Commissioning of NOAA Ship OSCAR ELTON SETTE remarks by Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., U.S. Navy (Ret.) Honolulu, Hawaii January 23, 2003
In my Navy career I was often in Hawaii, and indeed stationed here for over 4 years. I have great memories of this beautiful place, as well as great respect and admiration for the peoples of this little bit of heaven on earth. It is most rewarding to be part of a ceremony that will commission the SETTE in her new homeport of Honolulu alongside her sister ship the KA’IMIMOANA. Ships such as the ELTON SETTE, a fisheries research and survey vessel, are at the very foundation of meeting NOAA’s mission for the Nation. Investing in newer fisheries ships and technology, such as NOAA Ship SETTE, is important to the Nation’s economic security just as the Navy’s ships at Pearl Harbor are important to our military security. Many of our NOAA ships are reaching or are beyond retirement age. Our goal is to build a fleet plan that will ensure our ability to continue to meet these critical missions. The commissioning of this ship today is a step in the direction of reducing the age of this critical research and survey fleet. Let me recite a few statistics to indicate the value of fisheries to Hawaii and the rest of the country. Currently, U.S. commercial fisheries landings are worth approximately $3.3 billion. NOAA estimates that restoring fisheries may increase the value of that harvest by $1.4 billion as over-fished stocks recover, and over-harvesting is reduced. I know this figure comes as no surprise to you here in Hawaii. Locally, commercial fisheries landings average 30 million pounds a year worth $60 million. A recent study conducted as part of the Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative concluded that Hawaii’s reefs contribute $360 million a year to the state’s economy. These figures illustrate that healthy Hawaiian marine ecosystems contribute directly to a healthy economy. I think you’ll agree these figures are impressive, but much work remains to be done to properly survey the waters around these islands and to better understand the ecosystem in the Northwest Hawaiian Island chain. In Hawaii and along the Northwest Hawaiian Islands there are some 695,000 square nautical miles of ocean bottom to survey. The portion of this that is significant for safe navigation is approximately 6,700 square nautical miles–or about 10 percent. About 70 square nautical miles of this is considered critical for safe navigation. And none of it has been surveyed at modern levels of accuracy. NOAA is working to reduce this survey backlog by using ships-of-opportunity such as the SETTE to conduct bottom surveys. The NOAA Ship SETTE and other NOAA vessels coming to Hawaii are being considered for fitting with multi-beam sonar equipment to reduce this survey backlog. NOAA is also developing a contract with private industry to survey coral reef habitat areas in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. A second and growing area of environmental stewardship and responsibility for NOAA is in the development of a global observing system. The NOAA Ship SETTE will serve as one piece of a global observing system needed for healthy oceans–both as a fisheries research and survey vessel, and, if fitted with multi-beam sonar equipment, as a charting and mapping ship-of-opportunity. Most environmental data now comes from stations on land and almost nothing from the oceans that cover 70% of the planet. If we are going to rebuild fisheries and have healthy oceans, more complete and accurate data about the status of our marine resources is necessary. A global observing network will help fill in the “pukas”, holes, in our current data sets. Buoys deployed in the Pacific by SETTE’s sister ship, the KA’IMIMOANA have proven effective in predicting what El Nino will do months in advance. By expanding our ocean observing efforts, we can improve our understanding and prediction of basin-wide cycles such as El Nino and their direct connection to sustainable fisheries and ecosystem management, and even greater economic benefits. In fact NOAA is already using parts of an ocean observing system to assist with fisheries management decisions. As one example, sea turtles typically travel in ocean currents that have high productivity rates. The geographic patterns of these types of currents shift in El Nino years. At NOAA we have been able to use these observations as we craft fishery regulations so that we can minimize the by-catch of turtles here in Hawaii and on the West Coast. NOAA is here today in partnership. Working together we can increase the accuracy of environmental predictions and better incorporate this information into wise management decisions. There is a beautiful Hawaiian saying “E lauhoe mai na wa'a, pae aku i ka 'aina” that roughly means “if everyone paddles the canoe, the shore is reached.” I think this saying really captures the spirit of the partnership efforts that brought us here today. I particularly acknowledge the outstanding support of the entire Hawaiian Congressional delegation and am delighted that Representative Abercrombie could join us today. He, and Senator Inouye in particular are the ones who started the paddling by appropriating the $12.4 million cost of the SETTE. And now that we have the SETTE, Commander Barton, I have no doubt that you and your crew will exhibit the same level of excellence I have come to admire and expect from the NOAA Corps. But your operation of the ship alone will not get us to the shore. Bill Hogarth, the Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries, is also here with us today. The scientists and fisheries managers who work for him will need to take the raw data collected by this ship and translate it into tools to be used for management. I had the pleasure of meeting with Governor Lingle earlier today. I assure you that NOAA considers it an honor to be part of the ohana that cares about resource stewardship and we will work closely with her staff. And we’ll all be working with the fishermen to make sure they understand what the science says. We have representatives of the West Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council here today, and I know that they are eager to see the SETTE in action. If all of us paddle together in partnership, we will ensure the continued viability of Hawaiian fisheries, and we will reach the shore. In closing, please allow me to say a few words about the remarkable scientist, Dr. Sette, for whom we are naming this ship today. He was born in March 1900, and is still recognized as an international leader in marine fishery science. He was active in this field until he passed away in 1972. He finished his undergraduate studies at Stanford University, studying under David Starr Jordan, the namesake of another NOAA fisheries ship! He later returned to Stanford to receive a Doctorate in Biology. Dr. Sette was among the first to expand the concept of fishery biology to include other disciplines, and succeeded in integrating this science with those of oceanography and meteorology, elevating it to a major status and advancing its economic importance worldwide. He pioneered in areas where NOAA still leads - the development of holistic approaches to ecosystem studies, stewardship, and management efforts. Dr. Sette’s
accomplishments are legion as are the remarkable contributions of
the man himself through his personal warmth, ability to inspire, and
patience and perception as a teacher. He placed special importance
on the training of scientists under his supervision and devoted much
time to their development. Dr. Sette was the first director of the
Honolulu fisheries laboratory, and it is a fitting tribute that this
ship will carry his name and will carry-on the Honolulu laboratory’s
vital work.
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