Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.
A federal judge who last month ordered 100 percent observer coverage of Hawaii's longline fishing fleet in a vast area of ocean may have loosened his stance. Fewer watchers expected
for longline fleet
By Peter Wagner
Star-BulletinAccording to federal officials now trying to implement the June 26 order by U.S. District Judge David Ezra, plans for a full complement of federally trained observers on longline boats may be reduced to 20 percent coverage.
When ads were placed seeking observers, "it was in the belief there would be 100 percent coverage throughout," said Donald Petersen, Southwest Region coordinator for the observer program in the National Marine Fisheries Service. "But I have been advised otherwise, and we therefore changed the solicitation saying it could be 20 percent coverage. But this means nothing until we get the final word this week."
The federal fisheries agency, unable to train and hire a large number of observers in time to meet Ezra's demand, had earlier advertised in the Commerce Business Daily, a vehicle for federal contracts, seeking observers through private contractors. The ad in recent days was changed to reflect a 20 percent complement of observers -- about 25 to 30 workers.
Hawaii's observer program, last month down to four employees, has since grown closer to 10, Peterson said, leaving a balance of 15 to 20 observers needed to give 20 percent coverage.
Ezra sometime this week is expected to rule on a motion by the federal fisheries service and Hawaii longliners to reconsider his earlier ruling, which goes into effect on Saturday.
Ezra's ruling would shut down 6.5 million square miles of ocean surrounding Hawaii to all but a relatively few fishing trips, each one requiring a federally-trained observer on board to record interactions with threatened sea turtles.
The National Marine Fisheries Service is rounding up a contingent of temporary workers from federal longline observer programs in the Atlantic, to tide the Hawaii program over until permanent replacements can be found for Hawaii.
If Ezra does not modify his earlier stance on the observers, Peterson said, it may take five months to find and hire an adequate work force for Hawaii's fleet.
Ezra ordered observers on all longline boats after environmentalists filed a lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service last year alleging endangered leatherback and other sea turtles were being killed on longline hooks.