Gathering Places
Gathering Places
This month the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) will hold five public hearings throughout the state to discuss new rules to limit access to the fisheries management area (FMA) in Hawaii's Leeward islands. The intent of the proposed FMA is to create a regulatory framework that will be flexible enough to regulate fishing and other activities that are not limited under existing state regulations. Designation would protect
Hawaii’s Leeward islesUnder the proposed FMA, most types of fishing and other activities would be restricted because they may be in conflict with the needs of the wildlife in the region. Most of this area is designated as a National Wildlife Refuge.
The new rules would require a permit for entry, which would enable the DLNR to control who enters the Leeward islands and what they do there, to prevent damage to the fragile resources of the area. The rules also would limit fishing to line gear such as trolling, handline and pole and line; prohibit setting foot on shore; and prohibit destruction of coral, including by anchoring.
Under the proposed system, permits would be issued only after a 30-day period of public comment.
The proposed FMA would extend from the shoreline to three miles offshore around each of the islands, shoals, emergent reefs and atolls from Nihoa to Kure, but not including Midway Atoll, which is a wildlife refuge managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are among the state's greatest natural treasures. Stretching for 1,200 nautical miles and 100 miles wide, Hawaii's Leeward islands are an unspoiled natural wildlife refuge. They represent a pristine and relatively undisturbed reef ecosystem. The area is home to large flocks of seabirds, the endangered monk seal, and is the main nesting ground for more than 80 percent of the threatened Hawaiian green sea turtles.
Recent scientific expeditions have found previously unknown species of native plants and animals. Scientists consider its ocean an indicator of what Hawaii's marine diversity might have been like before the main islands were inhabited.
The designation of the proposed FMA is a response to federal actions that recently created the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve and to new commercial pressures. New vessels enable far-ranging commercial fishing crews, blue water spear fish operators and aquarium collectors to enter an area once considered so remote that only a small contingent of commercial fishermen and scientists went there.
The administrative procedure is to gather public input on the proposed regulations. We want to hear what people think so that we can incorporate their concerns into the proposal and revise the regulations where appropriate. We are seeking to clarify the misinformation and confusion over the proposed designation of the Leeward islands as an FMA.
The management rules for the Leeward islands are in transition. Our intent is to manage these resources for long-term sustainability.
We invite anyone with comments or suggestions to contact us by Feb. 15. E-mail dlnr_aquatics@exec.state.hi.us, call 587-0100 or fax us at 587-0115.
Gilbert Coloma-Agaran is chairman of the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources