Off Hawaiʻi Island, a harmful fishing practice known as “jugging” is being used on sharks.

When sharks approach fishing areas and take hooked fish, a behavior known as depredation, a small number of fishermen use jugging as a way to remove, distract, or deter them from the area. A shark is hooked then attached to a floating jug, bottle, or similar buoyant object and then released. The shark is left swimming through the open ocean dragging the gear behind it. A NOAA study of West Hawaiʻi small-boat fishermen documented this practice directly. Eighteen fishermen interviewed discussed “jugging,” in which a baited hook is attached to a Clorox bottle, jug, or other floating object and used to occupy and deter sharks from fishing grounds. Fishermen interviewed for the study reported encountering both live and dead sharks still attached to jugs. (NOAA, Engaging Hawaiʻi Small Boat Fishers to Mitigate Pelagic Shark Mortality, pp. 33–34: https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/27096/noaa_27096_DS1.pdf )

For those of us working offshore Kona, this isn’t something we’ve only read about. In 2026 alone, Kona ocean operators encountered three separate jugged sharks offshore. One was an oceanic whitetip found dead attached to the gear. Two others were blue sharks found alive and were able to be cut free. With many more jugging encounters being documented over the years.

This is particularly concerning because oceanic whitetips have suffered severe population declines globally. They are considered Critically Endangered by the IUCN and are protected as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Hawaiʻi is also an important habitat for this species.

Importantly, this is not representative of Hawaiʻi’s fishing community as a whole. Fishermen face a very real challenge when sharks take their catch, and the vast majority of fishermen are not using this practice. This petition is focused on stopping a specific method being used by a relatively small number of people—not attacking fishing or fishermen.

The danger extends beyond sharks

Jug fishing and related jug-rig methods can also threaten animals that were never intended to be caught. Hawaiʻi lawmakers have described these methods as non-selective and identified risks to sharks, protected green sea turtles, Hawaiian monk seals and hawksbill sea turtles.

We have already seen just how serious those consequences can be. In September 2025, Moana (RS34), a two-year-old endangered Hawaiian monk seal, was found dead on Mānana Island. Hawaiʻi DLNR determined that her death resulted from paddle-out or drone-out fishing using a jug-rig variant. With these nearshore methods, extremely heavy fishing line can be deployed beyond normal casting distance with a buoyant jug used to keep the baited hook off the bottom. If the line breaks, an animal can be left dragging a jug and potentially hundreds of yards of line until it becomes entangled, snagged on the seafloor, suffocated, or exhausted.

Whether offshore gear is intentionally attached to a shark to drive it away from a fishing area, or a jug-rig closer to shore hooks or entangles non-target wildlife, the fundamental problem is the same: an animal can be left in the ocean attached to heavy fishing gear with no one there to intervene.

Hawaiʻi can address this specific practice without vilifying fishermen or restricting responsible fishing. Protecting our marine life and supporting responsible fishing can and should go hand in hand.

Take Action
 
Through this petition, we are calling on Hawaiʻi island's relevant government agencies to introduce and pass legislation that prohibits jug fishing and jugging practices that leave marine animals attached to this gear in Hawaiʻi waters.
 
By signing, you are adding your voice to a growing call for action and urging our state leaders to create clear protections that address this practice while respecting Hawaiʻi’s broader fishing community.
 
Please sign and share this petition to help protect Hawaiʻi’s sharks, Hawaiian monk seals, sea turtles, and other marine life for generations to come.