Hawaii ban is official.

[pasquale petrovia]

225 gallon

 

[Zionas]

What would you say are the best foods now?

 

[pasquale petrovia]

I now feed Bug Bites and LRS frozen foods and fish still don't look like they did before New Life Spectrum changed, They were super fat and glowing colors. I took a break a few of years ago after my Majestic died. I got back in about 2 years ago with old dead live rock and have struggled since. When New Life started the owners number was on the can. I think the guys name was Pablo. I talked to him for over an hour and he told me to give him a chance and feed only his fish food exclusively and he was right. I fed my fish his food for 20+ years. I don't know exactly what happened since he sold, but I haven't seen the same results since using it so had to look for other alternatives. I am not endorsing any products I just know the way my fish look to me after years in the hoby

 

[sp1187]

relax.
temporary till some new politicians take office with a different view.
remember when Indo closed?

 

[gafoley]

I think captive breeding programs are the reason Hawaii is going that route. Yellow tangs are a possibility through Biota and other captive breeders. You can thank the people on the Hawaiian islands that actively break the laws and illegally fish for the current ban and views on the aquarium trade there.

Hawaii County man arrested for illegal catch of aquarium fish

Officers spotted a vessel in the West Hawaii Regional Fisheries Management Area off South point and discovered 333 Yellow Tang and three Pakuikui (Achilles tang).

www.hawaiinewsnow.com

Kona men cited for illegal aquarium fish, gear

<p>Two Kona men were cited Thursday for illegal harvesting of aquarium fish offshore of Kawaihae, the Department of Land and Natural Resources announced Friday afternoon.</p>

www.hawaiitribune-herald.com

I respectfully disagree. The environmentalist whackos have been trying to shut down the fishery for a long time. This just gave them a little more ammo in court. Banning an entire industry because of a couple law breakers is ridiculous. We don't ban cars because of drunk drivers or people driving without a license. Understand who these people (environmentalists) are. They believe keeping anything in captivity is morally wrong. And it would be wise to fight them at every opportunity because they'll be looking to shut down the entire industry, not just Hawaii.

 

[Kershaw]

Food and “to look at” is different. If my kids need food I’ll eat it. If it’s fir fun Someone should have a moral obligation to make sure it’s sustainable.
I’m suprised you just compared food and hobby. You have obviously never worried about food. (Hahaha neither have I, but at least I know there’s a difference)

I under stand your point but the reason for the ban is not to preserve food.. at least that’s not what I have seen.

 

[ReeferWarrant]

I respectfully disagree. The environmentalist whackos have been trying to shut down the fishery for a long time. This just gave them a little more ammo in court. Banning an entire industry because of a couple law breakers is ridiculous. We don't ban cars because of drunk drivers or people driving without a license. Understand who these people (environmentalists) are. They believe keeping anything in captivity is morally wrong. And it would be wise to fight them at every opportunity because they'll be looking to shut down the entire industry, not just Hawaii.

Agreed it's not solely based on that, those incidents are not far and few between either. Like you said it just put a bad light on the industry.

 

[ca1ore]

Despite everything being in the works, never thought this day would come. Until we get enough Captive Bred specimens, goodbye Yellow Tangs, Kole Tangs, Convict Tangs, Lavender Tangs, Achilles, and many others.

I wonder what would be the future of Tangs for Zebrasoma and other fish.

What would be good alternatives for most people in the now indefinite absence of the Yellow Tang?

I guess I'm a glass-half-empty kind of guy because I have long thought that these kinds of bans were inevitable. Hawaii first, others to follow. The ornamental fish industry is an easy target with much less organized advocacy. Hard to see how farming and the cruise ship business (well, before 2020) doesn't do far more damage .... not to mention weather events.

Interesting that the press releases mention an environmental review process. I wonder what that is and whether it's a practical redress for grievances. I suppose people need to eat, but they don't need to keep reef tanks.

It's been obvious (to me, at least) that captive bred/raised is going to be the future of the reef fish hobby. Kudos to those that have helped to move this forward.

 

[gafoley]

I think captive breeding programs are the reason Hawaii is going that route. Yellow tangs are a possibility through Biota and other captive breeders. You can thank the people on the Hawaiian islands that actively break the laws and illegally fish for the current ban and views on the aquarium trade there.

Hawaii County man arrested for illegal catch of aquarium fish

Officers spotted a vessel in the West Hawaii Regional Fisheries Management Area off South point and discovered 333 Yellow Tang and three Pakuikui (Achilles tang).

www.hawaiinewsnow.com

Kona men cited for illegal aquarium fish, gear

<p>Two Kona men were cited Thursday for illegal harvesting of aquarium fish offshore of Kawaihae, the Department of Land and Natural Resources announced Friday afternoon.</p>

www.hawaiitribune-herald.com

I respectfully disagree. The environmentalist whackos have been trying to shut down this fishery for a long time. The two incidents cited above only provided more ammo in court. But to shut down an entire industry because of a couple law breakers makes as much sense as banning cars because of drunk drivers. It has nothing to do with illegal fishing. These people (environmentalists) believe that keeping fish/inverts in captivity is cruel. Therefore, everyone else must subscribe to their thinking and morality. If you like and enjoy this hobby/industry, I suggest you fight these people at every turn. Hawaii is just the first battle. They intend to have the entire industry banned worldwide.

 

[Antics]

Is it a conservation and collection issue or an enforcement issue? Adding laws and regulations does nothing if no one is enforcing them.

 

[Zionas]

Reefers of the world unite!

 

[Joe Rice]

Christmas Islands are still open and will offer many Hawaiian Fish. Truth be told Hawaii had one of the most well managed fisheries in the world. There was 0 reason to shut down collection other than crazy nuts. This is coming from someone who has an ecology degree.

While getting my degree professors presented me with Hawaii as an example of the most well managed and maintained fishery in the world.

The fundamental misunderstanding about coral reefs is that they are space limited. The greatest threats to reefs are ones that limit the amount of habitable space. In Hawaii this is primarily agricultural run off. Unfortunately the aquarium trade is a more appealing target than farmers.

Anyone who does not understand that limiting space is the greatest threat to reefs does not have a basic understanding of reef ecology. In a space limited ecosystem it is very easy to harvest animals because as soon as they are removed more space is available to the ecosystem and it gets filled quickly. Removing habitable space from a reef is like removing water from a desert.

Sadly, this will result in more demand for fish collected from less well managed fisheries. While it might marginally improve fish populations in Hawaii, it has the potential to cause significant damage to these less well managed fisheries.

 

[Rjramos]

The big picture of reefs declining worldwide is the big deal here, but no one can point the finger directly at one source as the problem. Why? Cause the farmer runoff has an indirect impact and food production is more important than this hobby for example. What causes greater decline in reefs? certainly, not collectors taking adult fish for the industry. Habitat destruction and reduction without a single, credible source to blame is. Lawmakers always like to be credited with coming up with solution to our environmental problems. A ban on collecting aquarium fish, is an easy one to implement and enforce vs researching why all the worlds reefs (habitat), and the fish that eat, sleep, and breed there are declining.
Captive breeding of certain species like the yellow tang is still very new and not making the impact that is needed in this hobby. If breeders have a difficult time finding the best protocols to achieve this, imagine what a swarm of yellow tang larvae has to deal with for a small percentage to make it to adult size in the wild.Collecting selective species larvae in the planktonic soup of the ocean is too difficult. The ocean and its inhabitants have there mysterious secrets that we still haven’t figured out, and until we do and develop a way to give back, we are gonna have bans.
Someone mentioned purple tangs still available. Aren’t they indigenous to the Red Sea and inhabit a smaller range than the Hawaiian islands? Expect a ban coming also.

 

[ca1ore]

environmentalist whackos

Thing is, they aren't. You, or I, might disagree with their position, but labelling them as whackos means it's much harder to engage in any kind of constructive dialog.

They intend to have the entire industry banned worldwide.

That's probably true. Of course, given the deplorable survival rate of collected fish (10% .... maybe) it's hard to argue against 'their' view either compellingly or ethically.

 

[ca1ore]

I've had my yellow tang for 9 years now ..... gotta make sure I treat him well LOL.

 

[Joe Rice]

Frankly, the people here saying that the science is on their side when it comes to this issue are objectively incorrect. You don't get denied by the state Senate, state House, and unanimously rejected in your appeal by the Hawai'i Supreme Court and Hawaii’s Environmental Council without strong evidence that mismanagement is occurring, especially when you are on the side of the industry.

The fact is that most of the wild fish captured for aquariums are herbivorous reef-dwellers that coral reef ecosystems depend upon because they control algae growth that smothers corals. Studies have shown that reducing reef fish and shellfish diversity impairs a reef’s ability to respond to stresses or disturbances. Minimizing such impacts is vitally important as climate change and ocean warming and acidification threaten reefs.

I'm a doctoral student, so I've read a lot of scientific papers. The ones that people cite in opposition to this action are deeply flawed and rely on evidence with little no to external validation. I can clarify on this if desired. The fact is: The Yellow Tang population nearly doubled within four years of area closures in West Hawaii. Since these fish eat algae that otherwise smothers the reefs, this is a vital statistic.

For those saying Hawaii's system is well managed, that is also incorrect. It is better than systems in much of the rest of the Pacific, but that is saying almost nothing. Prior to the ban, Hawaii had the following system:

• To get a fish collecting permit, you just need to fill out an online application on the Hawaii Department of Land & Natural Resources (DLNR) website. The permit costs $50, and everyone is eligible. The DLNR has not placed any limits on the number of permits issued each year.
• The DLNR does not properly monitor reef collection areas for illegal activity. There are only three or four officers for the entire West Hawaii coastline and they must take care of land and sea conservation issues.
• Hawaii has a volunteer report system. So someone could be taking 5,000 fish a day, and reporting that they caught 73. And there's really no enforcement of that.
• Based on these stats, it's estimated that the number of fish reported is an underestimate of 2-5 times. So if they report 500,000 caught, the actual number is 1-2.5 million.

TL;DR: This ban is beneficial, scientifically sound, and unanimously agreed on by legislative and judicial bodies who are not predisposed to be kind to the environmental movement.

This is some really solid information - thank you.

It seems like there might be some regulatory changes that could help. Limiting the number of permits first of all. And perhaps, rotating legal collection areas to reduce the impact and to make it easier to monitor and enforce.

 

[hds4216]

I respectfully disagree. The environmentalist whackos have been trying to shut down this fishery for a long time. The two incidents cited above only provided more ammo in court. But to shut down an entire industry because of a couple law breakers makes as much sense as banning cars because of drunk drivers. It has nothing to do with illegal fishing. These people (environmentalists) believe that keeping fish/inverts in captivity is cruel. Therefore, everyone else must subscribe to their thinking and morality. If you like and enjoy this hobby/industry, I suggest you fight these people at every turn. Hawaii is just the first battle. They intend to have the entire industry banned worldwide.

To say that the entire practice was banned due to a few bad actors is a wholly erroneous statement.

There is substantial evidence that the aquarium collection practice has detrimental effects. A studied on the issue concluded "There was a significant difference in the abundance of aquarium fishes between control and collection sites but no differences in the abundance of nonaquarium species between these sites." https://www.researchgate.net/public...ollectors_on_Coral_Reef_Fishes_in_Kona_Hawaii

You don't get denied by the state Senate, state House, and unanimously rejected in your appeal by the Hawai'i Supreme Court and Hawaii’s Environmental Council without strong evidence that mismanagement is occurring, especially when you are on the side of the industry, which loses relatively rarely, especially on environmental issues.

 

[BantyRooster97]

I have over 1000 logged dives in more than a dozen countries and have been in every ocean. Outside of Puerto Rico Hawaii had some of the worst reefs I have seen. Not all were bad though. Molikini in Maui was gorgeous. The attached photo is from Qamea, a small Island in Fiji. This is what a shallow hard coral reef should look like. None of my dives in Fiji were really in more than 30 feet of water.

The situation in Hawaii is bad.

I think what most people will agree is that fish & coral taken for our hobby contributes a drop in the bucket compared the damage from the Ag business.

 

[DJF]

Yellow tangs just got upgraded to gold tangs is it weird that I see both sides? We all have a responsibility to keep the world’s aquarium stocked. We all agree that said aquarium is going thru some issues. I don’t see how anyone could argue that taking a fish out of the ocean (responsibly or not) isn’t counter productive to restocking it. We are at a critical point and, although it’s maybe not what we want to see as hobbyists, should respect the intent behind the effort.

 

[Markhoh3]

It will open back up!!