BLNR rejects proposal to resume commercial aquarium fish collection in West Hawaii
By Jeremiah Estrada
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HONOLULU (KITV) — The Hawaiʻi Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) voted Friday to reject a proposal that would have allowed commercial aquarium fish collection to resume in West Hawaiʻi and potentially other parts of the state.
BLNR cited legal concerns with the proposal and directed the Department of Land and Natural Resources to consider alternatives to commercial collection. Those alternatives could include examining whether commercial aquarium fish collection is consistent with the state’s constitutional public trust obligations and its responsibility to protect Native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices.
An Environmental Court ruling earlier this year confirmed that the board has the statutory authority to establish a statewide prohibition on commercial aquarium collection through administrative rules. Commercial aquarium fish collection has been halted statewide since 2021 and in West Hawaiʻi since 2017.
Supporters of the ban said continued collection could threaten reef ecosystems and reduce fish populations that are important to local communities and subsistence fishing.
Cultural practitioner Mike Nakachi praised the board’s decision.
“We mahalo the board for recognizing that this industry is incompatible with our community values,” Nakachi said. “Reef fish perform essential functions that keep Hawaii’s reefs resilient, and lawaia pono teaches us to take only what we will eat — not capture and export reef wildlife as ornamental pets. By rejecting the proposal to resume commercial collection, the board is taking steps to honor local and Hawaiian values and its duty to protect public trust resources.”
Longtime Hawaiian cultural advocate Charlie Young of Keālia also supported the decision, saying reef fish are important food resources and should remain available to future generations.
Environmental groups have also opposed efforts to resume the industry.
“This decision recognizes the will of Hawaiʻi’s people,” said Mahesh Cleveland, an attorney with Earthjustice’s Mid-Pacific Office. “Again and again, communities have turned out at public meetings to oppose this trade. We hope the department will return with rules that protect Hawaiʻi’s reefs and marine life from the harms of an extractive, profit-driven industry.”
Opponents of commercial collection said collectors use fine-mesh nets to capture native fish, including juvenile fish that local communities rely on for food. The fish are then shipped and sold to aquarium retailers.
The Division of Aquatic Resources will now revisit the public rulemaking process following Friday’s decision. That process could include another series of public hearings.
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Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees Chairperson Kaialiʻi Kahele responded to the decision saying:
“Reef fish — our iʻa — are not simply commodities. They are an integral part of Native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices, our relationship with ʻāina and kai and the health and abundance of the ecosystems that have sustained our people for generations. BLNR’s decision recognizes that protecting these resources must take precedence over removing Hawaiʻi’s reef wildlife for ornamental display. It supports the work being done by communities across our pae ʻāina to perpetuate traditional practices, strengthen food security and ensure healthy, resilient nearshore ecosystems for generations to come.”
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