04-21-2025, 12:43 AM
Yes the effects of human consumption are often nothing short of heartbreaking. Still yet, people eat fish and they all come from somewhere and that place probably has dolphins and turtles too.
Please forgive my laziness with an AI (grok) search to try to provide a basic answer your question about "how this affects the fishermen who work out of Hilo harbor." Please take it with a grain of salt (I recommend Pure Kona Deep Sea Salt available at https://www.bigislandlocavorestore.com/). Like you, I am eager to see the real results here in human and fish terms, when all of the dust settles.
FROM GROK:
Hilo fishermen, operating on the Big Island of Hawaii, stand to benefit from President Donald Trump’s executive orders and proclamations signed on April 17, 2025, in ways similar to Hawaii’s broader fishing industry, but with some considerations specific to their location and operations. Below is a focused analysis of how these measures could impact Hilo’s fishing community, based on available information:
1. [b]Access to Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM)[/b]
Please forgive my laziness with an AI (grok) search to try to provide a basic answer your question about "how this affects the fishermen who work out of Hilo harbor." Please take it with a grain of salt (I recommend Pure Kona Deep Sea Salt available at https://www.bigislandlocavorestore.com/). Like you, I am eager to see the real results here in human and fish terms, when all of the dust settles.
FROM GROK:
Hilo fishermen, operating on the Big Island of Hawaii, stand to benefit from President Donald Trump’s executive orders and proclamations signed on April 17, 2025, in ways similar to Hawaii’s broader fishing industry, but with some considerations specific to their location and operations. Below is a focused analysis of how these measures could impact Hilo’s fishing community, based on available information:
1. [b]Access to Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM)[/b]
- Proclamation Impact: The proclamation opens commercial fishing in the PRIMNM, a 400,000-square-mile area southwest of Hawaii, from 50 to 200 nautical miles within its boundaries.
- Benefit for Hilo Fishermen: Hilo’s fishing fleet, which includes longline vessels targeting tuna and other pelagic species, gains access to previously restricted waters closer to Hawaii. This reduces travel time and fuel costs compared to fishing in distant international waters, which can take four to seven days to reach from Hilo’s port. Shorter trips mean lower operational costs and fresher catches, boosting profitability.
- Economic Impact: Hilo’s fishing industry, while smaller than Honolulu’s $110 million market, supports local markets, restaurants, and processing. Increased access to productive fishing grounds could enhance catch volumes, benefiting small-scale and commercial fishermen who rely on Hilo’s port infrastructure.
- Regulatory Relief: The executive order directs the Secretary of Commerce to identify and reduce burdensome regulations within 30 days, working with Regional Fishery Management Councils. This targets restrictive catch limits, outdated data practices, and other barriers to productivity.
- Specific Benefits for Hilo:
- Streamlined Regulations: Hilo fishermen, who often face strict quotas and seasonal restrictions under the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, could see more flexible catch limits or extended fishing seasons. This is critical for small-boat operators in Hilo, who have less capacity to absorb regulatory constraints.
- Modernized Management: The order mandates the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to adopt better technologies and cooperative research for fishery assessments. Improved data collection could lead to more accurate stock assessments for species like bigeye tuna, a key catch for Hilo’s longline fleet, potentially increasing quotas.
- Permit Expansion: Expanded exempted fishing permit programs may allow Hilo fishermen to access new fisheries or experimental fishing opportunities, diversifying their catch and income sources.
- Streamlined Regulations: Hilo fishermen, who often face strict quotas and seasonal restrictions under the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, could see more flexible catch limits or extended fishing seasons. This is critical for small-boat operators in Hilo, who have less capacity to absorb regulatory constraints.
- Local Advantage: Hilo’s proximity to deep-sea fishing grounds makes it a strategic hub for implementing these changes, potentially attracting more investment in local processing or vessel maintenance.
- Combating Foreign Competition: The executive order addresses the U.S.’s $20 billion seafood trade deficit by reviewing programs like the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) to counter illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing by foreign fleets, particularly from China. Hilo fishermen, who compete with imported seafood in local and mainland markets, could benefit from a more level playing field.
- Local Market Boost: Increased domestic seafood production could drive demand for Hilo-caught fish in local markets like the Hilo Farmers Market or through direct sales to restaurants, supporting the Big Island’s economy.
- Papahānaumokuākea Review: The executive order includes a review of other marine national monuments, such as Papahānaumokuākea, which spans 528,000 square miles around the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. If opened to commercial fishing, this could significantly expand fishing grounds accessible from Hilo, though it’s farther from the Big Island than from Honolulu.
- Hilo-Specific Considerations: Hilo’s smaller fleet may rely more on nearshore or intermediate-range fishing, so the benefits of Papahānaumokuākea’s opening would depend on vessel capacity and infrastructure to support longer trips.
- Fleet Composition: Hilo’s fishing community includes a mix of longline vessels, small-boat fishermen, and artisanal operators. Longliners will benefit most from access to PRIMNM and potential regulatory relief, while small-boat fishermen may see indirect benefits through improved local market dynamics or permit expansions.
- Infrastructure Limitations: Hilo’s port, while significant, has less capacity than Honolulu’s, which handles 80% of Hawaii’s commercial catch. Investments in docking, cold storage, or processing facilities may be needed to fully capitalize on increased catches.
- Fishermen’s Perspective: Industry leaders, like those in the Hawaii Longline Association, view the orders as a “game-changer” for reducing costs and increasing access. Hilo fishermen likely share this optimism, particularly for longline operations.
