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Protecting False Killer Whales in Hawai'i

At A Glance

False killer whales are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Left alone, false killer whales can live 60 years. They give birth to one calf only every 6–7 years.

Deaths from the longline fishing fleet are occurring at twice the level Hawai‘i’s false killer whales can sustain.

While required to do so under law, NMFS has not implemented a plan to reduce the killing of Hawai‘i’s false killer whales.

 
False killer whale snagged on longline. Credit: NMFS.
False killer whales are attracted to bait on longlines. Typical injuries include dorsal fin damage that leave the whales unable to swim or gather food. Whales can also get tangled in the longliners’ miles of lines and drown. (Photo: NMFS)  View photo slideshow >

The false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) of Hawai‘i are in trouble. And sadly, humans are to blame.

One of the larger members of the dolphin family, false killer whales are rarely seen by humans, as they prefer deep tropical waters. The largest known population lives in the Eastern Pacific.

When the Hawai'i-based longline fleet catches yellowfin tuna, mahi mahi, and other target species on its hooks, false killer whales are attracted to this all-you-can-eat buffet and are often wounded or killed by the gear.

Typical injuries include dorsal fin damage that leave the whales unable to swim, gather food or reproduce. Whales can also get tangled in the longliners’ miles of lines and drown.

Earthjustice has gone to court to compel the National Marine Fisheries Service to finally come up with a plan to reduce the damage done to false killer whales.

The Longline Fleet, a Deadly Fishery

In November 2003, Earthjustice had filed suit on behalf of Hawai‘i community group Hui Malama i Kohola, the Center for Biological Diversity, and Turtle Island Restoration Network to force the National Marine Fishery Service to increase protection for false killer whales.

In 2004, the agency formally classified the longline fleet as Category I, a designation for fisheries that annually kill and seriously injure marine mammals at unsustainable rates.

This designation should have begun the process of protecting the false killer whale, but the agency never developed a plan.

A recent study by the Government Accountability Office found that "the false killer whale is the only marine mammal for which incidental take by commercial fisheries is above its maximum removal level that is not covered by a take reduction team."

David Henkin of the Earthjustice Mid-Pacific office in Honolulu said, "Hawai‘i’s marine mammals are paying with their lives for the Fisheries Service's refusal to comply with the law."

With a new administration on the beat, now is the time to get NMFS back on track and enforcing the law.