Hawaii FEP - Western Pacific Fishery Council

estrictions for sale or for capture by spearfishing. These include species of parrotfish, goatfish,jacks, surgeonfish, mullet, milkfish, and threadfins.In other cases, fish may be avoided due to toxicity. Puffers, toad fish, and porcupine fish(Tetraodontidae, Diodontidae) carry ichthyotoxins, while ichthyosarcotoxicity (a type of poison)due to ciguatoxins and related toxins cause people to avoid a wide range of species, includingsome surgeon fishes (Ctenochaetus spp.), moray eels (Muraenidae), groupers (Serranidae),amberjack (Seriola dumerilli), and barracuda (Sphyraenidae). Ciguatera toxin is a concern forseveral coral reef fishes caught in HawaiiPeople in the Western Pacific Region consume a wide range of invertebrates. Titcomb (1972)cataloged an extensive list of invertebrates used by Native Hawaiians, including many types ofcrustaceans, sea cucumbers, sea urchins sponges, corals, and various marine worms. Sometraditionally consumed marine invertebrates may be avoided by some people in the westernPacific, particularly as dietary habits become more westernized. Also, some religions, like theSeventh Day Adventist faith, follow dietary rules similar to the kosher dietary restrictions andavoid pork and shellfish. Inadvertent catches of shellfish would likely be discarded by Adventistsand may be included as bycatch.Four fishing gears predominate in Hawaii Archipelago coral reefs and lagoons: hook and line(including handline), spearguns, fish traps, and gillnets. The bycatch characteristics of each ofthe gear types are summarized below.Hook-and-Line CatchesHook-and-line catches generally target carnivorous species of fish, although herbivores can beenticed to take baited hooks. Catch and selectivity of hook-and-line gear is a function of hooksize, bait used, and the depth fished. Hook size and bait can select for size, with larger hooks andharder baits tending to catch larger fish. Similarly, fish size tends to increase with depth on thereef slope, although species diversity tends to decrease. Fishermen may use combinations ofthese factors to sharpen the focus of their fishing, particularly when targeting bottomfish on thedeep reef slope.The amberjack Seriola dumerilii, frequently a part of deep-slope bottomfish catches in theNWHI are discarded because they are thought to carry worms and the ciguatera toxin, whichmakes marketing this species difficult. This is reinforced by the selectivity of fish by the fishauction at Honolulu that does not accept these fish. However, a small amount of amberjack maybe retained for use as bait in crab pots. The other major discard in this fishery is the thick-lippedtrevally or butaguchi (Pseudocaranx dentex), which has a fairly short shelf life and commands alow price in local markets. Therefore, it is often discarded in the early days of a trip to avoidlosing room for more valuable fishes, but is retained in the later days to fill fish holds ifnecessary.SpearfishingUnderwater fishing with spearguns—either with scuba or snorkels—is extremely selective,because the act of capture involves a deliberate choice of target. Bycatch is likely restricted tospeared fish that escape with minor wounds. Spearfishing tends to select by size, with a bias124