Hawaii EIS Approved to allow collecting

[Reefing102]

The land board failed to make a determination in the 30 day limit so it is approved statutorily. It does not allow for collection yet due to the ongoing court cases if I understand it correctly. So basically this opens up the allowance for limited collection of select species once court rulings are over.

The website requires you to sign up for the article, so I have quoted it below. If that’s not allowed, please edit it

EIS for aquarium fish collecting approved - West Hawaii Today

The agency charged with protecting the state’s natural resources has approved an environmental impact statement supporting the harvesting of tropical fish for the aquarium industry despite ongoing litigation over the issue.

www.westhawaiitoday.com

The agency charged with protecting the state’s natural resources has approved an environmental impact statement supporting the harvesting of tropical fish for the aquarium industry despite ongoing litigation over the issue.

At the request of Suzanne Case, chairwoman of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, the state published the final EIS in the Oct. 8 issue of The Environmental Notice, stating that the EIS is deemed statutorily approved because the Land Board, as the approving agency, did not make a determination within the 30 days allotted by law.

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The board last year deadlocked 3-3 on the revised EIS submitted by the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council. A representative could not be reached for comment by press-time Tuesday.
The revised EIS maintained the group’s preference for an alternative that cuts the number of commercial aquarium fishing permits issued in the West Hawaii Regional Fishery Management Area from 10 to seven and reduces the allowable commercial catch from 40 to eight species. The fishery management area spans the entire coastline of West Hawaii, from Upolu Point in North Kohala to Ka Lae (South Point) in Ka‘u.
Only yellow tang, kole, orangespine unicornfish, potter’s angelfish, brown surgeonfish, Thompson’s surgeonfish, black surgeonfish and bird wrasse would be allowed to be taken, under the plan.
Earthjustice subsequently filed a lawsuit challenging acceptance of the EIS on behalf of a coalition of conservation groups, Native Hawaiian fishermen and cultural practitioners.
It was filed on behalf of Willie Kaupiko, a former member of the West Hawaii Fisheries Council and a longtime konohiki (caretaker) of the fisheries fronting Milolii Village; Kaimi Kaupiko, a Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner and subsistence fisherman; Mike Nakachi, a cultural practitioner who leads scuba diving tours; For the Fishes, a nonprofit committed to reef ecosystems; the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity and Kai Palaoa, an unincorporated association of Native Hawaiian religious and cultural practitioners that practice, preserve and perpetuate Hawaiian religious beliefs and practices associated with the ocean deity Kanaloa.
“Under this deeply flawed EIS, the aquarium trade could still degrade and further threaten Hawaii’s reefs and thus harm the people who depend upon them in so many ways,” Renee Umberger, founder and executive director of For the Fishes, said Monday.
An Oahu Circuit Court judge subsequently denied the group’s motion for summary judgment and on Sept. 12, issued a final judgment upholding the state agency’s approval. The plaintiffs subsequently filed an appeal.
“The fact that an appeal has been filed, by itself, does not affect the status of the (EIS), which acceptance has been upheld by the Circuit Court of the First Circuit,” Case said in her Oct. 3 letter to the Environmental Review Program in the state Office of Planning.
Umberger, however, maintains that just accepting the EIS doesn’t mean issuance of permits and fish collection can begin.
“The document published in The Environmental Notice of the ‘acceptance’ was procedural, but also perhaps premature, since Earthjustice filed our notice of appeal last month, as well,” Umberger said. “The denial of our (motion for summary judgment) did not lift the injunction which remains in place until further order from the court.”

 

[Captmcfly]

So does this mean the 250 I payed for my yellow tang may now be headed back to being a 50 dollar fish? It’s ok if it does lol it’s doing a fine job cleaning my gha of my rocks so worth the 250 to me

 

[Reefing102]

I’m going with not likely. Might see wilds drop to around the same price as captives. Not just because of limits but because people have seen the prices everyone is currently willing to pay. If it does drop, my guess it will be very gradual and not a sudden overnight tank in the price

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

So does this mean the 250 I payed for my yellow tang may now be headed back to being a 50 dollar fish? It’s ok if it does lol it’s doing a fine job cleaning my gha of my rocks so worth the 250 to me

I think your yellow tang should give my yellow tang a lesson on eating gha, lol. Fat little baby captive bred completely ignores the rocks and learned from my tomini to go straight for the nori clip. Even the $180 I paid is very expensive for a utilitarian fish that's not doing its job!

 

[Piscans]

time to get a zebra blenny

 

[Captmcfly]

Ah man that sucks. My tang has actually taught my blenny to work harder lol. Competition at its finest!

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

time to get a zebra blenny

Blennies are my fav - if I could, I'd have all of them, lol. I already have a "large and in charge" bicolor blenny and a striped fang blenny... not sure the bicolor would approve of another blenny in his territory, but I've been considering POSSIBLY a lawnmower blenny or maybe even a foxface for assisting with algae control (though I'm not sure a 75 gallon is enough room for a foxface?)

 

[xCry0x]

I think your yellow tang should give my yellow tang a lesson on eating gha, lol. Fat little baby captive bred completely ignores the rocks and learned from my tomini to go straight for the nori clip. Even the $180 I paid is very expensive for a utilitarian fish that's not doing its job!

I just got a biota one and it's ignoring nori and going for my rocks.

I took it out of QT after 48 hours because it ignoring nori and only picking red turf algae off a snail shell I thew in the QT tank.

If it ends up eating red turf I'm going to be beyond happy lol..

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

I just got a biota one and it's ignoring nori and going for my rocks.

I took it out of QT after 48 hours because it ignoring nori and only picking red turf algae off a snail shell I thew in the QT tank.

If it ends up eating red turf I'm going to be beyond happy lol..

I should have kept the nori out of the tank until mine had started picking at the rocks. Even my tomini is a lazy, chunky bum who freeloads off the nori, lol. Turbo snails and urchin used to eat algae off the rocks until they discovered the darn nori too! I have a bunch of slackers! I guess I'm glad they're good eaters, but I do wish they'd do some actual cleanup too, lol.

 

[Kona Diver]

I’m going with not likely. Might see wilds drop to around the same price as captives. Not just because of limits but because people have seen the prices everyone is currently willing to pay. If it does drop, my guess it will be very gradual and not a sudden overnight tank in the price

Oh i doubt that.

 

[Tamberav]

So does this mean the 250 I payed for my yellow tang may now be headed back to being a 50 dollar fish? It’s ok if it does lol it’s doing a fine job cleaning my gha of my rocks so worth the 250 to me

Not likely. Prices probably start out high... slowly drop in time. I would assume they wont be able to collect as many as before.

 

[exnisstech]

So does this mean the 250 I payed for my yellow tang may now be headed back to being a 50 dollar fish? It’s ok if it does lol it’s doing a fine job cleaning my gha of my rocks so worth the 250 to me

I wish I got these for $250 last week I did trade some stuff that helped offset the cost.