The Pacific Fisheries Coalition (PFC), a project of the Hawaii Audubon Society, is a unique coalition of conservationists and fishermen who promote the protection and responsible use of marine resources in Hawai'i and the Pacific. The project is directed by Linda Paul with guidance from William Aila and others. Independent contractors in 2007 included Ellyn Tong, the Outreach Coordinator, Laura Kloepper, the Ocean Awareness teacher, and interns Naomi Arcand and Cassandra Brooks.

In 2007 the Society received a grant to implement an Ocean Awareness Project for the purpose of creating an ocean stewardship ethic in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students. In the Fall Laura began the process of creating a curricula and lesson plans to be implemented initially in intermediate schools on windward O'ahu. Cassandra assisted her in locating resource materials and she was given periodic feedback and advice from an advisory group of professional educators. Ellyn drafted new questions for a Paradise Pursuits Quiz show aimed at the intermediate school level with a focus on watersheds and the nearshore environment.

In January a number of bills related to fishing were introduced and heard in the Legislature and the PFC continued its efforts to educate the public on the need for sustainable fishing and habitat protection. The bills included the Administrative Inspection bill, which was drafted by the PFC in 2003 at the invitation of the State. It proposes statutory changes needed to enforce fishing rules. It was introduced in both the House and the Senate, but was held in the last committee hearing. The Aquatic Stewardship Act, which PFC drafted in partnership with State officials and fishermen to counteract two right-to-fish bills, was introduced in the House but not heard. The two "right-to-fish" bills were heard, but were ultimately deferred. William Aila drafted an op- ed letter on Native Hawaiian cultural fishing practices, which was signed by a number of Native Hawaiians and submitted to the newspapers.

The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Reserve Advisory Council (RAC) met in June and was briefed on the status of the NWHI Marine National Monument management plan. Linda (Vice Chair) assisted with the agenda and William Aila (Secretary) and Ellyn Tong attended the meeting. The World Heritage Site designation process for the NWHI is also moving forward. Public scoping meetings for the Monument's Natural Resources Science Plan were held in November and comments were submitted.all processed shark fins.

The 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) was held in June, which Linda attended. There were more marine species proposals than ever before, including two species of sharks, the red and pink corals, an ornamental cardinal fish, two species of lobsters and the entire sawfish family. In preparation the meeting the PFC prepared a 20-page, illustrated report The Global Shark Fin Trade: Destroying Biodiversity and Ecosystems for distribution at the meeting, as well as fact sheets on the corals, the cardinal fish, and the lobsters. The PFC Marine Aquarium Trade report was also distributed. The sawfishes were listed on Appendix I, but the rest of the proposals ultimately failed.

Linda, Ellyn, and other members of the PFC and NWHI Network continued to monitor meetings of Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council and its committees. Linda, as a member of the U.S. delegation, also pushed for conservation measures at meetings of the Central & Western Pacific Fisheries Commission and its Technical and Compliance Committee, where she distributed copies of The Global Shark Fin Trade report. Linda continued to serve on the national Marine Fish Conservation Network Advisory Board, which is now focusing on implementation of the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act as amended in January 2007.

In January Linda and Dr. Alan Friedlander were invited to represent Hawai'i at an EPA MPA workshop in Annapolis, MD. The workshop results will form one chapter in a report to Congress. Ellyn was invited to attend the International Year of the Reef for 2008 meeting in Washington D.C. The PFC will hold its 5th Aquatics Conference in 2008 to celebrate the event.

Linda attended the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force meeting in American Samoa in August and presented oral and written comments, urging the Task Force to host a technical meeting on the extent and impact of harvesting red and pink corals in the Pacific for the jewelry trade, to support the protection of important reefs across the Pacific through the creation of a network of World Heritage Sites, to take action to prevent the spread of alien invasive aquatic species by hull fouling, to co-sponsor a series of international technical workshops to assess the impacts of the aquarium trade on coral reef populations, habitats, distributions, trophic structures, and marine biodiversity, and to support a prohibition on imports of all processed shark fins.

Educational outreach activities included broadcasting programs on PFC's Thursday evening slot on 'Olelo Community Television, including the proceedings of the 2006 State Aquatics Conference, Dr. Bill Walsh talking about marine resource enforcement problems, and Buzzy Agard and William Aila explaining traditional fishing management practices. PFC educational materials were distributed at the Hawai'i Conservation Conference, 300 copies of our Importance of Refuges for Reef Fish Replenishment in Hawaii were sent to Guam, and Kamehameha Schools distributed 800 of our posters. Ellyn worked on a four-color version of the large, older females poster, which will be used to educate the public on the importance of leaving enough of these reproductively important fish in the wild to ensure sustainability.