Hawaii Longliner Association Executive Director Eric Kingma said: “For many of Hawaii’s commercial fishermen, fishing knowledge and respect for the ocean is a tradition passed down for generations” (“Hawaii fisheries deserve our support,” Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, May 21).
However, suggesting Hawaii’s commercial fishermen are similar to the longliners is mixing apples and oranges. Hawaii small boat commercial fishermen do pass down traditions. Palu ahi, for instance, is a fishing technique practiced in Hawaii for centuries that still sustainably delivers tuna to Hawaii seafood markets.
On the other hand, longlining, an industrialized practice introduced here in the early 20th century, has subsequently pillaged the oceans of the world.
Kingma’s closing paragraph posits: “If anti-fishing initiatives continue to erode Hawaii’s commercial fisheries …,” implying that a Pacific Remote Islands National Marine Sanctuary, in waters largely ignored by his fleet, is somehow “anti-fishing.”
If anything, the sanctuary designation will assure a future for Hawaii’s commercial fishermen by providing a refuge for beleaguered stocks.
Rick Gaffney
Kailua-Kona
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