Tag Archives: Eric Kingma
State Supreme Court: Hawaii Longline Industry’s Use of Foreign Crews OK
A new Hawaii Supreme Court decision upholds the local longline fleet’s reliance on some 700 foreign fishermen who can’t legally leave the dock when their boats arrive in Honolulu Harbor. Specifically, the opinion, released Thursday, ruled that it’s OK for state officials to grant commercial licenses to those fishermen confined to the pier, even though they have no legal status in the U.S. It’s permissible, the court said, because Hawaii’s fleet of 140 or so longline vessels fish for ahi and other fresh seafood only in the deep ocean, not in the state-designated waters closer to shore. Meanwhile, the Hawaii Longline Association said it was pleased with the Supreme Court opinion. >click to read< 18:47
Hawaii fishermen on the hook for high costs as seafood prices continue to rise
You may be seeing trouble when you pull out your wallet to pay for fish and seafood, but it’s the fishing industry that’s threatened right now. As fisherman Paul Dodder prepares to once again head out to sea. Expenses are on his mind. “Fuel prices are always the number one expense,” said Dodder. Diesel fuel we’re told is up 50%. But there are other costs as well. “Baits and supplies for your crew, all of that has increased 40%-50%,” said Hawaii Longline Association Executive Director Eric Kingma. Those costs on top of increasing demand are driving prices up. Video, >click to read< 19:34
Hawaii Longline Association Takes Action To Fight Poor Conditions And Human Trafficking
Eric Kingma, HLA executive director, says the local longline fleet has already taken several steps to ensure Hawaii’s fishermen are treated humanely. While he took issue with some of the findings of the AP articles, he acknowledged it sparked a needed conversation about how foreign fishermen are treated. “That report did damage to the reputation of our fishery,,, “Certainly, we took the issue very seriously and responded with our own review of crew, captains and vessel owners.” He said HLA’s internal review did not find any evidence of human trafficking or forced labor in the longline fleet, which is made up of about 140 vessels and nearly 700 foreign fishermen. >click to read< 08:29
Coronavirus: Hawaii Fishermen Are Stuck In Port As Federal Aid Falls Short
With tourism all but shut down due to Hawaii Gov. David Ige’s 14-day quarantine and restaurant service reduced to takeout for social distancing purposes, there’s less demand for fish. Prices have dwindled to the point where going out on the water can be more expensive for fishermen than the price of the catch coming in. State and federal governments have done little to help out, despite the fact that fish are a critical source of protein for the islands’ residents. “We are the largest food producing industry in the state by a tremendous margin,” said Michael Goto, who’s the auction manager for United Fishing Agency in Honolulu. “If we saw a complete shutdown of fishing effort that would be devastating.” >click to read< 16:23
Commercial fishing industry in free fall as restaurants close, consumers hunker down and vessels tie up
The novel coronavirus pandemic has destroyed demand for seafood across a complicated U.S. supply chain, from luxury items such as lobster and crab, generally consumed at restaurants, to grocery staples sourced from the world’s fish farms. Now, with restaurants closed, many of the nation’s fisheries — across geography, species, gear types and management — have reported sales slumps as high as 95 percent. Boats from Honolulu to Buzzards Bay, Mass., are tied up dockside, with fisheries in the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska affected, throwing thousands of fishermen out of work and devastating coastal communities. >click to read< 16:52
Swordfish season could re-open later this year
A sudden end to the “Swordfish Season” for Hawaii long-liners, but not because the fish stock is running low. Instead, it is because of run-ins with another ocean creature. “This year the swordfish industry is closed, it closed about two weeks ago,” stated Eric Kingma the Executive Director for the Hawaii long line Association. But those boat had to suddenly shutdown because of 17 loggerhead turtles, which are an endangered species. Video, >click to read<11:13
