Waimea fishing
expansion praisedNew state rules allow net fishing
in the bay for four months a yearFishing tourney renamed after young cancer victim
Commercial and native Hawaiian fishermen praised a state Board of Land & Natural Resources decision yesterday that restores fishing with nets four months a year in Waimea Bay.
Net fishing in Waimea Bay has not been allowed at all for a year, since the Pupukea Marine Life Conservation District was expanded to include the bay.
The exceptions approved yesterday allow net fishing in Waimea Bay for:
>> Opelu in August and September only.
>> Akule and halalu in November and December only.
Pole and line fishing from the banks of Waimea Bay already was an exception to the no-fishing rule in the conservation district, which includes the Shark's Cove and Three Tables areas as well as Waimea Bay.
Making these exceptions does not contradict the conservation district's purpose, which is to rebuild the stocks of reef fish, said Bill Devick, administrator of the Division of Aquatic Resources. The opelu and akule (the young of which are called halalu) are deep-water fish that only come into bays to spawn at certain times of year. And the stocks of the fish are plentiful, he said.
"This particular issue is not about resource protection, it's about resource allocation," said board member Tim Johns.
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Fishing tourney renamed
after young cancer victim
The Seventh Annual Father's Day Spearfishing Tournament tomorrow in Paia, Maui, has been renamed in honor of Daniel Perreira, who recently died from cancer -- a week short of his third birthday.
Net proceeds from the tournament at Baldwin Beach Park will be donated to the National Childhood Cancer Foundation to raise funds for research and promote public awareness that "little kids can get cancer, too," according to Perreira's aunt Janice Yonamine.
"There doesn't seem to be that much publicity out there for childhood cancer, and because of that, not much funding goes into research to help find a cure. No child should ever have to suffer the way my nephew did, especially at an early age of 2," she said.
"My sister, Wanda Perreira, also made a Web site and summarized Daniel's story of what she and Daniel had to endure during his one-year battle with cancer."
Brian Yoshikawa, owner of Maui Sporting Goods and sponsor of the Daniel Perreira Memorial Spearfishing Tournament, is Yonamine's boyfriend and wanted to help raise public awareness by renaming the event. Registration at his store can be made by calling 244-0011.
Children ages 5 to 17 can enter the tournament free of charge. The fee is $20 for adults, who also are being asked via invitation letters to add a donation to their registration fee, Yonamine said.