For decades, many Hawaii residents have relied on aquarium fishing for their livelihood. This industry has created jobs in rural areas with few employment opportunities, such as on Hawaii Island and the Waianae Coast on Oahu.
It is these people who are now relying on Gov. David Ige to protect their jobs. The governor can do this by vetoing Senate Bill 1240, a bill with no positive benefits that will significantly harm individuals, families and businesses.
Advocates for SB 1240 contend the loss of jobs and educational opportunities is acceptable because the bill allegedly will protect our state’s coral reefs and prevent unsustainable fishing practices. This claim is not supported by 17 years’ worth of data — including nearly 7,000 underwater surveys — collected by the Department of Land and Natural Resources which clearly demonstrate the West Hawaii aquarium fishery is sustainable and economically valuable.
According to DLNR’s published studies, sustainable aquarium fishing is evidenced by the stability of yellow tang populations and the growth of other fish populations since the 1990s.
DLNR is not alone in this conclusion. A recent survey of coral reef biologists indicated aquarium fishing is among the least of many concerns regarding the health of Hawaii’s reefs. According to these scientists, the real challenges and threats to the coral reefs include, but are not limited to, climate change, pollution and nutrient runoff and overfishing of parrotfishes.
The sustainability of aquarium fishing in this fishery is no accident. Activists, fishermen and local communities have worked with DLNR to create best practices and regulations that have helped reefs and fish flourish during the past two decades. Community involvement was crucial for the development and management of this fishery, and even now, the industry works with residents to care for Hawaii’s environment.
Part of this care is looking to how care for fish and reefs can be improved. The industry is therefore backing alternative legislation and regulations that will continue responsible management of this fishery.
SB 1240 also risks the safety of fishermen by removing the state’s ability to issue new fishing permits. By not allowing fishermen to hire crew members for their boats, divers might be forced to work alone. This presents a serious safety hazard.
Finally, this bill risks the end of recreational aquarium permits and related educational opportunities. Thousands of young people in Hawaii and tourists alike have come to appreciate the irreplaceable beauty of our state’s reefs and fish thanks to these aquariums. Eliminating them is a public disservice.
Opponents of aquarium fishing know the facts are not on their side, so they are resorting to dishonest methods to convince the governor to sign SB 1240. For example, a press release from one well-funded D.C.-based activist group claims a poll shows a “surge” in opposition to the aquarium fishing trade. This statement is completely unproven and relies heavily on misdirection by conflating public awareness and public support.
The press release also does not include the poll’s methodology, nor in what ways the questions were asked. This lack of transparency calls into question the validity of the poll and the motives behind those who have advanced it. We are doubly concerned that the press release dishonestly portrays the science behind aquarium fishing and what SB 1240 does — and does not.
Plainly put, SB 1240 will eliminate jobs while doing nothing to improve protection for the environment. Its enactment will hurt real people and will eliminate a legitimate, sustainable and well-managed fishery in Hawaii.
The West Hawaii fishery is the best documented and monitored aquarium fishery in the world. It is a shining example of how government can help manage our natural resources effectively yet allow an industry to flourish. Its coupling of extensive protected areas with fishing restrictions should be touted as a way for all fisheries to be managed.
Ige has promised to move Hawaii into the future. On behalf of the fishermen who have worked in good faith to sustain fish and reefs alike, we urge him to veto SB 1240 — for the future of our state’s invaluable reefs, its fishermen and their families, and our economy — and to ignore the unscientific ideology of those who represent only their own interests.
Richard Pyle is a leading ichthyologist who has dedicated his life to the exploration, discovery, documentation and protection of coral-reef fishes. Bruce Carlson is former director of the Waikiki Aquarium and former director of conservation and research at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. Pyle and Carlson live in Hawaii and are the authors of multiple scientific articles and analyses on coral reefs and fishes.
