas in which aquarium collectors may fish, the park's management authority has initiated ALL of the following regulations and restrictions. Most of the young found there are reported to be underweight and unhealthy. Fisheries crashes have serious economic and ecological consequences. Poaching problem and enforcement Recent incidences of known poaching in the FRAs have further increased the pressures on West Hawaii reefs. Although we have never had a sufficient number of enforcement officers, the last decade has seen state coffers with less money and therefore, fewer DOCARE officers are available to patrol the waters. Poaching within the protected areas will severely impact any hope for the adjoining reefs to recover. Could West Hawaii's Reef Fish populations crash? Of course. Nature has designed a reef as a complete system, with a certain number of each type of organism, each specific for its niche to make the entire operation function. Checks and balances are in place to weed out too many animals if they become over - abundant, as well as controlling predation when prey becomes scarce. Although Nature can handle a lot of abuse at the hands of humans, it is not unlimited in its ability to correct situations when they are out -of- balance. Too much predation (i.e. fishing/collecting) puts predators out of business. Take away too many reef gardeners (algae eaters) and the reef is overrun with weeds. This is basically the dividing line between "sustainability" and "unsustainability" Too many fishers in too small an area with virtually no restrictions as to what they can take will completely overwhelm Nature and its ability to adjust. Everybody with an ounce of sense knows that fishing of all types in Hawaii has declined horrifically. Fishing for food is an important activity. Fishing for "ornaments" is easily one of those industries that contribute nothing to the health of the reef. Aquarium collecting provides very little benefit to the state of Hawaii. So, if the reefs are going to survive, we must find a solution. Solutions to the problem No Action? Comprehensive Management Strategies? Elimination of the fishery? Commercial fishing: Output controls ❑ in- possession limits (for A2 symbol holders); ❑ minimum and maximum size limits for some species of fin fish; and Prohibitions on some species of fin fish Input controls ❑ Entry limited to holder of either an Al or an A2 fishing symbol ❑ limits on the number of operators under an authority; ❑ hand collection with hand held apparatus; ❑ spatial management limiting effort in key commercial areas (SMAs); and spatial and seasonal closures. West Hawaii's management protocols: At this time the only management/regulations concerning the aquarium industry are; Must have a commercial marine license; Must have an additional "aquarium permit" Must stay out of the FRAs in West Hawaii. How a fishery collapses: The Northwest Hawaiian Islands provide some excellent examples of what can happen to a fishery under poor management or no management at all: NWH1 pearl oysters — More than 80 years ago the oysters around Pearl and Hermes reef were extremely plentiful. However ,overfishing lead to a crash in the industry and pearl fishing shut down. Fishers and marine managers believed that with closure of the area the oysters would replenish. As of scientific studies done there in 2000, the oysters had not come back. This fishery may have collapsed for good. NWHI lobsters — The lobster fishery in the NWHI began to experience overfishing. Nothing was done and the lobster fishery. Since then , despite there being active permits, there is no fishery there, and no catch reported for many years. There is considerable speculation among scientists that the loss of the lobsters in that area is a major reason for the decline among protected Hawaiian monk seals. The seals, especially young seals, can no longer catch their favorite prey among the holes in the reef, but must venture out into waters with high shark populations.