The Hawaii Longline Association’s (HLA) is the first fishery in Hawaii to enter the Marine Stewardship Council programme and to achieve certification
The Association’s longline vessels’ target species of swordfish (Xiphias gladius), bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus), and yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) now have certification for sustainable fishing practices
‘HLA is proud to receive the certification as it is recognition of the fleet’s stringent management and monitoring regime,’ said HLA executive director Eric Kingma.
‘We believe our fleet produces the best quality and highest level of monitored tuna in the world. We look forward to working with MSC, WPRFMC, NMFS and others on the continued and long-term production of sustainably and responsibly harvested fish landed by our fleet.’
This certification follows a rigorous 16-month review carried out by third-party assessment body Control Union UK Limited. The assessment covers two separate components of the longline fishery carried out by members of the HLA – the Hawaii shallow-set swordfish longline fishery and the Hawaii deep-set tuna longline fishery.
The fleet consists of 142 locally-owned vessels. The shallow-set fishery targets swordfish at night, whereas the deep-set fishery targets bigeye tuna during the day. Shallow-set trips are subject to 100% observer coverage, while a coverage of at least 20% is aimed at for deep-set trips.
The longline fishery dates to 1917, when it was established by Japanese immigrant fishermen. Today, it is the largest food producing industry in Hawaii, with unique cultural, nutritional, and economic importance in a state whose residents consume twice as much seafood per capita as the rest of the USA. The fishery is low volume and high value – with landings worth approximately $125 million annually – making Honolulu one of the USA’s most valuable commercial fishing ports year after year.
80% of landings are consumed locally in Hawaii, and nearly 100% remain within the US. Overall, the fishery produces 95% of the US bigeye tuna landings, and 50-60% of swordfish and yellowfin tuna landings.
‘All of the Hawaii-based longline fleet offloads at one location in Honolulu Harbor and the auction is the central hub for the supply of fish throughout Hawaii. Several companies that buy fish through the auction system will be competing for MSC certified fish and they will distribute that fresh, premium fish to Hawaii and US mainland consumers,’ said Mike Goto, manager of the Honolulu Fish Auction, the only daily tuna auction in the United States and which celebrates its 70th year in business in 2022.
The Hawaii Longline Association has a commitment to best management practices, and last year voluntarily switched from using wire leaders on their gear to monofilament leaders to promote shark conservation. Approximately 85% of the fleet’s fishing effort occurs on the high seas adjacent to the Hawaii archipelago with the remainder of fishing effort in US exclusive economic zone (EEZ) waters. The fishery is subject to a comprehensive suite of federal regulations and monitoring requirements promulgated by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
‘MSC certification provides market validation of the sustainability of Hawaii bigeye tuna, yellowfin tuna and swordfish. Sustainability is the result of strict US fishery management under the WPRFMC and NMFS process,’ commented Hawaii Seafood Council program manager John Kaneko.
‘Hawaii’s longline fishery is now over 100 years old and counting. Now that’s what I call sustainable. Local seafood is vital to Hawaii’s diverse ethnic communities. It is essential to island culture, traditions, quality of life and Hawaii’s growing reputation as a food tourism destination.’
