Thursday, March 28, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Thursday, May 24, 2018
Fisheries Management: UH Identifies Next Targets
By News Release @ 6:13 PM :: 4723 Views :: Environment, Small Business

Highest recovery potential (top, red); currently healthy stocks (bottom, green). Credit: K Stamoulis

Highest recovery potential (top, red); currently healthy stocks (bottom, green). Credit: K Stamoulis

Study highlights opportunity to restore abundance to Hawaiian reef fisheries

From UH News, May 23, 2018

Unsustainable fishing has depleted coastal fisheries worldwide, threatening food security and cultural identity for many coastal and island communities, including in Hawai‘i.  A recently published study, led by researchers at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, identified areas in the Hawaiian Islands that would provide the greatest increase in coastal fishery stocks, if effectively managed.

Fishing is a way of life in Hawai‘i. Coastal fisheries provide over two million pounds of fish per year in the Hawaiian islands and fishing is intimately linked to recreation, traditional knowledge and practices, and social cohesion.

To determine where management and conservation efforts would be most impactful, researchers developed regional “seascape models” that integrate fishing patterns and reef fish survey data to produce maps of key habitats that support abundant coastal fishery stocks. In their computer model, the research team simulated the effect of removing fishing pressure. These detailed maps reveal areas with the highest recovery potential for reef fisheries on each island, providing important information for resource managers.

“The results provide hope in terms of the scale of potential recovery in the areas we identified,” said lead authors of the study Kostantinos Stamoulis, a UH Mānoa researcher at the time of this work, and Jade Delevaux, geospatial analyst at the UH Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology(SOEST).

Fish stocks were predicted to increase by more than 500 percent on average for the identified areas on O‘ahu, the most heavily fished island. Areas with the highest recovery potential for coastal fisheries across the island chain were located on east Kaua‘i, southeast and southwest O‘ahu, south and northwest Moloka‘i, Ma‘alaea bay and the west shore of west Maui, west Hawai‘i Island just north of Makole‘a point, and east Hawai‘i Island around Cape Kumukahi and north of Kaloli point.

While full recovery could take decades, protecting areas with the highest recovery potential would allow them to serve as sources of larvae and adults to replenish overfished areas.

“Our study also identified remote areas with habitats that currently support healthy fish stocks, such as the north shore of Moloka‘i and the south shore of Maui. Managing these areas would ensure that they continue to supplement coastal fisheries into the future,” said the lead authors.

Generally, areas located near rural parts of the north shores of all islands are not heavily fished, have high quality habitat, and therefore support abundant stocks of reef fish.

The State of Hawai‘i has committed to effectively manage 30 percent of Hawai'i's nearshore waters by 2030. To meet this ambitious goal, the Division of Aquatic Resources is leading a statewide analysis of existing science in partnership with The Nature Conservancy to identify areas for effective marine management.

“This new study will help us identify those areas with the greatest potential for increasing reef fish populations on all islands,” said Bruce Anderson, administrator for the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources. “This scientific information will be compared with an ongoing spatial analysis as part of the Marine 30x30 Initiative. Ultimately our intention is to combine this information with local knowledge and collaboratively identify what to do in management focus areas.”

Concludes Alan Friedlander, chief scientist for National Geographic’s Pristine Seas program and a co-author of the paper, “To ensure food security and overall ecosystem sustainability into the future, we must significantly increase the amount of area protected from overfishing and other human impacts. Our study provides an ecosystem-based approach that helps to identify areas that will benefit the most from increased management in Hawai‘i and elsewhere.”

* * * 

Images and graphics available for media use can be found here

MN: Less fishing, more fish

HPR: Study: Not Too Late to Restore Reef Fisheries

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT