More than 300 fishermen and vessel owners attend protected species workshops in Hawai‘i every year, and almost 100 are trained in American Samoa.
Owners and operators of pelagic longline vessels working in the Pacific Islands region must complete this annual training requirement in order to renew their longline fishing permits.
The workshop covers:
- Regulatory requirements
- Handling and release techniques
- Protected species identification (sea turtles, seabirds, marine mammals, sharks/ray, biology, and migration)
The workshop objective is to ensure that longline fishing vessel owners and operators are well versed on the most up-to-date interaction mitigation techniques for protected species.
Registration
Classroom Workshops
We offer workshops on Fridays, from 9 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. HST, at the NOAA Honolulu Service Center at Pier 38 on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi. On the first Friday of the month, workshops are in-person, only. All other workshops are open to in-person and online attendance. Workshops are not held on federal holidays and are subject to cancellation.
To register, call (808) 725-5178 or email to piropsw@noaa.gov. Please provide your:
- Full name
- Vessel name
- Mailing address
- Phone number
You must register at least one business day before the scheduled workshop.
Additional Language Guidelines:
Self-Guided Online Training
An online self-guided course is available for owners and operators who have already completed a classroom workshop.
- Owners may take the online course every year after attending at least one in-person workshop.
- Operators (captains) may take the online course for two years in a row after completing an in-person workshop. This requirement is to periodically refresh captains on their understanding of protected species handling techniques.
To register, send an email to piropsw@noaa.gov. Please provide your:
- Full name
- Vessel name
- Whether you are a vessel owner or operator
- Mailing address
- Phone number
After we receive your email, we will provide you with instructions on how to access the online course.
