Hawai'i Bottomfish Heritage Project Will be On the Air this Weekend!

On Monday, our team joined Mike Buck in the studio to talk story about the Bottomfish Heritage Project. For the project, we’ve in turn been talking story with fishermen using a research method called “oral histories” to document their knowledge and experiences with bottomfishing through time. By comparing firsthand accounts from experienced long time fishermen across the archipelago we can better understand the origins of the fishery, why and what makes bottomfishing so special, when and why certain species are targeted, and the role of fishing in maintaining personal and community connections. We’re also learning about how changes in technology and management have affected fishermen, how fishing techniques and attitudes they have been using have changed through time, and what they now see for the future of bottomfishing in Hawai'i.

Kirsten Leong NOAA Social Scientist, Kurt Kawamoto NOAA Fishery Biologist, and Clay Tam Pacific Islands Fisheries Group in the studio with Mike Buck.

The ultimate goals of the project are to preserve the wealth of history and experience existing within the fishing community, to provide documentation of this small but important fishery for future generations, and make the collected knowledge available for use in maintaining the sustainability of the fishery.

The program aired on Go Fish! with Mike Buck on Saturday afternoon (4/22) at 4 pm and again on Sunday (4/23) at 7 am, on AM 690.

We’re gathering stories now, so if you or someone you know would like to add your bottomfishing knowledge to the project, please contact us!

Bob Moffitt interviews Leonard Yamada in support of the Hawai'i bottomfish Heritage Project (January 2017).

This project is supported by NOAA Preserve America Initiative and a NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Region Cooperative Research grant.

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