It’s not often we will suggest you watch a television program. But “Fishing Pono: Living In Harmony With The Sea” would be worth your time — and may cause us to pause and consider whether we’re overfishing our waters. Filmed
It’s not often we will suggest you watch a television program. But “Fishing Pono: Living In Harmony With The Sea” would be worth your time — and may cause us to pause and consider whether we’re overfishing our waters.
Filmed on Molokai, Kauai and Oahu, the documentary tells the story of declining fisheries and how some Native Hawaiian communities are using traditional conservation practices to restore their fishing grounds.
The documentary was produced by Kauai attorney and filmmaker, Teresa Tico, who said she was inspired to make the film after reading an article about life-long fisherman Kelson “Mac” Poepoe, in a Hawaiian Airlines inflight magazine.
“I was drawn to Mr. Poepoe’s story because of the success of his program. In the beginning, no one wanted to work with him,” she said. “But over time, he convinced the community that they had to take charge of their resources and not wait for government to restore the fishing grounds. His story gives hope to future generations.”
Poepoe’s fishing conservation program on Molokai, based on historical practices, is a story of “how one community turned the tide on a seemingly doomed resource.”
This documentary offers an opportunity, too, to ask the question, “Are we overfishing?” This is a subject worth more discussion and review. If we are overfishing the waters, what are the effects and what can we do about it? We would love to hear from more of our local anglers on what they see happening with our waters.
Remember, in the last legislative session, several bills sought to restrict fishing around Niihau. There was HB 1685, which would have established a “community based subsistence fishing area” around the island to restrict fishing within one mile of the shore; HB 1686, which would have required the Department of Land and Natural Resources to adopt rules to regulate the harvesting of opihi from the coastal or nearshore waters of Niihau by nonresidents; and HB 1687, which would have prohibited commercial fishing in the same area.
The bills did not gain support, but Niihau’s owners, Bruce and Leiana Robinson, explained why these bills were proposed. They said they believed in a strict seasonal system, allowing resources to recover, spawn and reproduce.
“Following that system, we have always had enough to sustain our village and our people,” they wrote. “However, in recent years, people who do not belong to Niihau have decimated our resources and we have had to appeal to our legislators for kokua (help).”
Perhaps “Fishing Pono” can provide some insight on solutions.
Poepoe’s community based management approach has been recognized throughout the world and garnered a number of Lifetime Achievement awards for Poepoe, including the 2013 Native Hawaiian Advocate of the Year award from the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation.
There were several locals involved with Fishing Pono, including Hanalei resident Eddie Abubo as production assistant. SJ Hylton and Tony LeHoven of Kilauea provided the sound recording and it was narrated by Kauai native Mauna Kea Trask. PBS Hawaii will broadcast the half-hour film at 9 p.m. Thursday on KHET, Channel 11.
Perhaps the words of Elliot Norse, president of the Marine Conservation Biology Institute, are worth considering: “We have overfished the seas systematically everywhere we have gone. We must act now, not 20 years from now … if we are to prevent further degradation of the marine environment.”
