The Pacific Fisheries Coalition (PFC), with support from the PEW Charitable Trusts, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Homeland Foundation and the Federal Aid in Sport Fishing Restoration Act, represents a unique collaboration between conservationists and fishermen who find common ground in their desire to promote the conservation and responsible use of living marine resources in Hawai`i and the Central and Western Pacific.

• The Aquarium Trade in Hawai`i (2002)

  Most marine ornamental fish originating from U.S. waters come from Hawai`i, which is known for its rare endemic species of fish of high value. Recent studies have shown that aquarium collectors have had a significant negative impact on the fish species taken in the fishery, damaging our fragile coral reef ecosystems...(HTML)

• Fishery Management Methods: Are Sustainable Fisheries Possible? (2002)

  Bottom fishing in and around the main Hawaiian Islands is a long tradition, one that was fading with the decline of some fish species such as onaga and ehu. Although some fishermen contended there are just as many fish as there once was, others admitted they had to fish more to catch less and the fish are smaller. Scientists and fishery managers felt action was necessary to prevent further decline in the bottomfish stocks in the main Hawaiian Islands...(HTML)

• The Status of Hawai`i's Living Marine Resources at the Millennium (2002)

  Fishery managers, policy makers, and the public are often confused when it comes to understanding the dynamics of the various fishing communities, the hardships and frustrations of fishermen and the overall stress and impact the many demands have on the resources or for that matter the far reaching effects that collapse of the resources would have on tourism, commercial fishermen, divers, recreational fishermen and above all future generations...(HTML)

• Destructive Fishing Methods: Lay Gillnets (2002)

  While some configurations of gillnets are used responsibly in ways that surround and catch only the targeted species, lay gillnets are deployed as invisible walls that snare everything that runs into them, depleting both targeted and non-targeted species, destroying bottom habitat and protected species, and severely impacting the snorkeling and diving industries. The bycatch may amount to fifteen times the volume of the targeted catch...(HTML)

• Marine Protected Areas (2002)

  Networks of marine reserves offer the best hedge against overfishing within a biogeographic region by connecting egg and larval dispersal and juvenile and adult migration paths...Native Hawaiians were the first to use Kapu Zones as a management tool and established caretakers for different areas of land and sea. Hawai`i has several marine protected areas on Oahu, Hawai`i, Lanai and Maui...(HTML)

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