SB931 SD2, the bill to BAN the collecting of marine wildlife on Hawaii’s reefs for commercial purposes has been tabled for now. This version of the bill moved the goal post for the ban five and was set up to fail as it stated 2095 at the end of the bill, conflicting with the intended date of 2025 used earlier in the bill. As of now, SB 931 is asleep – among the “non-dead” measures that can be resurrected next year where they left off this year. But please do not be discouraged: SB931 is the first AQ ban to make it out of either chamber – ever!
There is a current “moratorium” on aquarium fishing and the coastline is purported to be protected, but that is not the reality because the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) lacks operatives and functional equipment to properly police the HUGE coastline where this is a major problem. To further compound the issue, rivalry with fishers and collectors at Miloli’i is rife.
Keep up to date with the excellent work of Rene Umberger and For the Fishes to support this very important cause. Contact Sierra Club’s Rob Culbertson dancingcloudrefuge@gmail.com
to get involved!