KAUPULEHU — There are plenty of fish in the sea.
Especially throughout one stretch of North Kona coastline, where a 10-year closure needs only the governor’s signature to be final.
That’s according to the 40 or so fishermen who lined Queen Kaahumanu Highway on Saturday, waving signs to protest the establishment of the Kaupulehu Marine Reserve, the island’s first initiative to put a reef off-limits to fishing while a subsistence plan is drafted for the 3.6 miles of coastline at Kaupulehu Bay.
Anglers who troll, cast nets and fish with spears were angered that such bounty was being placed out of their reach, and questioned the state’s motives for the closure.
“Out of all of the areas on the island, they want to close the one in front of the millionaires and billionaires,” said Abram Boido, owner of Mobile Marine Repair Service in Kailua-Kona. “Ask yourself, is it the fishing?”
In late May, the state Board of Land and Natural Resources approved the creation of the reserve and a decade-long moratorium on taking fish inside of 120 of depth. A community group called the Kaupulehu Marine Life Advisory Committee worked throughout several years to get the kapu established, and some of its members trace the process back more than nearly two decades and scores of community meetings.
Lineal descendants of the area say they have watched the reef for generations and noted the declines in fish since the building of the Queen Kaahumanu Highway and the mandatory public access that came with approval of the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai.
Prior to those developments, there wasn’t a lot of access to the bountiful area, which then became depleted, say those who want to protect the area.
During a February public hearing for the reserve plan, state biologist Bill Walsh said the amount of fish harvested for food has dropped significantly on the reef since the 1990s. About two-thirds out of hundreds of pieces of testimony favored the closure, while about a third opposed it.
Protesters said the closure violates their traditional subsistence rights and that more closures and longer ones are on the way.
“This place is a generational fishing ground,” said Tate Marks.
Ferlin Cuyo takes fish from Kaupulehu using a throw net.
“The only change is in the bay, from the tsunami, then the boat went aground and diesel went in the bay,” he said. “Nobody did any cleanup. You go to the right or the left of the bay, I show you fish.”
Deborah Ward, spokeswoman for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, said the department had not received any feedback since the decision.
Holding a sign that read “This Is Our Ice Box, Not A Playground For The Rich,” Calvin Lai Sr. said Kaupulehu represents the best dive, troll and net fishing anywhere on the west side of the Big Island.
“It’s still good,” he said. “They’re just giving people the wrong dope saying there’s no fish here.”
His son, who bears the same name, worked to organize Saturday’s rally near the entrance to Kaupulehu.
“They’re saying there is no fish? This is one ice box over here,” Lai Jr. said. “We’re just trying to fight this, trying to get the word out. This is our last stand.”
Email Bret Yager at byager@westhawaiitoday.com.
