State land and natural resources officials on Maui are already discovering problems with the new lay gill net rules and regulations.

They restrict lay gill net fishing around Maui and apply new rules to fishermen on Molokai and Lanai.

"What we are finding to be problematic is that many within the public currently believe the (lay net) gear is restricted, period," said Randy Awo, Maui branch chief of enforcement for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

The decision to seasonally close state and federal waters surrounding the main Hawaiian Islands to protect deepwater bottomfish species reportedly spurred a "resigned acceptance" among impacted KauaÔi fishermen.

After gaining public input for several months, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council on Wednesday unanimously approved several measures to end overfishing of the "Deep 7": onaga, ehu, gindai, opakapaka, kalekale, lehi and hapuupuu.

"If it gets to that level called Ôoverfished,' then there's a complete shutdown of fishing mandated by federal law. We don't want to go there," Council Vice Chairman Ed Ebisui said Friday. "Fishermen say, 'Yeah, we got to do something.' So they're willing to bite the bullet."

Three Hawaii environmental groups, a native Hawaiian cultural group and a national conservation organization are calling for a congressional investigation of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council.

Na Imi Pono, the Hawaii Audubon Society, the Snorkel Bob Foundation, the Conservation Council for Hawaii and the Marine Conservation Biology Institute said in a joint news release yesterday that they also seek the resignation of Kitty Simonds, longtime council executive director.

KAHULUI, Maui È Some Hawaii restaurants will begin importing bottom fish from across the Pacific this summer after a ban around the main Hawaiian islands went into effect yesterday.

The owners of at least nine island restaurants have removed from their menus the bottom fish currently banned from being fished in Hawaiian waters, choosing not to bring them in from elsewhere in the Pacific Ocean.

The state Board of Land and Natural Resources gave final approval to the emergency closure on Friday, joining federal regulators in the first phase of a multitiered attempt to reduce overfishing.

But that community input would not take away the state Department of Land and Natural Resources primary responsibility for managing fishing rules in state waters, the Senate version of the bill makes clear.

The May-September seasonal closure is supposed to help onaga, ehu, gindai, opakapaka, kalekale, lehi and hapuupuu stocks recover from overfishing, its supporters say.

Both commercial and recreational fishing will be banned. During those months, the onaga or opakapaka on restaurant menus and in stores will have to come from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands or be imported.

Honolulu Advertiser 03/09/07
 

The use of the nets, restricted because they ensnare marine life indiscriminately, remains legal offshore other islands, including Molokai and Lanai, but other limitations apply.

Under the new rule, nets used off Molokai and Lanai must be registered with the state, have at least four identification tags, be used no more than four hours at a time and must not be left unattended for more than 30 minutes. Night fishing with lay gill nets would be prohibited, except for a half hour before sunrise and after sunset.

Honolulu Advertiser 03/08/07
 

Under the guise of cultural sensitivity, the bill would hobble any attempts to protect Hawaii's dwindling stock of nearshore fishs with an endless round of meetings, discussions and self-serving tinkering.

The bill would require the use of "best available science and empirical Hawaiian science" before "the adoption of any Board of Land and Natural Resources rules." As amended by the Finance Committee, HB 1848 would overturn any fishing rule "implemented after Jan. 1, 2007."

Honolulu Advertiser 02/20/07
 

The council said Monday that it had been pushing for a 15 percent reduction in "fishery-related bottomfish mortality" but the council now feels a 24 percent reduction is necessary.

Pacific Business News 02/19/07
 

That seems to be the case with the opposition to a ban on the use of lay gill nets around Maui. The ban does not involve other kinds and uses of nets. The state Department of Land and Natural Resources held 18 meetings and hearings during the course of several years. There was plenty of time and opportunities for everyone to have their say.

Board of Land and Natural Resources Chairman Peter Young, who is as politically sensitive as any appointed official, tallied the numbers, including those collected by a survey conducted by Hawaii Fishing News. The board approved a ban on the use of what some call "curtains of death" only around Maui and certain areas off Oahu...

The chairman of the state Board of Land and Natural Resources, Peter Young, is well aware of the need and the public desire to get these "curtains of death" out of the waters around Maui.

As of Monday, the rules and regulations establishing the ban for waters around Maui and certain sections of ocean off Oahu were in the state attorney general's office. Last week, Young said AG staffers "understand the urgency." The state's legal office goes through all state rules and regulations to make sure the language will hold up in case of court actions...

Located halfway between California and Hawaii lies the Pacific Ocean's Great Garbage Patch. Double the size of Texas, it consists of -- you guessed it -- trash.

The island chain acts like a giant comb, straining floating trash onto its coral reefs, beaches and shorelines, including the Big Island's southern Waiohinu-Ka Lae coast. More than 50 tons of marine debris from domestic and foreign sources wash ashore annually in Hawaii, said Carey Morishige, Pacific Islands outreach coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Marine Debris Program. West Hawaii Today 01/08/07
 

The UH group disputes the grim picture presented in recent science journal articles that the ocean ecosystem is on the verge of collapse.

Those findings were based on "cherry-picked" information, John Sibert, manager of the Pelagic Fisheries Research Program at the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, said by e-mail from Apia, Samoa...

Star-Bulletin 12/11/06
 

The final language of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which passed the Senate on Thursday and the House early yesterday, was a compromise between environmentalists and fishing interests. The measure mandates an end to overfishing of depleted species within 2 1/2 years and allows the selling and trading of shares in a fishery to promote conservation.

"This clearly acknowledges the problems we face and reflects a realization by lawmakers that we can't continue to postpone dealing with overfishing and the destruction of marine habitat," said Josh Reichert, head of the Pew Charitable Trust's environmental program.

Some detractors of the plan, which revises "bottomfish restricted fishing areas" from where they've been since 1998, say the old zones didn't work to replenish stocks so the new ones won't, either.

The new zones have used deep-sea-floor mapping to better identify the type of habitat these fish prefer, said Dan Polhemus, administrator of the Department of Land and Natural Resources' Division of Aquatic Resources.

Environmental advocates applauded the decision, saying the restrictions will combat overfishing...
Honolulu Advertiser 11/19/06