More Fish in the Sea aimed at preserving the ocean's abundance
by Rob ParsonsApril 2, 2009
 photo: Joylynn Paman. |
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What we once considered inexhaustible and resilient is, in fact, finite and fragile." - Pew Ocean Commission report, 2003
Living
in Hawaii, we have a deep love, great aloha, for the ocean," says
Hannah Bernard, marine biologist, educator and primary organizer of the
More Fish in the Sea free event set for Saturday, April 4. "We see
every day with our own eyes the connection between the land and the
ocean—that everything we do on land affects the sea and the creatures
that live in it."
Bernard and a rapidly growing list of groups,
volunteers and honorary sponsors are hosting the gala event and
"community conversation" aimed at education and strategic planning to
help protect and enhance our ocean resources, especially the
drastically reduced fish populations throughout the world's seas.
"What's happening," says Bernard, "is that everyone is saying yes. Whether we are fishermen, divers, snorkelers or just like to enjoy a fish dinner, we all want more fish in the sea. There is a convergence of good energy, and people are embracing it. Its time has come."
Bernard says that things had devolved into finger-pointing but that the momentum created by the Obama Administration has given people a renewed sense that they're part of the solution.
One of the clear solutions is a return to traditional management practices, where community-based sharing of knowledge and resources may work better than top-down, blanket rulemaking and enforcement. Native Hawaiian indigenous resource management has been scientifically studied, and the results validate the success of the Hawaiian system.
"This is our shared heritage," says Bernard, "living among a native culture of nature-based people. The system evolved through careful observation of the natural environment, and it is a framework of deep understanding."
One of those traditional practioners—Kelson "Uncle Mac" Poepoe of Hoolehua, Molokai—will be among the featured speakers on Saturday. Poepoe began the Hui Malama 'o Mo'omomi 15 years ago as a way to teach young people, including his own family, to care for the ocean through proper codes of conduct, understanding tides and moon cycles, and pono practices. He has recently been given a lifetime achievement award through Hawaii's Living Reef Awards Program.
Another keynote speaker is famed long-distance paddler and Kai Makana founder Donna "Kahi" Kahakui of Oahu. A longtime friend and colleague of Bernard, she lent Kai Makana's motto, "E Ola Ke Kai, E Ola Kakou," (As the ocean thrives, so do we) to this event.
Iokepa Naeole rounds out the trio of main speakers; all share a belief that traditional ecological knowledge can serve as a contemporary management tool. Naeole has taught hundreds of youths hands-on ocean knowledge through Hawaiian Canoe Club and the Hui Malama Learning Center. He currently serves as naturalist and cultural specialist at the Ritz-Carlton in Kapalua, via the Jean-Michel Cousteau Ambassadors of the Environment program.
Bernard hopes to make this much more than a one-time event. She envisions it more as an initial sharing of awareness and understanding, a call to support those who are already doing the important conservation, educational, scientific and cultural work both on land and in the ocean.
"What we're doing is real grassroots community work," says Bernard. "It's generated by them, it's about them and it's for them. This really is about empowering livable, sustainable communities. We are actively trying to secure the future that will work for us all."
The genesis of More Fish in the Sea as a community-based planning model came about six years ago, when Bernard and fellow marine biologist Ann Fielding interviewed some 40 Mauians about threats to the near shore waters and coastal lands, and possible strategies to mitigate them. The study, contracted by the Nature Conservancy's marine conservation program, found consensus among a broad spectrum of community members that a rapidly growing human population was dramatically impacting coastal and ocean resources.
Threats to coastal lands and waters included overfishing, stream diversion, land use practices associated with shoreline development, pollution, marine recreation/tourism and inefficient resource management and planning.
The report, "Maui At the Turning Point," also cited key priority objectives from the Pew Ocean Commissions Report, released in the same year. That study and others since have documented an 85-90 percent decline in populations of predatory fish in the world's oceans, an unprecedented and catastrophic shift.
One of the recommended actions in the Pew Report was endorsing a strategy of local resource councils, a method as viable for protecting Hawaiian waters as the greater oceans of the planet.
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The
executive summary of Bernard and Fielding's study stated: "The need for
a sweeping movement toward replenishment and remediation was uniformly
established. Interwoven or underlying all recommended strategies for
mitigation and remediation is the need for a cohesive education and
awareness campaign….Continued community action and...management will be
key in determining the fate of Maui's near shore lands and waters."
At
the same time Mauians are gathering to discuss traditional, regional
management practices to restore balance to our oceans, two large open
ocean aquaculture ventures are being proposed off the Big Island.
Raising
fish in ocean cages has been tried in many locations, including Hawaii,
with varying degrees of success. Frequently, impacts and costs outweigh
benefits or profits.
Kona Blue Water Farms has an existing operation, raising kahala (yellowtail or amberjack), which they have trademarked as "Kona
Kampachi." Two years ago they moved their corporate office from Hawaii
to California, to be closer to their markets. (They sell to restaurants
and purveyors in more than 30 states). They have also expanded to La
Paz, Mexico.
Kona Blue is now seeking to modify its operation by
installing larger fish pens, which the company says is necessary to
keep the business alive. They have released a draft supplemental
environmental assessment after revising a similar request from 2007
that was contested on leasing ceded lands and on grounds of
insufficient environmental data.
Kona Blue stated that their
existing net pens are prone to algae "biofouling," which they say makes
cleaning more difficult and can compromise fish health. A West Hawaii Today article noted that Kona Blue is "also working to engineer a new species, which may increase profits."
The
company claims they will have to cease production in Hawaii unless the
application is granted. "The investors in Kona Blue cannot continue to
put money into an operation that is not profitable, and that offers no
potential for future profitability," said the same article, quoting the
environmental document.
Concurrently, a new venture proposed by
Hawaiian Ocean Technologies seeks to lease 247 acres of ocean off North
Kohala to raise ahi (yellowfin and bigeye tuna) in 12 huge, untethered
Oceansheres, with production aimed at 6,000 tons annually. That makes
the overall production 48 times larger than the Kona Blue operation.
It's projected to require 1,000 tons of fish food each month. Target
markets are primarily Japan and the Mainland.
Commercial fish
food often requires large inputs of fish and fish oil, derived by
culling bait fish from the sea. Hawaii Ocean Technolgies anticipates
using up to 85 percent non-fish proteins, such as soy meal, but doesn't
say whether those would come from genetically modified crops or what
the impacts on other sea life may be.
The proposed Oceansphere
submerged cages would not require mooring to the ocean floor, but would
employ a dynamic positioning system by employing ocean thermal energy
conversion, exchanging cooler deep water with warmer surface water.
According to the environmental notice, published February 23 by the
Hawaii Office of Environmental Quality Control (OEQC), the enormous
enclosures would thus be "self-powered."
The posting states
that, "Oceanspheres don't present any potential entanglement concerns
for marine mammals and sea turtles. Ongoing water quality monitoring,
and management plans for marine mammals, sea turtles, and sharks and
emergency management will ensure regulatory compliance."
By
crowding many fish in one enclosure, there is greater risk of parasites
or disease running through the entire population. These diseases could
then be spread to wild fish populations through accidental escapes.
Additionally, a variety of chemicals may be introduced through feed,
including antibiotics, vaccines, growth hormones and algicides and
fungicides.
Food & Water Watch (F&WW), an advocacy and
watchdog nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., has tracked aquaculture
operations and impacts in a variety of locations. While noting a number
of unanswered questions about the untested Hawaiian Ocean Technology
ahi fish farm proposal, they state that "similar fish farm projects
worldwide have caused problems for habitat, wild fish, water quality,
and the economies of local communities."
Already contracting
work in Hawaii for education and outreach, F&WW is sending a fish
campaign organizer to attend the More Fish in the Sea gathering on
Saturday. Their goals include spreading greater awareness and
encouraging public participation in the process before the deadline for
official comments on both proposals, due before April 7.
When
asked about the two fish farming proposals and their potential impacts,
Bernard said we are "enamored with grandiose schemes to manipulate
nature."
"What they are proposing is radically altering the natural ecosystem to maximize profits," she added.
While
aquaculture likely will play a part in replenishing fish stocks in our
waters, it makes sense to proceed with caution. Native Hawaiians
devised an aquaculture system unique among Pacific Islanders, and
restoration efforts are underway to revitalize historic fishponds on
Maui and Molokai.
Noelani Lee Yamashita, executive director of
Ka Honua Momona on Molokai, has been guiding reconstruction work on
three ancient fishponds over the past two years on that island's south
shore. She also will be present on Saturday to share their experiences,
challenges and successes.
Dedicated efforts like those on
Molokai offer a clear example of how establishing a subsistence
management zone may be the best way to ensure a prosperous future—by
looking to the past.