New Hope for Hawaii’s Closed Marine Aquarium Fishery
Proponents of re-opening Hawaiian waters to sustainable aquarium fish collection are quietly cheering a winning round in court with the validity of an environmental impact statement based on science and years’ of study affirmed. On the losing end is Earth Justice, a rabidly anti-fishing activist group, who had tried to quash a revised EIS that found collection practices, regulations, and catch limits consistent with a sustainable, small-scale fishery.
Hawaii’s Fishy Double Standard
While aquarium fishers lost their livelihoods in Hawaii in 2017, “aquarium fish” continued to be harvested and killed without any scrutiny by another group—recreational fishers.
URGENT: Hawaii’s Aquarium Fishermen Ask For Your Support
Hawaii’s aquarium fishery and the latest Environmental Impact Statement is on the Board of Land and Natural Resources agenda for consideration on June 25th, 2021. Fishermen have asked you to voice your support.
Hawaii’s Aquarium Fishery Is Shuttered, Pending Review
What has happened to Hawaii’s marine aquarium fishery is profound. One could argue it serves as both a game plan for those opposed, and a real-world warning for those who continue to participate in the collection and distribution of wild fishes and corals within the aquarium trade.
Breaking News: Hawaii’s Aquarium Fishery Suffers Another Setback
The Department of Land and Natural Resources is taking immediate steps to comply with a new order issued late Friday from the First Circuit Court, requiring environmental review for issuance of new or renewed annual commercial marine licenses (CMLs) to be used for aquarium fishing purposes.
Sandhi 善迪 says:
Amazing spot. I love this part of knowledge: "Every small, free square inch is quickly occupied by Xeniidae corals. But, they seem to serve a very important function, preparing the substrate, and binding every piece of coral rubble together so sponges and coralline algae can finish the job by cementing everything up. Thus, later, coral larvae can settle on this newly stabilized real estate." Thank you, VincentNew Ocean-Inspired Designs from Walt Smith says:
[…] over 5 years ago, at the tail end of 2017, Fiji’s government unilaterally banned coral exports, leaving WSI with nothing more than fish and invertebrates to send to customers around the globe. […]CORAL New Issue “FREE THE FISHES” Inside Look says:
[…] of Contents for the May/June 2023 issue of CORAL Magazine. You can view this TOC online. “Is keeping a marine aquarium morally right? Is it ethically correct? Is it something we can […]Jon Gordon says:
Please sign this to support common sense rules in Florida. Ask Fish and Wildlife not to use an ill-advised whitelist of animals that can be kept. All you need to do is add your name to the following statement, "A viable option I support would be a list of prohibited species, which would be a much smaller, manageable and enforceable list than one that attempts to encompass all allowed species. " https://petadvocacy.org/advocacy-campaigns?vvsrc=%2FPetitions%2F3902%2FRespondBryce David says:
To whom it may concern, A whitelist approach to regulating which species are legally allowed to be obtained and traded will decimate fish farms and pet stores. This is not a well thought out approach for combating invasive species release into ecosystems. Best Management Practices have already made inroads on preventing the release of foreign invader species. I suggest a review of those practices and amend them if they are deemed to be insufficient. Sincerely, Bryce DavidEdward Moats says:
I urge you to consider the ramifications of losing a 172 million dollar industry in your state. I completely support the black list and agree that invasive species is a big concern. However , I feel that this bill is over reaching and will have a negative impact not only On the industry , but to Florida’s economy.