LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i is set to receive new Fish Aggregation Devices when a state program receives its next round of federal funding.
FADs attract species including tuna, ono, mahimahi and types of billfish, to fishers’ benefit. Kaua‘i has two installed off its North and South Shores, respectively, but the island is missing another seven.
“Kaua‘i will be the first, next stop for replacing the FADs,” said researcher Kim Holland, of the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology, on Wednesday. “We hope that’s going to happen before the end of the year.”
Lost FADs are not a new phenomenon. However, replacement operations fell behind in recent years, in part due to delays caused by changes in funding processes and the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“All the while, however, the FADs are still breaking loose and still need to be replaced,” Holland explained. “We found ourselves playing catch-up, in terms of keeping the whole array up to speed.”
Most of Hawai‘i Island and Maui’s missing FADs have been replaced, and O‘ahu will receive its new FADs later this week.
Kaua‘i will be allotted five new devices in the immediate future, with more planned.
The Hawai‘i FAD program, which totals 55 units when complete, has existed since 1980. It’s currently operated by HIMB, the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, the University of Hawai‘i and the Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources.
Science at sea
FADs are spar buoys topped with a navigation light and weighted to the seafloor. Driftwood, seaweed and other flotsam all act as naturally-occurring aggregates.
The reason fish are attracted to floating structures is not known with certainty, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ Fisheries and Aquaculture Division.
However, the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration notes FADs’ “(r)opes and lines encourage the settlement of marine plants and small crustaceans and mollusks, which in turn attract small fish.”
The strategically-placed buoys provide means for groundbreaking research, in addition to enhanced fishing opportunities, according to Holland.
Most recently, scientists have placed acoustic receivers on Hawai‘i and O‘ahu-based FADs to listen for nearby oceanic whitetip sharks.
“This is just the most recent version of the kinds of research that’s been going on for decades,” Holland said. “I got my start, actually, tracking the movements of tuna around FADs.”
The deployment of private or fishing industry FADs is illegal in Hawai‘i.
However, drifting “dFADs” originating elsewhere in the world’s oceans can enter state waters, prompting DLNR to label them “a new marine debris item of concern” in September.
Derelict dFADs can entangle wildlife, transport invasive species and pose navigational hazards, unlike the state’s anchored buoys. At least 17 have been reported on Hawai‘i Island since July 2015, with the most recent one found last month, a DLNR-DAR representative told The Garden Island.
Readers can report any large or hazardous marine debris, including dFADs, by calling DLNR’s statewide hotline at 1-833-4DA-NETS.
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Scott Yunker, reporter, can be reached at 245-0437 or syunker@thegardenisland.com.
