The Latest on Commercial Aquarium Collection in Hawai‘i

[Punatang]

An existential threat that everyone should agree on:

Hawai‘i communities have long opposed collection of wild reef fish for the aquarium pet trade. Commercial collectors target juvenile indigenous and endemic fish species, including species that feed local communities, chasing schools and individuals into fine-meshed nets where they cannot escape. The fish are then bagged, shipped, and sold to pet stores around the world. Evidence suggests that most fish captured for home aquariums die within the first year of captivity. Left in the wild, these species would live much longer. In some cases, like the Yellow Tang, these species can live more than 40 years. (emphasis added) Due to its harmful effects on fish populations, reef ecosystems, and other community needs, Earthjustice has been representing community groups for over a decade to challenge the harmful practice of commercial aquarium collection in court.

https://earthjustice.org/experts/kylie-w...-in-hawaii

[leilanidude]

Completely agree - fish "collection" should be made 100% illegal with very high fines and jail terms.

[ChunksterK]

Without funding for effective enforcement agents, any laws and penalties are meaningless. The Frau and I reported some guys pillaging the now lost reserve at Kapoho in a session that went on for hours. The man at DNLR kept telling us, "We're too busy to send anybody out there right now." We even gave them the guys' truck plate number, but nothing ever happened. And yes, the Frau called back later to see if they followed up, and she got the runaround.

[Punatang]

Mahalo Dude and Chunkster. Lady Tang and I are deeply honored by your support and vigilance. We can verify that "more than 40 years" is empirically correct. Well, at least in my case. A lady Tang never tells.