It would appear that there are a number of things that need to be cleared up regarding this thread. First, the collectors, wholesale companies and hobbyists in Hawaii are, for the most part, not against conservation or regulation of the industry. Everyone's livelyhood depends on the continuation of the resource. What we are against is having laws created which are backed by private interest groups who did not consult scientific data for their claims. The Department of Land and Natural Resources was not consulted prior to this bill and it is their responsibility to manage Hawaii's aquatic resources. This bill is not an attempt by Hawaii's government to conserve its resources, it is a ploy to garner free publicity for its author. If you would like to hear more of his rant, please do follow the previous link to
http://www.seashepherd.org/editoria..._070814_1p.html 90% of his essay is purely opinion and not supported by fact. If you would like me to break it down in a future post I would be more than happy to do so.
The DLNR/DAR has already set aside a large percentage of the Kona coastline as no-take areas. This has had scientifically proven results. What the collectors are catching is the resulting spill-over from the conservation districts. As long as there are large no catch zones, fish species will always be spawning. As those who have taken the time to read this bill can attest to, its wording is vague and arbitrary.
"(b) No person shall catch, net, or trap (THIS CAN BE INTERPRETED TO INCLUDE SPEARFISHERMEN AND LINE FISHERMEN ALSO)certain ornamental fish in a no-take category, including but not limited to(BASICALLY ALL THE FISH IN HAWAII CAN BE ADDED AT WHIM), all puffer fish, all box fish, potter's angel, cleaner wrasse, all coralvores, and all eels.
(c) For purposes of this section, the term "ornamental fish" means salt water fish, usually found in or around reefs, that are commonly kept in aquariums (WHO IS TO DICTATE WHAT DEFINES A COMMONLY KEPT FISH?).
The reality of this industry is that no collectors in Hawaii can survive with a 20 fish per day bag limit. If yellow tangs, potter angels and other popular Hawaiian fish are restricted or banned, the only result will be the overharvesting of the few indiginous Hawaiian specimens that are outside the ban. If we were to only target potters wrasse and flame wrasse day in and day out - they would cease to appear on our reefs.
As for the cessation of Christmas Island and Marshall Island fish (flame angels, lemon peels, mystery wrasse, rhomboids, black tangs, goldflake angels,etc.) Hawaii has historically been a hub for their transshipment. When attempting to ship the fish from those South Pacific locations directly to the West Coast there were staggering losses due to the long transit time. The wholesale companies in Hawaii, however, do not make enough of a profit margin on the transhipped fish to continue doing so without the Hawaii specimens to add to the mix. If this bill passes, there will be no more fish from Hawaii (other than ultra rare items like crosshatch triggers and banded angels - unless those too are banned.) And there will be no more South Pacific fish. I have been in this industry for the past 15+ years and this is the reality of it.
On a closing note, the author of this bill Robert Wintner has this to say about all you who have fish tanks, "I think of the internet pedophiles lured into the kitchen where the MSNBC cameras are rolling so the world can see them-they hang their heads, knowing their appetite is so wicked. Aquarium keeping is similarly shameful, but the perpetrators must be treated with understanding and help toward rehabilitation."
If you feel as though this hobby causes you need rehabilitation for your shameful and wicked appetite, then by all means - please support Mr. Wintner.
