The ocean is not exempt from the Trump administration’s reverse Midas touch. While the administration’s fisheries policies undermine protections for endangered species and iconic habitats, the war in Iran drives up the price of diesel, leaving fishermen teetering on the edge of insolvency.
Elevated fuel costs driven by President Donald Trump’s war of choice in Iran are harming many economic sectors, but they have been particularly harsh on the longline fishing fleet based in Hawaii’s Honolulu Harbor. Diesel hit an all-time high of $7.2919 per gallon in Hawaii on October 23, 2026, as the war drags on and supply disruptions of oil and diesel continue. In one year, the price has increased by more than $2 per gallon, an increase of nearly 40 percent.
In 2022, Hawaii-based fisheries were already experiencing an “all-time low” in profits. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the federal agency that manages the tuna fishery, regularly publishes reports on the fisheries in Hawaii. The agency requires vessels to maintain logs that include many data points including the type of fish caught, where fishing took place, and the amount and cost of diesel used.
Fuel is the single most expensive cost for the Hawaii fleet, accounting for up to half of the cost for each fishing trip. In 2023, the last year for which NOAA analyzed data, 29 cents of every $1 of revenue went to fuel costs. And now record-breaking fuel prices driven ever higher by the war in Iran are making it harder for fishermen to turn a profit.