Louis “Buzzy” Kruse Agard Jr., a fisherman who was a strong advocate for preserving marine and wildlife in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, died at his son’s home in Pearl City on Oct. 27.He was 91.

Agard, born in Honolulu, was a commercial fisherman who began fishing in 1946.

He served as president of the Ahi Tuna Boat Association for 10 years and was employed in managing fish sales.

At one time, he also had a fishing boat and sold fish at a store operated by his wife on River Street, friends said.

Agard, who had fished in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, realized its fragility and importance as a resource requiring preservation.

“He saw the impact that his activity had there, and he became passionate about protecting the area,” said Isaac Harp, who helped to write a draft plan to preserve coral reefs in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. “He had direct experience. It made it more real.”

Harp said Agard noticed that the atolls did not have much runoff and nutrients and took longer to recover from commercial fishing.

In his writings, Agard said that by preserving the ecosystem in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands the area could contribute to the health of fisheries in the main Hawaiian Islands.

Agard said the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands should serve as a refuge for sea life and seabirds.

In December 2000, Agard was invited to attend ceremonies in Washington, D.C., involving President Bill Clinton and the signing of the establishment of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve, Harp recalled.

The reserve eventually became a part of the 140,000-square-mile Papahanaumokuakea National Marine Monument established in June 15, 2006.

It became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2010.

Agard served on the Papahanaumokuakea advisory council along with its chairman, Timothy Johns.

“Uncle Buzzy had foresight. He thought about things in terms of generations,” Johns said.

Agard also was the author of “Sandalwood Trees: Politics and Hope,” a nonfiction book about the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy.

A 1942 Kamehameha Schools graduate, Agard was a member of the junior ROTC program on Dec. 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Oahu. He and 28 other cadets were pressed into service, issued World War I rifles and sent up into the Koolau Mountains to patrol for paratroopers. The cadets’ names, including future U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka and Dr. Richard “Kekuni” Blaisdell, are on a plaque on the Kapalama Heights campus.

Agard is survived by son Louis K. Agard III; daughter Lesley H.K. Agard; brother John Agard; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Visitation is at 4:30 p.m., followed by service at 6 p.m. Jan. 13 at Nuuanu Memorial Park & Mortuary. Private inurnment is to take place at a later date.