The state Board of Land and Natural Resources has voted to let officials gather public input on a proposed set of rules that would allow commercial aquarium fishing on the west side of Hawaiʻi Island.
The rules would allow the commercial collection of five aquarium species — lauʻīpala (yellow tang), hīnālea ʻiʻiwi (bird wrasse), māʻiʻiʻi (brown surgeonfish), Potter’s angelfish and Thompson’s surgeonfish — along portions of Hawaiʻi Island’s western coastline.
On Friday the land board amended the administrative rules originally proposed by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Aquatic Resources, which had initially submitted a list of eight fish species.
“We can consider social and cultural norms that we feel are appropriate,” board member Riley Smith said. “I'd like to exclude from the (annual catch limit) all the fish that are typically considered to be Native Hawaiian food sources — that would include kole, umaumalei, and Chevron tang.”
The board also reduced the catch limit for lauʻīpala from 200,000 to 100,000 fish because of continued progress in farming the species.
Nearly half of the island's western coastline, covered under the West Hawai‘i Regional Fishery Management Area, has been closed to commercial aquarium fishing since 2017 following a series of court decisions that invalidated all permits required for that type of fishing.
The version of the new, board-approved rules is a compromise that came after hours of testimony on Friday, including the board saying that, under state law, it is not allowed to outright ban commercial aquarium fishing.
Proponents of the proposal include commercial aquarium collectors and their supporters.
“The science here is that fishing at these numbers is completely sustainable, that it's very low risk, and that it will be the most heavily managed fishery in the state,” said testifier Geoff Davis, a California-based attorney supporting aquarium collectors. “Many of the people speaking in opposition are effectively saying, ‘Ban the fishery, or restrict it so far that it's an effective ban.’”
Hawaiʻi Island commercial aquarium fisher Eric Koch, in written testimony, said, “The only people that have been hurt by all this is the aquarium fishers. We have lost everything trying to please everyone and work through the process that was asked of us.”
Part of the 2017 court decisions was a requirement that the fishery go through an environmental review process, which was completed in 2023. But the DLNR hasn’t resumed issuing permits.
Opposition to commercial aquarium fishing
Cultural and environmental advocates have been the primary opponents of commercial aquarium fishing in the area, and say strict rules are necessary to protect local reef ecosystems.
“My own eyes on our West Hawaiʻi reef, from childhood to today, can tell you that all eight species are barely seen at a healthy level today as it was back in the '70s and '80s,” said West Hawaiʻi resident Maki Morinoue at Friday’s meeting. “This industry is commercial exploitation.”
DAR, in its proposal, said anywhere from 10 to 50 licenses have been issued for the area’s aquarium fishery since the 1970s.
Catch has increased from 50,000 fish in the 1970s and 1980s to a peak of 450,000 fish in 2005.
Many opponents of the rules were dismayed to find that DAR’s proposal would reopen commercial aquarium fishing, because the rulemaking process was initiated following a petition to further restrict the trade.
The BLNR in October 2023 approved the petition, which was submitted by groups including the Koʻolaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club and For The Fishes, asking the board “to adopt rules to prohibit commercial aquarium collecting statewide.”
Elena Bryant of the civic club said that “it's extremely clear that these rules are completely tailored to the asks of the collectors and do not take into consideration our rulemaking petition or our community and cultural values.”
At the end of the meeting, BLNR Chair Dawn Chang said the compromises reflect the board’s willingness to listen to the public.
“ The department looks at science, but we're looking at what we hear socially and culturally,” Chang said.
Opponents were still disappointed in the proposal because they said it would reopen aquarium fishing despite the public testimony against it.
