Hawaii FEP - Western Pacific Fishery Council

commercial catches and to count them again as recreational catches inappropriately inflates totalHawaii landings.Reported commercial landings alone convey to some degree the importance of fishing toHawaii’s society. As shown in Chapter 4 and Section 3.4, these landings and their sales (andrelated jobs and shoreside support industries) are a significant part of Hawaii’s dwindlingprimary production industries.In order to have the most complete understanding of the importance of fishing to Hawaii’ssociety, fishing and fishery related data need to be obtained and disaggregated based on bothfishing motivation (e.g., subsistence, family and cultural traditions, fun, camaraderie,competition, non-consumptive uses, income, or profit) and fish disposition (e.g., consumed byfamily, used for ohana or community events, bartered, displayed, or sold). Such informationwould provide a clearer picture of the many roles that fish and fishing play in Hawaii’scontemporary society. This is becoming increasingly important as non-fishermen have becomeinterested and active in the management of Hawaii’s fisheries and have sought to have theirvoices heard. One major initiative has been a movement to establish marine protected areas inwhich no fishing is allowed. Several such areas have been implemented, some with theagreement of the majority of affected fishermen, others against their wishes. Other recentconcerns include the potential impacts of fishing on protected species such as the Hawaiianmonk seal and green sea turtle, as well as questions regarding the appropriate levels of scientificanalysis needed for decision making in a social and political environment of conflicting valuesand priorities.132