The Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) has recognized longtime fisheries leader Kitty M. Simonds with its Outstanding Contribution to Pacific Coast Fisheries Award.

Simonds, executive director of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, received the award during PSMFC’s 79th Annual Meeting in Kona, Hawaiʻi. The award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the conservation, development, and management of marine fishery resources.

“Her career has had a lasting influence not only in the Western Pacific, but nationally and internationally,” said David Sakoda of the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources, who presented the award.

Simonds has served as the Western Pacific Council’s executive director since 1983 and will mark 50 years with the Council in January 2027.

During her tenure, the Council pioneered regulations involving fishing gear and developed the first satellite-based fishery vessel monitoring system in the United States. Simonds also helped oversee changes to Hawaiʻi’s longline fishery, including onboard observer coverage and gear modifications aimed at reducing interactions with sea turtles, seabirds and sharks.

The Council also developed the nation’s first Coral Reef Fishery Ecosystem Plan and has worked to incorporate local and traditional ecological knowledge into fisheries management.

“For Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Islands, fisheries are not simply an industry,” Simonds said while accepting the award. “They are food security, cultural heritage, jobs and the ability of our communities to have a voice in decisions affecting our waters.”

PSMFC established the award in 1987. Past recipients include former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens and fisheries scientist Dayton L. “Lee” Alverson.