The Hawaiʻi County Council is pushing state lawmakers to end a decades-long battle against aquarium fishing this legislative session through a resolution that urges state lawmakers to ban all harvesting of fish for commercial aquariums.
A circuit court judge banned the practice almost 10 years ago, but the state Supreme Court opened waters back up to harvesting in 2024 after an environmental impact study was completed.
Some people who oppose the ban cite aquarium fishing as an economic opportunity for the state.
Testifier Kekoa Alip said he used to actively participate in harvesting fish for commercial distributors, but quickly abandoned the practice after seeing the damage it caused.
“Like us, many other local community members ceased their activities and chose duty over dollars, and kuleana over cash,” Alip said.
“I strongly believe that there is a need to conduct proper consultation with our local community on the potential ecological effects: habitat destruction, species depletion, coral stress, reduced biodiversity, disruption of breeding cycles, chemical pollution, increased susceptibility to invasive species, and long-term recovery challenges.”
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Aquatic Resources has proposed regulating commercial fishing by requiring permits and specifying what type of fish can be harvested.
But some testifiers say enforcing these rules would be too hard, and would not scale back the practice to a large enough extent.
Kailua-Kona resident Mike Nakachi has been supporting the fight to ban the practice for decades. Nakachi and his kids spoke at the county council meeting, citing ʻōlelo noʻeau to stress both the cultural and environmental implications.
"The land is the chief and we are its servants. Every single one of us, including every single council member here, is a servant to ʻāina,” Nakachi said.
“This is a very clear and loud message to the Division of Aquatic Resources: your job is to protect, enhance and preserve species for all generations. The time of commercial carve-outs is to end, and it should end this legislative session.”
The bill passed unanimously in the full county council and will be presented to the state Legislature next.
