Historic Hawaii Legislation Restores 'Aha Moku System
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SPRING 2011 ISSN 2151-2337 Newsletter of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council Ecosystem-based Management of Fisheries in the US Pacific Islands The Council was established by Congress in 1976 to manage Historic Hawaii marine resources and maintain opportunities for sustainable domestic fishing in the US Legislation Restores exclusive economic zone waters and high seas around Hawaii, ‘Aha Moku System American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the eight On May 3, 2011, the Hawaii State Legislature unanimously US Pacific remote island areas. passed SB 23, establishing the ‘Aha Kiole Advisory Council (AKAC) www.wpcouncil.org to advise the Board of Land and Natural Resources and Legisla- ture on issues related to land and natural resource management through the ‘Aha Moku system. This system of best practices is based upon the traditional moku (regional) boundaries, which acknowledge the natural contours of land, the specific resources located within those areas and the methodology necessary to sustain resources and the community. The precursor of the AKAC was the ‘Aha Kiole Advisory Committee, which was created by the Legislature in 2007. The Committee’s mandate was to initiate the process of best practices for natural and cultural resource management based upon the moku and ahupua‘a (smaller traditional division within a moku) land tenure system. On Nov. 19 and 20, 2010, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council sponsored, in partnership with the ‘Aha Kiole Advisory Committee and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Ho‘o Lei ‘Ia Pae‘Aina Puwalu (Throw the Net to Bring Everyone Togeth- er in Hawaii conference) in Honolulu on the ‘Aha Moku system. The public forum of about 200 Hawaiians, fishermen and other community members from throughout the archipelago conclud- ed with a resolution “urging the county, state and federal entities with responsibilities and authority for managing natural resources to support the development of the ‘Aha Moku system of natural resource management as part of the management regime of natural resources for Hawaii” (http://ahamoku.org/ahamoku.html). During facilitated discussion at the Puwalu, participants voiced concerns about various issues facing Hawaii’s natural resources, particularly water use, coastal development, user conflicts and technological developments. Some were concerned about the strain that development is putting on the resources of a particular area, while others were furious at being displaced from traditional and ancestral sites. For example, participants voiced concerns about Continued on page 2 Spring 2011 1 Pacific Islands Fishery News Illustration by Oliver Kinney Legislation Restores ‘Aha Moku System from page 1 Above: Supporting the ‘Aha Moku bill at the Hawaii Legislature (l-r): Bill Aila, chair, Department of Land and Natural Resources; Vanda Wahinekuipua Hanakahi, chair, ‘Aha Kiole Advisory Com- mittee; Kitty Simonds, executive director, Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council; Leimana DaMate, coordinator, ‘Aha Kiole Advisory Committee; Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz, chair, and Sen. Malama Solomon, vice chair (seated), Senate Committee on Water, Land and Housing. Left: Puwalu participants at the Hawaii Convention Center. development of places like Mo‘omomi and Lana‘i for windmill of Hawaii. It will also support the objectives of the Hawaii projects as well as the issue of outsiders fishing around Ni‘ihau. Archipelago Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP), which addresses Other concerns included offshore aquaculture, expansion of the management of fisheries in federal waters (3 to 200 miles sanctuaries and protected areas, and minimum-size/bag limits offshore). Developed, monitored and amended by the West- for coral reef species. ern Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, the Hawaii Archipelago FEP relies on enhanced community involvement More than ever, community engagement in management and incorporates consideration of not only Western science but decisions is of utmost importance. The ‘Aha Moku system also traditional knowledge and ecosystem factors not typically will provide a forum for discussion among natural and associated with contemporary fisheries management. cultural resource managers and communities for the benefit Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management in the Western Pacific Edited by Edward Glazier (hardback; 312 pages) and related policy and management issues. I approached Kitty To be released August 2011 by Wiley-Blackwell about this and said, offhandedly, “You need two more workshops: ISBN: 978-0-8138-2154-2 One with social scientists focused on the human dimensions, and one that brings both biophysical and social scientists together Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management with stakeholders, policy-makers and managers.” … Thus was in the Western Pacific is the outgrowth born the three workshop series detailed in this book. of a series of three workshops convened by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Two notable developments occurred during the subsequent Management Council. Contributed by workshops. The first was the idea of three separate but relat- experts from the US, UK, Australia ed “ecological systems”—the biophysical, the human, and the and various Pacific Island regions, this institutional. … The second development was the emergence book is one of the first available compen- of the ahupua’a as a conceptual model for modern fishery diums on this important movement and ecosystem management. … This is, essentially, the modern con- will be useful for fisheries scientists and cept of integrated coastal management, a companion concept researchers, fisheries managers, policy to ecosystem-based management. It was suggested that our task makers and social scientists worldwide. might be not to invent something completely new, but to take advantage of concepts embodied in the ancient Hawaiian sys- Foreword by Michael K. Orbach, Professor of Marine Affairs tem that had governed “fishery ecosystems” for centuries. … and Policy, Duke University Marine Laboratory These two developments set the stage for the success of the In late 2004 my old friend and colleague Kitty Simonds, the exec- workshops. Without the organizing concept of the “total ecology” utive director of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management of Western Pacific fishery ecosystems and the ahupua’a model of Council, asked me to attend and synthesize discussions during a holistic resource management, the discussions would not have workshop on ecosystem-based fishery management in the Western been as complete, fulfilling, and productive as they were. With Pacific. … In the middle of the second day of the meeting, I began those concepts in hand, the workshops produced an ideal lens to be uncomfortable about the fact that the workshop attendees through which to view and deliberate upon ecosystem-based were discussing not only biophysical science issues but also fisheries management in the Western Pacific. issues involving the human dimensions of fishery ecosystems, Pacific Islands Fishery News 2 Spring 2011 WCPFC7 Fails to Adopt New Tuna Measures In celebration of the first Council Executive Director Kitty Simonds welcomes Commission 10 years of the Western and Executive Director Glenn Hurry, Chairman Satya Nandan and Central Pacific Highly Migratory Fish Stocks Convention, the international delegates and observers. which established the WCPFC, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council published and distributed a history on the Convention. For a copy of Ten Years and Counting: The First 10 Years of the Western and Central Pacific Highly Migratory Fish Stocks Convention, Pacific Islands Fishery Monograph No. 2, contact the Council or go to www.wpcouncil.org/media. Pacific Islands Regional Office, as the Commission’s chair and Matthew Hooper of New Zealand as its vice- chair for 2011-2012. WCPFC8 is scheduled to meet Dec. The Western and Central Pacific control of vessels fishing within the 5-9, 2011, in Koror, Palau. Commission Fisheries Commission convened its pocket to curtail illegal, unreported members include Australia, China, Seventh Regular Session (WCPFC7) and unregulated (IUU) fishing within Canada, Cook Islands, European Dec. 6-10, 2010, in Honolulu. The the Cook Islands EEZ. The measure Union, Federated States of Micronesia, meeting was hosted by the US gov- requires fishing vessels to inform the Fiji, France, Japan, Kiribati, Korea, ernment and locally organized by Commission Secretariat how much Republic of Marshall Islands, Nauru, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery catch is on board prior to entering New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Management Council. Foremost in the and after exiting the eastern high seas Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon minds of the country delegations was pocket. The Secretariat will maintain Islands, Chinese Taipei, Tonga, the need to renew Conservation and a ‘live list’ of all vessels reported to be Management Measure (CMM) 2008-01 in the pocket. Commission Members for bigeye and yellowfin tuna, which and Cooperating Non-Members shall is due to expire after 2011. also encourage their flagged vessels operating in the eastern high seas CMM 2008-01 is probably not meeting pocket to report sightings of any fishing its objective of reducing the bigeye vessel to the Commission Secretariat. fishing mortality rate by 30 percent and needs significant revision and Another measure that was adopted by enhancement. WCPFC7 addresses North Pacific striped marlin. Under the CMM, the total